The Origami Forum

Hey guys,

Been thinking about putting together a personal tool kit for origami. That way, I can fold anytime anywhere.

I got the papers and materials down. But I can't quite decided which diagrams to include and how to carry them around.

I have an old laptop, kinda heavy. I am struggling with the idea of getting an E-book reader for viewing diagrams. Or maybe a smaller laptop?

Any thoughts?

I have a Kindle 3rd generation (the last one to have a keyboard), a 9.7" tablet (android loaded on a Touchpad), and a laptop. For me, the best by far is the tablet. Zooming in on specific parts and panning across diagrams is very easy. On the Kindle, it is quite hard, since there isn't a touch interface (and the interface on the newer e-readers isn't too responsive), so you have to manually hit the buttons to pan, and the system on the whole isn't too snappy. And the laptop is, well, a laptop. It works well, but it large and heavy. It depends on your budget, but I would recommend some sort of tablet. A cheap one like the Kindle Fire would work well.

I'd recommend fewer than 10 diagrams, in hardcopy. They'd be lighter, thinner, and more compact than the smallest mobile device, as well as cheaper and harder to damage or lose. When I travel with Origami material, I usually have a mix of diagrams - some that I can fold in a few minutes for small gifts, or as tips (Rae Cooker's Strawberry, Montroll's Dollar Folds) and one or two that take me a little longer to fold which I may use as a nicer gift, such as The Last Waltz. I have a smaller cardboard box (about the size of the KIndle) for carrying smaller paper, and a larger 8.5 x 11" shoebox for larger stuff. If I drop either box, nothing inside will break

@jewishDan: On a different note, I really like the HP Touchpad, but I kept it WebOS, and we're working on a SIRI/IRIS version for WebOS. I haven't used it for Origami.

HankSimon wrote:I'd recommend fewer than 10 diagrams, in hardcopy. They'd be lighter, thinner, and more compact than the smallest mobile device, as well as cheaper and harder to damage or lose. When I travel with Origami material, I usually have a mix of diagrams - some that I can fold in a few minutes for small gifts, or as tips (Rae Cooker's Strawberry, Montroll's Dollar Folds) and one or two that take me a little longer to fold which I may use as a nicer gift, such as The Last Waltz. I have a smaller cardboard box (about the size of the KIndle) for carrying smaller paper, and a larger 8.5 x 11" shoebox for larger stuff. If I drop either box, nothing inside will break

@jewishDan: On a different note, I really like the HP Touchpad, but I kept it WebOS, and we're working on a SIRI/IRIS version for WebOS. I haven't used it for Origami.

I quite agree; you can always swap out the diagrams and have fresh ones that won't lose you a couple hundred bucks when dropped.

I still have WebOS on it. The interface is very nice, but I like the android app selection (and it matches my phone, for the most part). Are you trying to get the app to hook into the SIRI servers, or making your own service? I highly recommend trying out some diagrams on it; it's awesome to be able to easily zoom in on a specific part of a diagram/CP, then zoom out again with just a flick of your fingers.

I've downloaded PDF diagrams, and the gesture interface is terrific. As far as Siri, I don't Apple is very happy about people hacking into the Siri servers so we'll use WolframAlpha, and some simple Web services.

Thank you for the replies guys.

I didn't know that the zoom on the e-readers aren't that effective. I think I would stick to my hard copy diagrams.... My budget isn't that high. My old laptop is sufficient for now.

What kind of diagrams do you guys include?

I got dragon in flight by Charlie Esselletine, the divisions into different portions and a couple of other models that are just beyond my ability to memorize...

As for materials and tools. I got a clip board, mini paper cutter, bone folder, wire cutter, scissors, floral wire, floral tape and leaves. A bunch of green and red papers in 5.5 inches for roses. 10' American foil, regular 6' origami papers. 2.5' squares for tiny things....

I carry all that in a binder with zippers. In addition, I have a tin box for holding models. My kit is kinda heavy.....

what about you guys?

