Combines In A Bottle

Combines In A Bottle FARM HOME Novelty Items 27-1-44 The late Don Paterson's family and close friends have some very unique momentos of this creative and well-loved man who passed away in January, 2002. His "combines in bottles" will keep his memory alive for many years. Instead of ships, Paterson made 35 different combines of various makes and models, putting them together inside clear glass olive oil bottles. They caught on fast and Paterson filled orders from people as far away as Ontario and Illinois, at a price of $150 each. Each of the intricate combine models took 10 to 14 days to complete. He started by studying photos, illustrations or commercially made-to-scale toy models as a guide for his own smaller versions. Then he would insert a basic wooden frame into the bottle, gluing it to the bottom. Next, Paterson would glue as many as 63 pre-painted parts onto the frame to complete the combine. He made the parts by carving them out of mahogany wood with a razor knife. Patterson said he preferred mahogany because it could be cut finely without chipping or splintering. After painting them, he used a tool he created for the job of attaching the parts to the chassis. The tool consisted of a sturdy wire attached to a paintbrush handle, in place of the bristles. By using two of these tools together Paterson could do very precise work inside the narrow-neck bottles. He obtained tiny decals to identify the makes and models of combines and in the nose of some bottles, he included a head of wheat positioned as though it was about to enter the combine pick-up. "I don't know anyone else who does this, either now or in the past, so they're pretty rare and valuable, at least to us," says son Jim. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim and Dodi Paterson, #42K, 8630-182 St., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5T 1M3 (ph 780 443-4153; E-mail: jimanddodi@ hotmail.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.