Making Double Tissue: Instructions

Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out the next time I'm in town. As to thick wallets - ah, there's no harm in at least having a look around.

-- Sara

So, I went there. Nice place. I bought a bit of paper. *cough cough*
The guy immediately gave me a catalog to take home with me.

-- Sara

White adhesive sounds like sticky, gooy stuff - which should be perfect for making tissue foil. For double tissue you should go for wallpaper paste that is sold in powder form. It has to be stuff that will be absorbed by both sheets of paper, so that they join. So it's more liquid than the glue you use for tissue foil.

Hope this helps,

-- Sara

It's better to use wallpaper paste ("Kleister"). See the comment below as to how you may use white glue instead. Note, though, that it will be harder to work with, and will not give as nice results as when working with wallpaper paste.

-- Sara

I honestly cannot say, because I haven't tried. The only comment I can make is that crepe paper is usually quite wrinkly, and probably not very regular. In that the resulting paper will probably not be as crease-free and regular as when using tissue paper. Also, you only have to go to that shop once, buy a batch, and then be happy for a long time. 2 hours doesn't seem too daunting for me. Just combine it with a small trip to the city.

-- Sara

The first two don't look like they'd be suitable at all for sizing paper. The third link seems to be pure methyl cellulose, which should be the right stuff.

-- Sara

There are three problem sources I can think of:

1. What glue are you using? It might be that it's not suitable for making double tissue. The most important ingredient is methyl cellulose, which is often used in wallpaper paste.

2. How thick is your mixture? You need to add enough glue. If you're using methyl cellulose, go for a consistency similar to egg white, i.e. quite thickish.

3. Are you using nonbleeding tissue, i.e. does the paper bleed colour when it gets wet? If it doesn't bleed colour, the paper might not be soaking with the glue mixture when you apply it. Then try the following: Spread one sheet of tissue paper, then apply the glue mixture, then apply the second sheet of tissue paper. Check my video on making tissue foil for one way of applying that second sheet. Another way, which might work better in this case, is to stretch the second sheet on a wooden plate and then apply it in one go. This might help prevent ripping and wrinkles.

-- Sara

Some of them come from origami packs I bought. The largest one (48cm square) I had cut to my requirements in a hardware store. The hexagonal template I cut myself, but I should be getting metal ones anytime soon (very exciting!).
In general, you can always make your own templates. I've found the best (ie. most accurate) way of doing this is as follows:

1. Print the desired shape on paper. [Use a program, which allows you to draw a shape very accurately. I use Inkscape, a vector graphics program - see http://www.inkscape....
2. Tape the paper to cardboard, and cut along the printed lines.
3. Template done. :)

Hope this helps,

-- Sara

When I think of wet folding, I always associate it with using slightly heavier paper. I don't think you could do it with double tissue, I'm guessing it would turn too soft and rip. However, I have dampened the folded model and then given it its final shaping, and that works well.

-- Sara

I let it rest over night, so it had a good 6 or 8 hours to rest.

-- Sara

Thanks for sharing this information, I'm sure many will appreciate the reference!

-- Sara

I haven't cut on a glass surface before, I always use a self-healing matt. If the paper rips, maybe you have to press the ruler harder on the paper. Also, it might be that your knife doesn't have a sharp enough edge - possibly it needs a new blade? (I use an Exacto knife.)
As to cutting on glass in general, I think I'd be concerned the glass breaks or gets scratches in the process.
As a side note, I use a steel ruler. This makes it easier to cut cleanly, as the knife will not accidentally cut into the ruler.

-- Sara

Sorry, I don't. But searching the web suggests for example this source:
http://beedeebags.co...
They have a showroom in Sydney (448 Botany Rd, Alexandria
NSW 2015, Australia), so you might want to give that one a go. You can also check art/craft supply stores.

-- Sara

Making the double tissue should work ok. However, folding paper that have pieces of bark or thick paper fibres can be a challenge. In the end, giving it a try is the best way of finding out whether it works for you.

-- Sara

As you mentioned, the hydrangea by Shuzo Fujimoto works beautifully with double tissue. Insects usually turn out best with double tissue. Anything of high complexity will usually work quite well with double tissue, actually.
When cut to small squares, double tissue is also suitable for most simple and intermediate models. For example, I folded Quentin Trollip's pig from double tissue, and it worked like a charm: http://www.happyfold...
A no-no are models that need thickness to the paper. Don't do boxes, and most modulars won't turn out well with double tissue, either.