Generally I carry around a folder with different sized papers in it, and a few CPs ive printed out. CPs are easier to carry since theyre only one sheet, and they also allow you to carry more of them. Of course, this only works if you know how to fold with CPs...

Interesting thread. I always like the "what's in my bag" information. My skills are more basic... so are my resulting needs. But though I have an iPad and a Kindle with some origami diagrams and books on each, I still find myself preferring to have some hard copy diagrams. I travel a lot and often for long periods of time (which usually means not just a carry on, so I also carry:

• a cutting ruler,
• a small triangle,
• a small rotary cutter,
• a small cutting mat,
• a document folder with a variety of paper up to 8x8" and loose diagrams
• a small bone folder
• a few bobby pins and paper clips
• my homemade scoring tool,
• and lately a stack of memo pads for modulars (wreaths and rings as well as folding many, many Phizz and other units for assembly later).

Sounds likle a lot, but everything except the mat and memo pads go in a zipped case and I sometimes throw in a few tupperware style containers for holding completed pieces... though I usually deposit the origami I make while traveling in coffee shops, with tips in my room, etc.

First of all, I almost always have a bone folder in my pocket, so my "kit" doesn't have to have one.

Second of all, my "kit" tends to be modular with layers that can be shed for space/weight.

The core of it all is a storage clipboard. Basically a thin box that functions as a clip board. Inside this I keep a selection of papers, diagrams, and books that suit my current mood. Right now that would include Pacon paper squares and the hydrangea book, among others. There is also room for a few tools, so I have a spare folder, some skewers, a chopstick, and my tweezers in there.

The bag that clipboard goes into holds more books and paper as well as a small misting spray bottle, mini-clothespins, a couple different folders, additional tweezers, and other misc items.

Here is the array of some of my tools. The folder I keep in my pocket is not pictured. In the clipboard I keep the three things on the left, the plastic folder near the middle, and the la cross tweezers in the lower right. Most of the rest of these are found in the larger bag.

origami tools by malachus, on Flickr

I'm not sure about the scare quotes around the word kit, but this gives me some good ideas!

Tecnically the only thing you need is your finger nails if you want to fold anywhere. Be realistic you are not going to fold an Ancient Dragon at the bus stop.

Thanks. Are you one of those people who, when someone is discussing an editor, says "Just use notepad," or when talking about a paper they like, says "just use copy machine paper." One could also grow all their own food, make their own paper, extract their own gall ink, write with a quill pen, and refuse to use those crazy things like a bus when you could just walk.

Did you ever consider that perhaps travel means more than just sitting at a bus stop? What about sitting on a plane for 8 hours? What about multi-hour layovers. What about hotel evening when your only company is TV and room service?

This thread isn't about what's technically possible--technically you could just visualize and fold in your head.

fncll wrote:I'm not sure about the scare quotes around the word kit, but this gives me some good ideas!

They aren't scare quotes. I associate the word kit with something more complete and bent toward a specific purpose than what I may have on hand at any given time, so I wouldn't call what I have in my bag a kit, but others would I guess.

Froy wrote:Tecnically the only thing you need is your finger nails if you want to fold anywhere. Be realistic you are not going to fold an Ancient Dragon at the bus stop.

For me, the reason I have these things collected in a bag is because I fold at home, at work, and sometimes at other locations. I may not be folding an ancient dragon, but that has been known to happen.

However, just because I'm not folding the most complicated models possible does not mean I should not afford myself conveniences if I am comfortable with the cost.

malachi wrote:

fncll wrote:I'm not sure about the scare quotes around the word kit, but this gives me some good ideas!

They aren't scare quotes. I associate the word kit with something more complete and bent toward a specific purpose than what I may have on hand at any given time, so I wouldn't call what I have in my bag a kit, but others would I guess.

They're scare-quotes as far as I'm concerned... because either no kit is ever complete or every kit one can do any work with is complete. Many meanings of the word, but high up on the list has to be a set of related materials (e.g a field kit). Either way, they're kits. Not to be confused with KITT, of course, which was awesome in a whole different way