FOLDFORMING PART 1. "LINE FOLDS"

Part 1. Learn SINGLE, DOUBLE, & TRIPLE LINE FOLDS. 3 different "Line Folds" that are the foundation of all Foldforming techniques.
Greg Greenwood, Designer Craftsman Jeweler, demonstrates: these 3 different Line Folds in an understandable method. These "Folds" will prepare you for more advanced "Folds" in later videos in this Foldforming Series. A fascinating departure from traditional metalsmithing techniques, Foldforming will inspire you to think differently about your design ideas. Don't miss this entire Series!

[@laos5630]

Welp! Last day of work.. first evening of retirement.. what a treat! And people ask me what I'm going to do to keep busy without work. Greg gives me some ideas : )

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello LA Os, CONGRATULATIONS! ON YOUR RETIREMENT! There are always interesting things to do if you are a metalsmith!! I am very glad I can make your retirement more enjoyable. The best to you. Greg Greenwood

[@marthafernandamedina6613]

Hi Greg, I’m so exited to learn this technique!!! I’m so happy to find you!!! Thanks to share all your knowledge about it!!!

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Martha, I am super glad you are excited about foldforming. It is a fascinating metal technique with millions of possibilities. Have fun and enjoy your adventure into it. Thanks for watching. Check out my playlist for more videos. Thanks for watching. Greg Greenwood

[@merilynl.3907]

Wow, what great fun to see the progression of the folds. You stimulate my imagination. So appreciate your enthusiasm and sharing the skill

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Merilyn L. Yes, it is fun to see the progression. Make sure you watch the other 5 parts to the foldforming series. I know you will enjoy them. Thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate it. Greg Greenwood

[@quentinrawlins4876]

Thank you Greg for the hard work that went into this video..God bless you Uncle Greg😊

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Quentin, Thank you for your kind comments. You are very welcome. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood

[@davidfriedman3962]

Thank you! I have been wood turning, but always looking to try working with copper sheets given to me years ago. I am grateful to find your educational videos! Again thank you looking forward to learning much more.

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello David, Thank you for your comments. Glad I can help. Keep watching and good luck, have fun, and enjoy. Greg Greenwood

[@golfgrrl1]

Really great training, thank you so much ❤️❤️

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Sandy, Thank you for your kind comments. I really appreciate it. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood

[@newslineriverdale]

Thank you Greg!!

[@greggreenwood4628]

My pleasure! You are more than welcome. Greg Greenwood

[@DebyNieto-kq2ci]

Love this, thank you !

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Deby, Very glad you like my video. Thank you. Greg Greenwood

[@DebyNieto-kq2ci]

@@greggreenwood4628 I am going to work on mine tomorrow..so excited. Have a great night !

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Deby, Have fun and enjoy. Greg Greenwood

[@golfgrrl1]

S excited to find your videos, can wait to practice tomorrow 😘😘😘

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Sandi, I am very happy you have found my channel. Foldforming is very exciting. Have fun. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. Thanks Greg Greenwood

[@golfgrrl1]

@@greggreenwood4628 I actually ordered a ball-peen hammer and can’t wait for it to come in. I did a piece awhile ago that I love but I do all sorts of jewelry as well as hobbies in general. Ha, I see I said I can wait to practice but it was suppose to say I can’t wait. 😂

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Sandi, Thanks for sharing. Have fun with your hammer!! Greg Greenwood

[@saraho5235]

First, thank you for making your inspiring videos. I have wanted to metalsmith for decades and you made it actually seem approachable. I have made several pieces because of you. Second, I would love to know more about your angle iron piece. I presume you cut and smoothed it yourself. It looks like you drilled holes for the screws as well. People just aren’t taught how to make things for themselves anymore. I could use any help you can give me.

