ORIGAMI A PERENNIALFAVORITE Metal clay paper tulips take traditional origami

from ephemeral to permanent.

Each delicate tulip in this necklace is made from a 13 ⁄16-in. (30 mm) square of metal clay paper. 203 ⁄4 in. (52.7 cm).

MASTERING THE MINIATURE

by Sara Jayne Cole

The word origami is derived from the Japanese oru, meaning to fold, and kami, meaning

paper. Paper was invented in China in the first century A.D. and brought to Japan by

Buddhist monks five centuries later. Although it’s unclear whether the practice of paper

folding originated in China or Japan, there is little debate that Japanese culture has embraced

origami as an expressive and accessible art form.

Using traditional origami techniques, you’ll fold metal clay paper into a series of petite tulips.

You’ll also use wireworking skills to shape links so you can connect the tulips into a necklace.

You can modify the design by varying the size or number of the flowers or by skipping the liver

of sulfur patina.

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©2009 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

TulipsPractice your origami skills. Before you make the tulips out of metal clay paper, practice making a few models out of copy paper. See “How To Fold an Origami Tulip,” obelow, and review the following folding instructions. Be sure to fold on a flat sur-face, and expect to make a few wrong folds when you’re making your first model. When you’re ready to begin the project, see “Properties of Metal Clay Paper,” below, for tips on working with metal clay paper.

Cut the metal clay paper. Keeping the metal clay paper in its package, use a craft knife to cut the paper into 16 13 ⁄16 x 13 ⁄16-in. (30 x 30 mm) squares [1].

Make a “water bomb” base. Like many origami designs, the tulip model begins with a series of folds known as a “water bomb” (paper water balloon) base.

Place one 13 ⁄16 x 13 ⁄16-in. (30 x 30 mm) square of metal clay paper on your work surface. Fold and unfold the square to make two diagonal valley folds that form an X [Figures 1 and 2]. Turn the square over. Make a horizontal valley fold across the center of the square. Unfold the square and turn it over [Figure 3].

Push the outer edges of the horizontal crease toward the center of the square [Figure 4] and [2]. Then press the top and bottom edges together. The square will collapse into a double-layered triangle [Figure 5]. When viewed from its widest side, the water bomb base should look as shown [3].

Make a tulip. Position the water bomb base so that its widest side is closest to you. Valley-fold the left and right corners of the model [Figure 6]. Turn the model over and repeat. You now have a square that is rotated 45°.

Valley-fold the square’s left triangle flap to the right, as if you were turning a page [Figure 7]. You now have a square with a centered vertical crease. Turn the model over and repeat.

Valley-fold the square’s left triangle flap just past the vertical crease [Figure 8]. Repeat with the right triangle flap. Use a blunt-tip burnisher or a knitting needle to gently tuck the right flap into the opening of the left flap [Figures 9 and 10]. Turn the model over and repeat.

Expand and shape the hollow tulip. Set the metal clay paper tulip on its base, and gently press its tip to expand the bottom of the flower. (Editor’s Note: To inflate a tulip model that’s made of copy paper, blow a puff of air into the small hole at the base of the tulip.) Use your fingers to gently peel the four petals away from the center of the tulip’s tip [Figures 11 and 12] and [4]. Repeat to make a total of 16 tulips.

Fire the tulips. Unlike other forms of metal clay, metal clay paper does not need to be dried prior to firing.

Place two strips of fiber blanket parallel to each other on a kiln shelf. Support the tulips between the two strips of fiber blanket [5]. This prevents the folds in the tulips from relaxing during firing. Place the kiln shelf in a cold kiln, and fire the tulips according to the metal clay paper manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the tulips to cool.

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To shape �ower,gently peel backthe petals

how to fold an origami tulip

FOLDINGLEGEND

Valley fold: Make a fold that forms a V when you view it from the side.

Turn over: Flip over the entire model so that the side that was against your work surface is now face-up.

Repeat: Make another fold that’s identical to the previous fold; you’ll often have to do this on the opposite side of the model or to “mirror” the previous fold.

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3Figure 4

Figure 5 Figure 6

Figure 7 Figure 8

Figure 9 Figure 10

Figure 11 Figure 12

Practice folding with copy paper before you move on to metal clay paper.

Valley fold Creasepreviously folded

Fold and unfold Turn over RepeatValley fold Creasepreviously folded

Fold and unfold Turn over Repeat

Metal Clay Dryness Chart

Wet Clay contains a lot of moisture and is very pliable

Semi-dry Clay contains some moisture, but is firm and holds its shape

Mostly dry

Clay is nearly devoid of all moisture and is rigid

Completely dry

Clay contains absolutely no moisture and can be fired

materials ■ Metal clay paper: 16 13 ⁄16 x 13 ⁄16-in. (30 x 30 mm) squares

■ Metal clay: 2–3 g ■ Metal clay slip ■ Sterling silver wire:

■ 20-gauge (0.8 mm), round, dead-soft, 32–40 in. (81.3–101 cm)

■ 18-gauge (1.0 mm), round, dead-soft, 5 in. (12.7 cm)

tools & supplies ■ Copy paper ■ Kiln, kiln shelf, fiber blanket ■ Craft knife ■ Burnisher or knitting needle ■ Wire cutters ■ Scotch-Brite pad ■ Needle file: round ■ Flexible Teflon sheet ■ Acrylic roller ■ Olive oil or natural hand balm ■ Paintbrush: fine tip ■ Tumbler, steel shot, burnishing compound

■ Liver of sulfur (optional) ■ Pliers: chainnose, needlenose, roundnose

what does “metal clay paper”

mean?Different manufacturers have different names for the water-less, paper-thin metal clay product that you’ll need in order to make this project.