As to specific models, in the end there are many. My advice is: just give it a try. Experiment and find out for yourself which paper type you like best for each model. In my opinion exploring choices is an exciting part of origami.

-- Sara

In wet folding you dampen the paper before or while folding it. (Or, actually, after folding, but before/while shaping). This changes the behavior of the paper and you can thus get other results. For example, if you only make soft creases with damp paper, then you will not break the paper fibers. Once the paper dries this means it's much stronger than if you'd folded it in a dry state (and thus broken the fibers). It's also useful for bringing paper into rounded, organic shapes that will stay like that over time. In wet-folding, it is important that sizing was added in the paper production process, or you prepared the paper with sizing (e.g. by applying MC).

This is just a very rough description, you can read lots more about it on many pages.

-- Sara

I'm not sure what went wrong. Here are three ideas:

1. I don't know whether hydroxyethyl cellulose works as well / worse / better than methyl cellulose. I'd assume it works ok, but I do not know. Maybe it is the powder itself that is not suitable.
2. It may be that the mix was not strong enough, i.e. too watery. I use a mix that has a consistency of raw egg-white, so it's quite thickish.
3. It may be that the solution did not soak both layers. This may especially happen if you use non-bleeding tissue, which doesn't soak through with water as easily as bleeding tissue. Ensure that both layers are soaked with the solution, else they will still be separate when dried.

-- Sara

Honestly, I don't know. And it's different depending on which sizing you're using.
In my case, I just make a mix and if it's too thin, add sizing. If it's too thick, I add water. Actually, I store a thick mix and then thin it down to needs.

-- Sara

I've never tried treating double tissue with white glue, so I cannot say. MC does not leave any stickiness.
If that's what the paper is like when it's completely dry, I'd just try and see whether it works ok. Actually, you may want to only lightly press the paper together while you're folding, and press it together strongly once the paper does not need to move anymore. This may play out to be an advantage, fixing the model a bit.

-- Sara

I like double tissue for complex models. See three folds from double tissue here:

http://www.happyfold...
http://www.happyfold...
http://www.happyfold...

-- Sara

I've tried this with thinned-down PVA glue once. I got a couple more wrinkles, but that was perhaps because it was the first try, and I was also using other tissue paper. The result itself was good, so: yes, you can also use PVA glue.
It will have a somewhat different effect on the paper, I found the paper to be a bit stiffer - which can be good or bad. :) I didn't fold with the paper, so can't really say.

-- Sara

What do you mean by relatively large? I think it's quite common to get 50cm by 70cm sheets. When I was in England and bought my first tissue paper, it actually came in rolls, I'm guessing around 50cm width.

-- Sara

Yes, I also have small wrinkles, but I don't think they distract, neither while folding, nor in the completed model. I have also noticed that with some tissue paper I can get almost totally wrinkle-free double tissue, with others it's much harder to get few wrinkles. It might have been coincidence, but indeed I found it easier to work with the bleeding tissue I have vs the non-bleeding tissue I have.

As to the finished double tissue, it should feel much stiffer than before treating the tissue paper. But of course, it's still very thin paper, and thus will be a bit floppy. Also, the more you handle the paper, the softer it will get again. Try washing your hands before folding - and perhaps in-between - and don't apply cream.

I haven'f folded the unicorn, but think both models will also work nicely with double tissue. They may not require it as much as the ancient dragon, though. Also, you may have to strengthen the paper more in the leg area (on the folded model) if it's too weak to carry the weight of the rest of the model.

-- Sara

Hi Aleix,

I haven't done this so far, but here are some thoughts.
Firstly, yes, it should be possible to overlap the edges to get larger/wider sheets. I know people that have done this.
Now, if I were to give it a try, I'd probably look at the crease pattern of the model to be folded from the paper and see whether there are better places for that overlap to be. For example, you might want to avoid areas where many creases lie close to each other.
Also, you might want to have the overlap in different sections on the front and the back, so that you don't end up with one section of 4 layers of tissue paper, but rather two sections with 3 layers.

Hope this helps and happy double-tissuing,

-- Sara