Double Makalu - Origami Scupture: 12 Woven Pentagons (no Glue)

by joettle in Craft > Paper

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Double Makalu - Origami Scupture: 12 Woven Pentagons (no Glue)

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Hi and welcome to a small part of my world :)

I decided that MAKALU wasn't enough of a challenge, so I made it double!
Double the units, double the difficulty, double the fun :)

Makalu is one of the 5 Himalayan peaks of origami folding, and this double model adds a little spice to the mix!

This is an icosidodecahedron (origami is a great way of learning about geometry and polyhedra).

Ok lets get started.

What you will need for this instructable:

1) Time.
2) 15 squares of paper.
3) Patience.
4) Good music.
5) Mild OCD (not essential, but it helps)

The Paper!

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Firstly, good music! Easily embarrassed is great origami music: https://soundcloud.com/easilyembarrassed

Take your 15 squares, and cut them in half.

Accurately.

Now take your 30 2x1 rectangles, and cut them in half again. Accurately.

You should have 60 4x1 rectangles now.

The Folding Begins!

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Start with the white side up (if you are using coloured paper).

Valley fold your paper in half lengthwise, and then into quarters.

This can be difficult to do accurately, so fold little segments of the fold at a time to make sure that everything is lined up.

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Valley fold the top right hand corner down to the left edge, and the mirror on the bottom.

Don't crease heavily, these are just guideline folds.

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Valley fold the bottom right hand corner to the first crease (as if you were going to fold the quarter in half again), and do the same with the top left corner.
Unfold.
Fold the bottom edge up to the 2 folds you just made. Repeat at the top. Check photos.

If you get stuck, the assembly of the models is identical to that of Makalu, the paper dimensions just differ slightly.

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Valley fold the edges to the middle.

Open up the top right edge.

Reverse the fold inside there, and push flat.

Repeat at the bottom.

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Valley fold in half again.

Bend the top flap down along the edge, and flatten.
Repeat on the bottom.

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Unfold the fold you just made, and valley fold the little flap down from the corner to the vertex.

Repeat on the bottom.

Unfold and lay flat, should look like the photo...

Well done, thats it!
If you get stuck at any point, refer to the Makalu folding instructions.

Make another 59.

The Fun Begins!

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Ok so the boring part is over, now the fun begins!

Slip the end flaps of 2 units into each other, as shown on the photo.
The model will sit at an angle once the flaps are in.

Pinch the edges to secure the flaps.

Put 5 together in a pentagon.

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Make a second pentagon, and lay it flat on top of the first. 

From now on, act as if each group of 2 pentagons is a single unit.

Make a second unit and loop it into the first one.

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Loop a third unit into the first 2.

Now arrange them as shown on the photos.

I have uploaded instructions from the Origami tanteiden magazine 2002, although the quality is really bad.
It might be easier for you, since my units are the same colour.

Notice the triangle that needs to form at the top and bottom, where the pentagons intersect.

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Now add a 4th (double) pentagon.
Notice how this one adds an extra triangle at the bottom and the top.

The rules are: Each pentagon must intersect all the others, once and once only.

You can't have 2 pentagons that don't loop into each other.

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The 5th unit!
Notice how the beautiful pentagons are forming at the top and the bottom.
Remember the triangles and your symmetry.

By now it will be easier to put the units in place individually.


Final Step!

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Final one!
This one is easy, just follow the symmetry, if you have put the rest in correctly this one is the easiest, you will be able to see where he goes from the symmetry of the triangles.

All done!
If you made it to here, well done.

Amazing how so much time can be condensed into 13 steps hey?

Go get some fresh air :) 

I hope you enjoyed the Double Makalu!