Art Clay Silver (ACS) packages their product under the name “Art Clay Silver Paper Type.” Precious Metal Clay (PMC) packages their product under the name “PMC Sheet” or “PMC+ Sheet.” PMC Sheet is thinner than ACS Paper Type.

Both ACS Paper Type and PMC Sheet must be fired in a cold kiln, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

PMC Sheet has a firing schedule that is compatible with other PMC+ products. ACS Paper Type has a firing schedule that is compatible with ACS Basic and ACS Basic slow-dry products.

properties of metal clay paper■  Until you are ready to use metal clay paper, keep it in its

package to prevent the paper from oxidizing and discoloring.

■  Metal clay paper does not contain water like other metal clay formulations. Do not add water to metal clay paper, or it will disintegrate.

■  Metal clay paper remains flexible and doesn’t need to dry

before you can fire it.

■  Fold metal clay paper by pressing it with your fingertips rather than with a tool or your fingernail, which could make cuts in the paper.

■  Repair tears in metal clay paper after it has been fired. Apply metal clay slip to the tear and refire.

■  Place metal clay paper in a cold kiln and follow the manufacturer’s firing instructions.

Unlike other metal clay formulations, metal clay paper doesn’t need to dry before you fire it.

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Wire linksCut the wire. Cut 16 2-in. (51 mm) pieces of 20-gauge (0.8 mm) sterling silver wire. Use a Scotch-Brite pad to clean the surface of the wire pieces.

Prepare the tulips. In the bottom center of each tulip is a small hole that is part of the origami design. Use a round needle file to redefine these holes [6].

Attach the wire to the tulips. Working over a flexible Teflon sheet, roll a small lump of metal clay into a ball. Use a craft knife to cut the ball into quarters [7], and then roll each quarter into a ball. Push one end of a wire through a metal clay ball, allowing the wire end to protrude a little beyond the clay. Repeat until you’ve added a metal clay ball to each of the wires.

Use a fine-tip paintbrush to apply slip around the hole at the bottom of a tulip [8]. Insert the wire end protruding from the metal clay ball into the hole in the tulip. Make sure the clay ball covers the hole and is securely bonded to the bottom of the tulip [9]. Add slip if necessary. Repeat to make a total of 16 tulip-and-wire components.

Fire the components. Place strips of fiber blanket on the kiln shelf, and lay the components on the blanket. Allow the metal clay balls and slip to dry completely (see “Metal Clay Dryness Chart,”). Fire the pieces according to the metal clay manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the pieces to cool.

Complete the finishing. Use the Scotch-Brite pad to remove firescale from the surface of the wires. Tumble-polish the components in a tumbler with steel shot and burnishing com-pound. If desired, apply a liver of sulfur patina according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and then retumble the components to restore some of their shine.

Shape the links. Hold a component in your nondominant hand. Using the tips of your chainnose pliers, grasp the wire below the tulip’s base and make a slight bend in the wire. Switch to round-nose pliers and grasp the wire at the bend you just made. Wrap the wire around the lower jaw of the roundnose pliers, bending the wire into a U that is perpendicular to the bottom of the tulip [10a]. Use chainnose pliers to grasp the wire ¾ in. (19 mm) from its end and make a 110° bend in the wire [10b]. Repeat for the remaining wires.

On the end of one link, make the first half of a wrapped loop [10c].

Connect the links. Slide the U bend of another link into the loop, and finish the wraps. Make the first half of a wrapped loop on the end of the second link. Continue attaching the links [11], until all 16 are connected, making a garland that is approximately 15 in. (38.1 cm) long.

Add wrapped-loop links. To extend the length of the necklace, you can add wrapped-loop links to each end of the garland. Cut four 2-in. (51 mm) pieces of 20-gauge (0.8 mm) sterling silver wire.

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Use roundnose pliers to make a loop 3 ⁄8 in. (9.5 mm) from one end of a piece of wire. Slide the loop onto one end of the garland, and finish the wraps. Make another wrapped loop at the opposite end of the wire. Repeat to add a wrapped-loop link to the other end of the garland. Continue to add wrapped-loop links until the necklace is the desired length. Be sure to factor in approximately 1½ in. (38 mm) additional length for the hook-and-eye clasp.

Make the eye of the clasp. Cut a 2-in. (51 mm) piece of 18-gauge (1.0 mm) sterling silver wire. Make a larger wrapped loop at one end. Make the first half of a wrapped loop at the other end, slide the loop onto one end of the necklace, and finish the wraps.

Make the hook of the clasp. Cut a 21⁄2-in. (64 mm) piece of 18-gauge (1.0 mm) sterling silver wire. Use needlenose pliers to bend a tight U at the midpoint of the wire [12]. Open the wire ends slightly. Measure 3 ⁄8 in. (9.5 mm) from one end, and make a perpendicular bend. Use roundnose pliers to grasp both ends together just above the bend, and use chainnose pliers to wrap the bent end around the straight end [13].

Use roundnose pliers to make a loop with the wire stem. Using roundnose pliers, grasp the center of the doubled wire, and then bend the doubled wire around one jaw of the pliers to form a hook [14]. Bend the tip of the doubled wire up 45°. Attach the hook to the remaining end of the necklace.

Shape the petals. Use roundnose pliers to gently curl the petals a little farther away from the center of the tulips [15].

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Sterling silver wire is embedded into the bottom of each tulip and then shaped and looped together to create a chain.