SnipFold

Bird of Paradise

Original angular bird-of-paradise: a horizontal green open boat, three orange upright sepals and a blue projecting tongue on a clamp-supported square paper stem.

Materials

  • 180-220 gsm cardstock for flower parts
  • 220-250 gsm cardstock for square stem
  • Scissors or craft knife, scoring tool and ruler
  • PVA paper glue
  • External padded desk clamp with a 12 mm opening and at least 25 mm grip height (required; not a paper part)

Finished size: 130 x 37 x 190 mm excluding required external clamp

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. Print and prepare six pieces

    Print at 100% actual size; the calibration ruler must measure 50 mm. Cut S1, B1, O1-O3 and T1 on solid outlines. Score dashed hinges. Keep all integral feet and the 5 mm stem seam; do not cut them off.

  2. Close the square stem

    S1 has four 12 x 110 mm walls and a 5 x 110 mm seam flap. Fold the long scores 90 degrees to form a 12 mm square tube. Glue the 5 mm flap inside the first wall, maintaining the full 110 mm height. Hold square until dry. Fold both 12 x 10 mm top feet inward 90 degrees; glue their 8 mm mutual overlap to form the top seat.

  3. Clamp and form the boat

    Grip the bottom 25 mm of S1 with a padded desk clamp attached to a stable surface, leaving the stem vertical. Tighten only enough to hold without crushing. On B1 raise each long side 55 degrees above the floor (125 degree inside opening). Leave both angular ends open. The floor remains horizontal; the long pointed nose faces right.

  4. Attach bract to the stem seat

    Use floor coordinates with the rear tip at x=-35, the nose at x=95 and the centerline y=0. Glue the underside of B1 to the top feet of S1: the stem seat occupies x=-12 to 0 and y=-6 to 6 mm. Thus the stem center is 29 mm forward of the rear tip. Hold the floor level at 110 mm above the stem bottom and let dry fully before fitting blades.

  5. Mount the three orange spears

    Fold each 10 x 6 mm foot back 90 degrees so its orange blade is vertical. Glue the feet to the B1 floor at these rectangles in the same coordinates: O1 x=-14 to -4, y=-5 to 1; O2 x=3 to 13, y=-2 to 4; O3 x=20 to 30, y=-6 to 0 mm. Their heights above the floor are 72, 80 and 58 mm. All blade planes run rear-to-nose; the pointed profiles lean toward the nose. Hold each upright until set.

  6. Fit the blue tongue and dry

    Fold T1 at its 10 mm root hinge to make a 90 degree foot. Glue its 10 x 6 mm foot at x=27 to 37, y=-1 to 5 mm on the floor. Its vertical blade lies at y=5, projecting forward to x=84 and rising 29 mm. Keep the blue tongue on the far side of the orange blades. Allow all glue to cure while clamped; keep the finished display in the required clamp. Physical stability and assembly are still unverified.

Notes

The 3D model shows each piece in its finished, idealized shape; the exploded view only spreads the pieces apart. It is not a paper-physics simulation: curved shapes are forming guides, not exact physical folding or proof of developability, and intermediate fold shapes are not supplied.