The “weight” of your paper does not describe the actual heaviness of a sheet, but the sturdiness and thickness of it. Higher weight paper is sturdier, and will withstand air-forces better when you launch the boomerang in real life. 20 and 24 lb paper is most frequently used in copy machines and office printers. [2] X Research source When working with children, you may want to make use of the term “hot dog” style to help young ones better associate the long-sided orientation of the paper with the fold stretching left-to-right. Generally, folding something “hot dog” style is folding it like you would to make a hot dog – lengthwise down the middle. It is also possible for you to use A4 paper or a 6 - inch square of origami paper to fold your origami super boomerang. However, when one of these irregular shapes of paper, you will have to be especially precise with your folds and may have to make slight modifications.
When folding your corners, line up each so the edges both run to evenly alongside the center crease. There should be a 2 - 3 inch gap (5 - 7. 6 cm) between your folded corners. You can use a paper folding tool called a bone folder to help you form tighter creases when folding. You could make a bone folder of your own easily. You might use a smooth bottle cap, a paperweight, or even a coin in your pocket to press with while you fold your paper. This will form an especially crisp crease, which will strengthen your finished boomerang airplane. [4] X Research source
Fold the bottom edge, which should run parallel to the middle crease, up to meet the crease. Then fold once more so the newly formed bottom edge again bends up to meet the middle crease. [5] X Research source Avoid overlapping the crease too much. When your edges overlap, the final fold can become weakened. Neat, well aligned folds will help maintain the structure of your paper airplane. With multiple/layered folds, you should take extra care to reinforce your fold by running your nail or bone folder along your creases. The more layers of paper you have to fold, the more pressure you’ll have to apply to get a sharp crease on each of the layered pages.
Depending on the crispness of your folds, the weight of your paper, and the size of paper you’ve used, the size of this fold could vary. You will likely need to fold the tab upward at around the 1-inch mark (2. 54 cm).
This fold, much like the one previous, may increase or decrease in size depending on paper weight, size, and your folding skills. Approximately, you’ll have to fold your bottom tab upward at around the 1-inch mark (2. 54 cm).
At this time you should go over all your folds with your nail or a bone folder. This will strengthen the creases of your aircraft and help your plane fly best.
Take your paper with one long side end in each hand. Be sure you are holding your paper with the folds facing downward toward your edge. Bend the downward facing side of your paper along the edge by winding it tightly along the top of the edge, the side of the edge, and along the bottom of the edge in a back and forth motion. Before performing this maneuver, you should check your edge for irregularities. Chips, cracks, or other deformities in your can catch on your paper and cause it to rip. A quick inspection beforehand can save you the trouble of having to start from the beginning to redo your folds. Apply firm pressure with your hands to improve the bend. Be careful not to apply too much pressure; this can lead to a rip or a tear. You should also keep your movements steady and perpendicular (forming an L-shape to) the counter. This will prevent your paper from catching on the table. Give extra attention to the heavily folded half of your page. You should reinforce the half of your page with many layered folds by running the folds as directly along the hard edge as possible. [8] X Research source When finished, your paper should have a curved, semi-circular, bowed shape from running it back and forth along the hard edge. If you lay your paper on a flat surface and it does not curl into a bowed/semi-circular shape, you should run your paper along your hard edge more until it does.
Once you have refolded your left and right tabs, you should fold the outside edges together so the left and right sides meet evenly. Fold a sharp crease down the middle lengthwise.
Reinforce your folds here, especially the thick creases that have many layers of paper. You can use either your nail or a bone folder. You might also want apply more pressure to achieve the best crease.
Do this for both sides to create a small gap in the center. Use your nail or a bone folder to reinforce the thick folds here to strengthen your plane.
