best paper for shaping an wet folding

Andrew 777 · Post by **Andrew 777** » May 26th, 2010, 10:17 pm

hi, i was just wondering if anyone has any advice on which paper is the best for wet folding, as i have tried many but they all just either tear whilst folding or dont hold their shape very easily. please help!
thanks
andrew

Froy · Post by **Froy** » May 27th, 2010, 12:48 am

Master Robert Lang says:

http://www.langorigami.com/info/paper/w ... apers.php4

NickH · Post by **NickH** » May 27th, 2010, 8:29 am

For wet-folding I prefer elephant hide (Wyndstone Marble) although this is increasingly hard to obtain especially in more "vibrant" colours. More recently I have been using a lot of Tant (35 cm2 from Nicolas Terry) with a lot of success. I have been impressed and surprised by how good Tant is for wet folding even for fairly complex designs - I have successfully done Takashi's Icarus from this paper.

The few times I have tried Canson paper I have found the fibres to short and even with relatively simple models (eg Lafosse dugong) the paper has ripped when damp. Others, such as David Brill, though suggest Canson is good for wet folding.

Good luck. I hope more people try wet folding.

joshuaorigami · Post by **joshuaorigami** » May 27th, 2010, 1:17 pm

yeh, ive also used alot of 35cm tant for wet folding and is great!
ive folded a few designs and kamiyas minotaur and veiltail angelfish.
ive uploaded pictures on my gallery.

Jonnycakes · Post by **Jonnycakes** » May 27th, 2010, 7:18 pm

I have used Canson Mi-Teintes for Kawasaki roses, and it works quite well. There are a lot of wet-foldable papers of varying thicknesses to suit a wide variety of projects. Canson can tear if you aren't careful, but there are other thicker papers (some loktas and unryus for example) that work well. Most papers like these are not sized, so you will have to treat them with Methylcellulose (MC) or Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) (the 2 most popular sizing agents for origami) before use-this is what allows paper to hold its shape when wet-folded. I actually prefer to use diluted MC, not water, for wet-folding complex subjects. It helps the paper to hold and compress better than just water.

bethnor · Post by **bethnor** » May 28th, 2010, 3:38 am

i have tried dry folding and wet finishing with tant recently, and have generally been pleased with the results.

fumiaki kawahata dimetrodon

fumiaki kawahata stegosaurus

btw, if you live int he US, Fineartstore.com sells 12" tant in 24 sheet packs. the sheet size is smaller than passionorigami, but generally you get more paper for your buck.

also, that is 12" japanese foil they are also selling! a steal at $5.00/pack for 24 sheets, and in a variety of colors. no, i don't work for them.

Jonnycakes · Post by **Jonnycakes** » May 29th, 2010, 4:22 am

Ah, are you sure that is Japanese foil? It looks like American foil to me (judging by the colors). There is no description, so there is no way to know for sure but to buy some...

origamimasterjared · Post by **origamimasterjared** » May 29th, 2010, 8:52 am

It is excellent Japanese foil. I bought some of that stuff at PCOC. So long as you're looking at this and the similar. That's the one I have.

bethnor · Post by **bethnor** » May 29th, 2010, 5:34 pm

i did buy some! it is indeed japanese foil. again, a HUGE steal at 24 sheets of 12" for $5.00, IMHO (a mix of aitoh 10" foil from origami-corner sells for $8.00).

they buy it from mountain-valley papers, which is the stateside retailer of toyo.

here's their website, but you can't buy direct from them:

www.mvpaper.com

also, btw, the tant is actually expensive. when accounting for the euro, 2 packs of 12 sheets of 35 cm from passionorigami is ~ $17.00, only a little more than fineartstore.

Andrew 777 · Post by **Andrew 777** » May 29th, 2010, 9:21 pm

thanks for all of your advice, much appreciated. im quite exited actually cos i have just ordered some tant paper and a piece of origamido so im just waiting for them to arrive at the moment, so i will try wet folding with tant like sugested.
thanks

BigFIFan · Post by **BigFIFan** » August 24th, 2010, 10:09 pm

Can someone describe how to wet-finish with tant paper? When I tried it the fibers of the paper were rolling while I moved a damp towel over the surface.