Folding Bones

When your fingers are sore from too much origami, then it’s time to consider getting tools called folding bones (also called bone folders).

Folding bones help fold, crease, and score paper. In the past, they were made from cow, deer, or elk bone.

Today, commercially available ones are made of plastic, Teflon, or wood. You can buy a folding bone from OrigamiUSA or from art and craft stores such as MisterArt.com. Photo by G Harrison

For your everyday frugal paper folder, almost anything with a flat edge can be used as a folding bone. You can use:

• the back of a metal spoon,
• a ruler,
• an old (or new) credit card, or
• a milk-jug bone folder.

Milk-jug folding bones are quite the buzz in the origami community. They are pieces of plastic which come from the handle of a one-gallon jug of milk. They can be found scattered on the milk shelves at some grocery stores. For the grocery store, they are garbage - but for an origami enthusiasts... they are indispensable "tools" - and they're free!