I’m sure everybody has seen a ship in a bottle at some point before. I’d bet that most people know how it’s done too.
But how about these Impossible Bottles by Harry Eng?
But. But. But...?
There may be spoilers ahead, so you might want to stop reading now…
Right.
Well, as far as I can make out, there’s no fakery involved when making impossible bottles. Everything that is in the bottle, has passed through the neck.
Take the three bottles above for instance. The bottle on the right looks impossible at first, but you could (if you had the time or patience), take all the cards out of the pack, unfold/roll up the empty box and put that in the bottle. Then using a pair of tweezers, reassemble the box, glue it back together if required, then put the cards back in one by one. It’d be a tough job, but it’d be doable I reckon.
How about the bottle on the left? It looks like the same kinda principle, but really pushing the limits as far as difficulty levels go. Put in the empty boxes, then the cards into each box. Thread the rope through. But if you look carefully, there’s a nut and bolt apparently going through all three decks of cards too. Maybe that’s an illusion? Perhaps the bolt doesn’t really go through all three decks?
What really intrigues me though, is the middle picture.
From the Puzzle Museum website:
Our venerable curator has gone nearly blind with a magnifying glass but has failed to find any sign of breaks or glue in this plank. It is a One Gallon Bottle and the plank measures about 14 cm x 12.5 cm x 1.8 cm thick. Even if one could use the key that is loose in the bottom of the bottle, the padlock on the bottom of the plank is too large to fit through the neck of the bottle.
So, dear reader, please put me out of my misery. How did Harry Eng do that?
Magic, duh
Hi, I just came across this article – nicely written!
Harry Eng inspired me to start making and selling my own impossible bottles – you can see my work at http://www.impossiblebottle.co.uk.
Unfortunately I never met Harry, but I can assure you that all of his bottles (and mine for that matter) are normal glass bottles, and are not tampered with at all. Everything in a true impossible bottle has to go through the bottle neck.
It’s a lengthy and at times frustrating process!
All the best,
Phil
Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. I did see your website shortly after I wrote this actually and even came [that] close to buying one of your excellent looking impossible bottles too!
Not sure I’d have the patience to ever do what you do, but they’re impressive to look at.
Oh, and if you happen to know how the Wooden block is done… I’m all ears! :-)
I’m afraid I’m as mystified as you when it comes to some of Harry Eng’s bottles!
That’s what I love about the whole art form – I make the things myself yet I’m still astonished at some of them!
Best,
Phil
Harry eng was truly a great artist.My late father did bottles that would truly blow your mind.He has 25 of them in the Ripleys believe it or not in branson mo. His bottles are truly unique and one of a kind. They are mostly themes like the little brown church in the vale, tera, the mansion from gone with the wind, a farm , a military fort from the 1870s . Many of the bottles are in 5 gallion jugs,and truly unbelieveable. Email me and I will send you some pictures.
I have been making Impossible Bottles for 10 years now. Harry was definitely the “master” at them, but, I am trying to follow in his footsteps and keep his art form alive. I have already duplicated 6 of Harry’s bottles and am in the process of creating a couple of bottles that have never been created by anyone. If you’d like to see some of my bottle creations please feel free to go to my website – http://bottlemagic.com.
Always be your best,
Jeff
I know how Harry made all three. If you look at bottle #3 (far right), the deck of cards is and match box don’t look very good (deck not sealed and slightly still opened). What makes the bottle so interesting though, is that the bottle was made for two guys Harry had dinner with. And, more importantly, Harry put both items into the wine bottle with nothing more than a couple of rubber bands, a pencil and pair of chop sticks. Now, that’s impressive!