Ring-wing Glider

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Complete illustrated guide

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold identify the halves of one sheet; dark gold marks the turned rim. Dashed orange lines are new creases, arrows show movement, and solid lines are paper edges.

0. 0. Prepare a Letter sheet
1. 1. Fold along the diagonal
2. 2. Mark a half-inch rim
3. 3. Turn the rim over once
4. 4. Curl with the rim inside
5. 5. Tuck one end into the other
6. 6. Check the completed ring

0. Preparation · Illustrated guide

   Prepare a Letter sheet

   Set the sheet upright, with the 8½-inch edges at top and bottom. Call the top-left corner A, top-right B, bottom-right C and bottom-left D. You may mark the letters lightly. Keep the sheet whole.

   Layers: One flat sheet; no folds yet.

   Check: The sheet is a rectangle, not a square. The A–C diagonal joins opposite corners.

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1. Step 1 · Illustrated guide

   Fold along the diagonal

   Crease from A straight to C, bringing the triangle containing B over onto the triangle containing D. A and C stay in place. Do not force B to meet D: the two free corners must remain offset. Rotate the whole folded sheet so C is at the left and A at the right, with the long folded edge at the bottom. Do not turn it over.

   Layers: Move the B half of the sheet; the D half stays beneath it.

   Check: Two separate peaks remain. If you made the free corners coincide, open the sheet and crease along A–C instead.

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2. Step 2 · Illustrated guide

   Mark a half-inch rim

   Lay the folded sheet flat with the long folded edge nearest you and both peaks pointing away. Measure ½ inch at right angles inward from that edge at several places. Join those marks lightly with a ruler: the new crease is parallel to the long edge, not parallel to either sloping side.

   Layers: Keep both overlapping halves together. Do not unfold the first crease.

   Check: You still see two peaks. The new line is ½ inch from the folded edge all along it.

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3. Step 3 · Illustrated guide

   Turn the rim over once

   Fold the entire narrow strip upward on the line you just marked, toward the two peaks. Press along the new crease. Turn both layers together in one fold; do not roll the edge into several turns. The turned strip now rests against the face you are looking at.

   Layers: Both sheet halves turn together; the rim contains the doubled paper.

   Check: A narrow reinforced strip lies on the near face. Both peaks remain free above it.

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4. Step 4 · Illustrated guide

   Curl with the rim inside

   Lift the sheet with the turned strip facing you. Curve the left and right ends toward you and toward each other, so that this face becomes the inside of a tube. Bend smoothly across the width; do not press new sharp creases. Keep the two peaks at the opposite, unreinforced edge.

   Layers: Curve the entire folded sheet together. The turned strip must be on the concave, inside face.

   Check: Looking through the opening, you can see the turned rim inside. If the strip is outside, uncurl and bend the other way.

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5. Step 5 · Illustrated guide

   Tuck one end into the other

   At one end, gently lift the short end of the turned rim to find its pocket. Slide the other end under that folded lip, between the lip and the sheet behind it. Keep the two reinforced edges at the same level. Close the lip over the inserted end and let the rest of the sheet overlap naturally. Use only enough overlap to hold the join; a small tape piece across the seam is optional if it slips.

   Layers: One end enters the other end’s rim pocket. It does not simply sit on top of the outside surface.

   Check: The joined rim makes one continuous circle. The inserted end is trapped under a folded lip, not hanging loose in the opening.

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6. Step 6 · Illustrated guide

   Check the completed ring

   Look through the reinforced opening. Ease the curve into a round shape without flattening it. At the opposite edge, find the two peaks and the V-shaped dip between them. Check that the folded rim is inside and the tucked seam is held. If it opens, repeat the tuck or add the optional small tape piece.

   Layers: One continuous curled sheet, with overlapping ends secured at the inside rim.

   Check: Two peaks, an open center, an inward-facing rim and a tucked join. This completes the making sequence.

   Sources & notes ↓