Fold the top flap, which should contain several layers of paper, to meet the top edge. Then turn your paper over and perform the same fold with the opposite flap of your paper. Crease the resulting folds well. Run your nail or bone folder several times along each crease. Due to the thickness of your folds at this point, you may have the best results creating crisp creases with a heavy, flat-edged paperweight. [9] X Research source
Hold the plane by laying your pointer finger in the trough of the very middle of your zig-zags so that the tip of your finger almost reaches the folded part of the nose of your plane. Your other fingers should support the plane from beneath. Launch your plane by throwing outward while curving your hand in the direction you want your boomerang plane to return to you. For example, if you want your boomerang plane to loop around and return to you on the right, you should curve your hand to the right when throwing. If you want the plane to loop around on the left, you should curve to the left while throwing. It may take a considerable amount of practice before you get the hang of throwing your boomerang airplane. You might also need to tweak the shape of your plane. For example, if you are trying to get your plane to curve back to you on the right, you might add a small rightward bend to the back right tail of your plane. This will create more drag on the side, making it cut more in that direction. By tweaking the tail end of your plane you can further improve its turning or flight. Usually, these tweaks will involve putting small bends or creases in the tail of your plane. By bending the tail up or down, you create different kinds of drag, or wind resistance. Drag forces will influence how your plane flies. [10] X Research source [11] X Research source
If you have difficulty finding A4 paper, you should use paper roughly A4 dimensions which are 8. 27 × 11. 69 inches (210 × 297 millimeters). North America convention uses the name “Letter” to refer to a page that is of similar dimensions to A4 sheets. [13] X Research source If working with children on this project, you may want to help visualize this fold by explaining it as “hot dog style. ” Much like you’d prepare a hot dog left-to-right (horizontally), you’ll fold your paper in half lengthwise hot dog style. You should consider using a smooth, solid object to help your press firmly against the folds you make. This object is usually called a “bone folder” in paper crafting. You might use a smooth bottle cap, a paperweight, or a coin to press against your folds while folding to make cleaner, crisper folds. [14] X Research source
Perform this same fold on the other half of your paper so that both same-side corners fold inward evenly along the crease. This will cause the left side of your paper to slope down to the bottom-left corner in a point. This is the classic paper airplane shape, with a V-shaped nose and simple rectangular body. You should run your nail or some other solid object along your folds at this point to strengthen the creases of your squirrel airplane. [15] X Research source
As your folds thicken, it will become more and more difficult for you to achieve deep, crisp folds. Deep and crisp folds will make a stronger and more precise airplane. Use a bone folder or press creases firmly with your nail to strengthen your folds. Your nose should fold inward so the outermost perimeter of your paper forms an evenly shaped rectangle. The center of your paper should be creased left to right, and the triangle you folded inward should be pointing inward to the right.
Once you have finished this fold, your paper should again be shaped like an arrow pointing to the left. Run over your folds with your nail or a bone folder to strengthen them, and pay special attention to folds with many layers. [16] X Research source
Now your craft is ready to be re-creased. Pick up your sheet and bend it along the middle lengthwise crease. Use your nail or a bone folder to strengthen this fold.
Your wings, once folded, should face outward to either side flatly. The middle crease will point down and create a V-shape. Getting your wings to maintain this position might require you to repeat the folds several times to strengthen them. You might also use a tool, like a bone folder. Both Wings should mirror each other in shape and size. One should not be longer than the other. If your wings don’t look like mirror-images, you should unfold your wings, re-measure your guidelines, and check your folds. Correct and refold any errors you find. If you’re a novice paper crafter, you might have mis-folded a few steps. This might result in some of your creases being weak. Weak folds can hurt the performance of your finished paper airplane, so you might want to start afresh if you’ve had some mis-folds.
When you have finished shaping your wings, pinch the body so both sides of the middle crease are pressed together. Then flip the plane so that the top of the wings are flat on your table. [18] X Research source
Take extra care to be precise with your fin measurements. These will have a significant effect on the drag forces on your plane and will greatly impact your modified squirrel paper airplane’s ability to boomerang. [19] X Research source
Slightly bend (tweak) the back edge of the right wing to point upwards. Divide the left wing’s back edge into a right and left half. Bend the right half of the left wing slightly up. Bend the left half of the left wing slightly down Bend the left side fin slightly to the left as well. [20] X Research source You will likely have to make adjustments to your tail after you test fly your craft. The balance of your plane, irregular folds, small tears, the position of the bends in your tail – all these can influence your plane’s ability to boomerang. Have patience and tweak the shape of your plane until it boomerangs to the left back into your arms
Note the areas your plane needs improved. If it turns to hard to the left, your leftward tweaks on your tail should be smaller. If it doesn’t turn left enough, you should add a deepen your leftward tweaks. [21] X Research source
You may need to adjust your throwing motion. Experiment with your throwing angle and how hard you throw the plane.
