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How would I go about folding a fortune teller with more than 4 flaps? I already know that it is possible to cut-n-tape two fortune tellers together to get this: enter image description here enter image description here

But, how would I go about folding something like this without using tape? Also, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious hats off to you if you show how to fold fortune tellers of different sizes. A random example of this could be: if you could explain how to fold fortune tellers with a side number that is a multiple of 4 then that would be amazing.

Jack G
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    If you expect > 4 which could be a lot then I would expect you need a modular approach to this. Does this also mean you would prefer a solution that does not rely on adhesives? – Matt Mar 31 '17 at 12:00
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    Another thing to consider is how do you plan to operate this fortune hydra you are considering? The 4 flap model works very well with a pair of thumbs and index fingers. – Matt Mar 31 '17 at 18:27
  • Very good point, but this question is about implementation of the design, not the practicality of it. – Jack G Apr 01 '17 at 19:13
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    I think I have seen 6 flap fortune tellers made from 6 sided paper, but a google search did not reveal any. When you unfold your composite 8 flap one you will see you do not get a flap piece of paper, so any fortune teller with more than 4 flaps will need a method to make paper with the extra bit, out of hiding the extra paper not needed. Very difficult in a moving object. – Willeke Apr 02 '17 at 14:49
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    @lolzerywowzery .. not the practicality of it. That is fine. I hope you get an answer but it some cases it can be very important to question the premise so it is not wrong of people to do so if they are trying to find out more information. – Matt Apr 03 '17 at 16:41
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    I think Willeke is right, if you want more flaps, you'll need more sides to the paper. Consider the anatomy of the folds. If you hack two together and try and unfold it flat, what shape do you get? Because each point or petal over the overall shape is based on a 90 degree corner of paper, you may need to look at hexagonal or similar to get all the flaps, but your points will be at different angles to your prototype model. I don't think this is something you'll readily find an answer for, but rather something you may need to design yourself from you prototype model. – GameSparks_Clare Apr 05 '17 at 15:09
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    +1 for unfolding your taped-together model and seeing what you get. It may just be that you can fold two conjoined fortune tellers from a 2x1 rectangle. Otherwise, you may have to go a high-end design route and learn about circle-packing. But it's really really hard. – inkista Apr 17 '17 at 03:28
  • I am not getting in an edit war with you. We are not a forum. The tags already explain the subject of the question. Appending "papper folding", which isn't even spelled correctly, is unnecessary and non-standard. Please stop. – Catija Apr 25 '17 at 03:18
  • I wonder if this question is still a valid question, as the restrictions as 'no tape' and the natural extention of no glue make this item impossible to make. Is it time to close it? (Not sure about the rules on this site.) – Willeke Apr 25 '17 at 17:35
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    @Willeke If it's unanswerable, that doesn't make it off topic. If it's not possible to make, then that's the answer to the question but you'll need to also explain why it is impossible. – Catija Apr 25 '17 at 21:15
  • @Catija, thanks, rules are different on different sites. – Willeke Apr 26 '17 at 21:31

2 Answers2

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Eight sided fortune teller Five sided fortune teller How to fold a fortune teller How to fold a fortune teller: Fold all four corners to the center and turn over. Fold all four corners to the center again and turn over. To make a modular unit fold all four corners to the center once more. fold all four behind pocket and point

On opposite sides draw a capital A on the pockets Draw an A on opposite flaps

Join the A pockets enter image description here Fold each connected pocket in on itself to hide the A and lock the model together enter image description here Fold each module in half as you go enter image description here Connect the last pocket the same way enter image description here

Fold three fortune tellers for the five sided one and eight for the eight sided one. Incidentally this makes a quite beautiful flexible model as well as a functional fortune teller enter image description here

Happy folding, Grace.

Grace
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  • Wow! This is amazing. However, I am dumb and you are incredibly way over my head smart, so I do not fully understand this. Thus, If possible, I would relish more detailed instructions and information about this. – Jack G Apr 19 '18 at 02:43
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    Hi Lolzery, I hope the update helps. The eight sided one is the easiest to connect as you can get your hands into the center to lock the final pocket. – Grace Apr 21 '18 at 15:44
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    Thank you so much. You are incredibly helpful. This is simply amazing! – Jack G Apr 23 '18 at 23:06
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Start with a 5-sided piece of paper (as some commenters said).

enter image description here

  1. Before the first set of folds, trim the pentagon so it's kind of a 5-pointed star.

  2. Fold the corner points to the center point, like a regular fortune teller. After folding, trim this smaller pentagon into kind of a 5-pointed star.

  3. Flip over, and fold the corner points to the center point, as with a regular fortune teller.

  4. Flip over again, to see what will be your fortune teller flaps.

enter image description here

  1. Crease the flaps and mold the shape into a fortune teller as usual. Represented by images 5 & 6

  2. Using 4 fingers and a toe, tell somebody's fortune.

Matt
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Robin L.
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