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Sarah, Thank you for your kind comments. I am very happy that I have been able in inspire you. As for the angle iron, you are correct. I took angle iron, cut it with a hack saw, then filed and smoothed with emery cloth starting at medium grit down to super fine. The emery cloth was put on a buff stick. See my video "Low Tech Polishing Techniques". I show you how to make buff sticks. After I had smoothed with emery paper, I polished the faces using muslin wheels on the polishing machine with steel compound. And yes, I drilled the holes to match my vice. This is a very simple process, but it does take some time to get the surface as smooth as possible. (When you are emerying the surface, this gives you time to relax , think and plan !!!). It is always fun and rewarding to make your own tools. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. I am happy to help. Greg Greenwood

[@donobototron]

nice. we have some 22g copper ready to go and will give this a shot. i'd never heard of fold forming.

[@greggreenwood4628]

Go for it!!! Greg Greenwood

[@valerielevitt3016]

Amazing, thank you!

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Valerie, You are more than welcome. Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it. Greg Greenwood

[@marthafernandamedina6613]

Can I use the same thickness for any metal?

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Martha, The thinner the metal the better. .4mm is good. Sterling Silver can be hard to bend. I have used Fine Silver and it works well but can be too soft. One has to support parts in some fine silver designs. Good luck. Greg Greenwood

[@shinobidef]

Sorry as put a question on your Cuffs video about gauges but I see here you use 0.4mm for the demos! Is this still suitable for cuffs at least 2cm wide, or does it really depend on the number of folds? Great tip about not quenching after annealing- thank you !

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Louise, Yes, go ahead and use .4mm. You will be surprised with the stability of the metal in foldforming. Greg Greenwood

[@vanessawright1771]

Hello Greg, thank you for the video. Can argentium silver sheet and gold filled sheet be used instead of copper for foldforming and what gauge thickness would you recommend and is dead soft is the best to use. Thank you🙂

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Vanessa, I emailed you with a reply. Thanks for watching. Greg Greenwood

[@vanessawright1771]

@@greggreenwood4628 I could not see any more information in the email, only what you have sent above. 😊

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Vanessa, Sorry for the mix up on the reply.... Yes, you can use argentium silver for foldforming. It can be more stiff and not work as well as copper. I have not used a gold filled sheet. I would be concerned with the base metal used in the sheet. It may not anneal properly. Annealing is a must for foldforming. If you cannot anneal and make the metal soft, it will not work. I have found that .4 mm gauge works well. It doesn't make any difference if your metal is dead soft when you start. Because as soon as you start forging on the metal, it will work harden and then you have to anneal again. I hope this answers your question. Good luck and have fun. Greg Greenwood

[@robingreene3062]

Could you please describe how you reinvented your vice for me? I love your videos. I’ve followed CLB for decades and I’m still learning. I’d love to set up my vice as you have. Thank you

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Robin, Thank you for watching my videos. Modifying your vice is simple. 1. Cut 2 pieces of angle iron 6 to 8 inches long. Work the 2 surfaces up and polish them. 2. Remove the jaw teeth from your vice. 3. Keep the screws 4. Measure the hole pattern on the vice and drill the 4 holes in the angle irons. 5. Put angle irons on the vice jaws with the screws. Hurray!!! You are done!! Let me know how it goes. Thanks again for watching. Greg Greenwood

[@robingreene3062]

@@greggreenwood4628 thank you so much! Makes perfect sense but I never would have thought of the angle iron. Yay! I’ll let you know.

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Robin, Glad you are on track! The angle iron will "dent" with use but don't worry about that. Looking forward to your update. Greg Greenwood

[@marybryan5879]

Greg- you’re using .4mm copper. Is .5mm not great to use or will it just be more difficult? Thank you.

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Mary, .5mm is fine for foldforming. It will be "slightly" different but not much. Have fun. Greg Greenwood

[@inballax9896]

Fantastic! How thick should the metal be? 0.4?

