Impossible bottle

"Ship in a bottle" redirects here. For other uses, see Ship in a Bottle (disambiguation).

Sealed decks of Bicycle Playing Cards inside glass bottles

An impossible bottle is a type of mechanical puzzle. It is a bottle that has an object inside it that does not appear to fit through the mouth of the bottle. The objects inside authentic impossible bottles must always go through the neck. The glass cannot be cut or blown around the objects.

The ship in a bottle is a traditional type of impossible bottle. Other common objects used include matchboxes, decks of cards, tennis balls, racketballs, Rubik's cubes, padlocks, knots, and scissors.

Ship in a bottle

Titanic sinks in a bottle

There are several ways to put a ship inside a bottle. The simplest way is to rig the masts of the ship and raise it up when the ship is inside the bottle. Masts, spars, and sails are built separately and then attached to the hull of the ship with strings and hinges so the masts can lie flat against the deck. The ship is then placed inside the bottle and the masts are pulled up using the strings attached to the masts. The hull of the ship must still be able to fit through the opening. Bottles with minor distortions and soft tints are often chosen to hide the small details of the ship such as hinges on the masts.

Alternatively, with specialized long-handled tools, it is possible to build the ship inside the bottle.

Pine cone in a bottle

This variation of the impossible bottle takes advantage of the fact that pine cones open as they dry out. In constructing the display, a closed, damp cone of suitable size is inserted into a narrow-mouthed bottle and then allowed to dry inside the bottle.

Fruit and vegetables in a bottle

Fruits and vegetables inside bottles are grown by placing a bottle around the blossom or young fruit and securing it to the plant. The fruit then grows to full size inside the bottle.

Penny in a bottle

A US one-cent coin sealed inside a small bottle is a common souvenir. They are mass-produced using glassblowing techniques, by placing a coin inside a semi-molten glass cup, and then reshaping the open end into a narrow neck and mouth, completing the bottle. This is cheating, and true impossible bottles are never made in this way. Non-metallic objects need to be protected from the hot glass to prevent scorching.

Harry Eng

Harry Eng (1932–1996) was a master bottle-maker. Although a school teacher by profession, it is estimated that he created 600 to 700 impossible bottles, containing objects as diverse as golf balls, padlocks, baseballs and books. Eng's trademark was an ability to tie knots inside each of his bottles, most of which were too big to pull out of the bottle neck. He took most of his secrets to the grave.

External links

• Folk Art In Bottles
• Gallery of impossible bottles from many makers - impossibottle.co.uk
• The Dawe Collection of ships in bottles in Dartmouth Museum