Unfolding Origami

This is a video of some paper folded and cut with the intention of being unfolded through what is called capillary action. As the water is absorbed by the paper, it is sucked up the capillaries (small tubes) in the sheet. This action is a bit like inflating a balloon which straightens the capillaries, forcing the paper to unfold. 

Flottille (detail) from Etienne Cliquet on Vimeo.

It's a unique idea in the origami world. Gives a new meaning to wet-folding!

Creased Images

I wanted to post a link to something interesting.

This is an illustration made from creasing a sheet of paper.

There are plenty more images at Simon Schubert's site.

Paper Making!

On Saturday, Origami Minnesota hosted a paper-making workshop! We took over some space at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and made ten sheets. The workshop was led by Amanda, one of the people at Cave Paper.

We had two fibers to work with: abacá and flax. Abacá is a banana plant that grows in the Philippines, Borneo and Sumatra. It also works well for paper. It does not require the harsh chemicals that would be necessary if we were using most tree fibers. That means that we only had three ingredients, all non-toxic: fiber, water, and dye. We also had a relatively small supply of flax which is grown from the Mediterranean to India. It is notably stronger than abacá, but can be thicker.

Before we got there, the fiber had been sent through a machine that tears it into bits. These bits are dyed to a preferred color and mixed into a pulp.

The pulp mixture sits in a large tub, and a mesh mold is used to scoop up the fiber.

Then the water is drained out. The amount of time this takes is variable, dependent on the fiber and how much it was shredded before mixed into the water. One pulp we made was shredded really finely and absorbed an awful lot of water, which took a long time to drain. It was also really gooey, like snot.

The mesh mold is then flipped over and pressed against a wet piece of felt.

More felt is placed on top, several layers, until it is large enough to be pressed.

Note, the press uses a car-jack. It is pumped up to 5000 PSI and then released. Then each sheet is removed from the stack and put on a rack to air dry.

I think that it is important for a folder to make paper at least once in his life. It has given me a better appreciation if the fiber and the quality of the sheets. It also makes me more aware of the fact that each sheet can be customized for the model that is folded. First there was paper-making, and then as a natural extension, there was paper folding. Now I have a better understanding of that progression that has led to my chosen craft.

I had a blast making paper! Thanks to Cave Paper and Origami MN and the MCBA!

[All pictures taken with my camera.]

A Safe Place for Paper

To store my origami paper (specifically the 15cm x 15cm sheets) I have been using a box that once held a desk calendar. It was flimsy, falling apart, and all around bad. So I decided to construct a new box that would house my nice paper.

This new box is made from scrap wood in the basement. I carved the pieces so that the walls came together as finger joints that were held by friction alone. Then I cut grooves along the top and bottom of each wall so that they would hold two flat boards, one for the floor and one for the lid. At this point, I also lowered one wall so that the lid could slide out of the box.

Then I sanded all of it and made sure the inside could neatly hold a 15cm square sheet, which it does! When it all came together, I drilled vertical holes in the corners and drove a wooden dowel into each corner so that they wouldn't accidentally come apart.

I sanded it all again and then used a wood burner to draw the image of an orizuru on the lid, just in case people didn't know what the box was for! And finally, to protect the wood, I put two layers of varnish. 

I am very proud of my box. It's not perfect, partly because the wood was scrap, and partly because I am an amateur, but it will serve well for a long time. And, I can proudly say that there is not any glue or metal in the final construction.