This is one of my all-time favorite models, so I'll take a shot at it: On 1/8/16 10:26 PM, Bernie Cosell wrote: > For reference, the diagram is at: > <http://www.josephwu.com/Files/PDF/snowflake.pdf> > > I'm a bit baffled at how to get started, and so any advice would be > appreciated! First off, although it isn't Joseph's normal diagramming > style, I assume the solid lines in image 1 are mountain folds, although > i'm thinking that they're not since they don't turn into valley folds > when you turn the paper over for the image-2 folds. So I'm thinking > they're not folds at all but just reference lines for the other folds.
If you look at the solid lines in step 1, you'll see that they are (partially) mountain folds in step 4. So if you track the flip-overs, that means they were valley folds in step 0 (the one before step 1). > Anyhow, where I'm mystified is in the "collapse" going from image 4 to > image 5. Can anyone give me some hints/help about how to do that > collapse? I can't quite tell from the diagrams what's happening and what > goes where. So it's kind of like the twist collapse in the Kawasaki rose. Well, uhm, at least the way I do it. Also, if you look ahead to step 6, you can see that the part of each flap that is closest to the center of the model has a tiny pocket. Each side of that pocket is folded edge. This makes the pocket part thicker than the rest of the flap, which is just one layer of paper on each side. Without a video (cough, hint to the videographers in the list, cough, with Joseph's permission, cough cough)... Basically it really helps if all your folds are very crisp and you take the time to reinforce the folds shown in step 4. I also find it easier to do the collapse by working it in gradually from the outside going around to each flap in turn and nudging it further in to the center. The next trick comes up at step 7. Because of the inner flap, when you squash the end nearest the center, can be tricky. If you look at step 9 with it's subtle shading, that thicker part alternates left and right around the center. My fingers are too fat to really force the paper, so I find that the best way to tease the paper to the way I want is to alternate the precrease. Specifically, the precrease shown as the step 7 mountain fold in the grey center area. You would think that folding that crease back and forth to both sides would be best, but my experience is that you want to make those precreases only in one direction (which alternates as you go around the center pre-creasing each flap), as that rather directly "tells" the inner layer of paper what you are trying to do. Hope this makes some sense and helps. It'll probably be a little less muddy as you work with the paper in hand. -=D'gou