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Inbal, Thank you. Yes, 0.4mm is great. I have used thicker metal but .4 works great. Have fun and let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood

[@esliet]

What gauge brass sheet do you recommend for fold forming ? Thanks for good video

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Eslie, 24 gauge is a good gauge to use. Thank you for your question. Ask anytime. You are always welcome. Thank you for watching! Greg Greenwood

[@redeyestones3738]

What gauge is .4 mm? Is there a simple online chart that I could use to figure this out on my own?

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Red Eye, Yes, check on line for "Chart of metal gauges and mm" There are many available for free. Greg Greenwood

[@mariannes.6023]

Hello Greg and thank you for your tremendously informative and intelligently developed videos, which I have been watching voraciously since finding the first in my feed !! ;) In terms of soldering onto any of these wonderful fold-formed structures; will there be a problem with the solder "soldering" on these heavily heat-affected and un-cleaned surfaces? Could u maybe make a video about how to solder a small set stone for example...🤞;) ? Best. M.

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Marianne, Thank you for watching my videos so 'voraciously' . I appreciate it and am glad you are learning! The copper fold formed pieces cannot by soldered with the uncleaned surfaces. No soldering (silver, etc.) can be done with oxides on the metal. See my video "5 Secrets to Perfect Soldering". It will give the basic rules of soldering. But... After you clean the metal with pickle and then solder, you can heat treat the metal to make those cool colors. That is a whole different lesson. Please check out my playlist "Stone Setting Techniques" This should answer many questions for you. Thank you for your questions. Keep watching! Greg Greenwood

[@mariannes.6023]

@greggreenwood4628 Thanks Greg - I d8d watch your setting stones playlist, in which you discuss setting cabochons. My fascination is with knowing how to set any shape/size faceted stone, in the absolute simplest way possible which wouldn't require my having to stock a millions of tubing. Could you please make a video on that? Also, where can pics of your beautiful work be seen - do you sell it. As well, do you teach and if so, in what general geographical area are you located? Best. M

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Marianne, Thanks for the update. You could check out any jewelry supply house like Rio Grande Jewelry Supply. They will have pre-notched prong settings and tube bezel settings pre-made. It would be your easy answer for your stone settings. I'll try to make a video about different ways of setting stones in the future. Thanks for the suggestion. I am working on my new website as we speak. There will be pics and yes they will be for sale. Some the demo pieces that I have on KZbin will be for sale also. Hopefully it will be public in a few weeks. I'll announce on KZbin. My studio is in Wisconsin. Thanks for asking. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood

[@mariannes.6023]

@greggreenwood4628 sounds great - I'll be looking out for that bezel-making video... But lol- I can't "keep watching " at this point because I've looked at every video you've posted thus far lol -- I need new content 😅. Furthermore it must be said that I've stopped watching videos made by others since discovering your channel, as I deeply appreciate how you focus on the relevant and important points which will result in an actual and real contribution to the outcome of the work, rather than going on ad-nauseum with thoroughly useless and superfluous detailed play-by-plays such as "I'm picking up the saw now.. " and "ok - im turning on my foredom..." - you get the jist. In a nutshell, I'm complementing you on assuming that your viewers have half a brain so, thank you for that ;) Also, I must add that although I never knew what the process was called, any fold-formed pieces I'd ever seen and loved, I assumed were far too complicated to make... That series you created gave me pause to wonder and I am actually thoroughly excited at trying my hand at fold forming and as it can be done on a small scale, developing a real taste for it without having to wait to afford more and expensive equipment. My soldering station is on my stove top and I turn the extractor fan when I solder and I haven't got a jeweller's bench, yet - (I plan on making myself one)... Thanks for the wonder I'm feeling again and thanks for the excellent videos. Best. M

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Marianne, Thank you so much for watching all my videos! New content is on it's way soon. Thanks also for your comments about videos. I agree. Yes, you do have brains and I want to respect that. You are going to love fold forming. It is fun. Sounds like you are setting up your studio one step at a time. That is great. Have fun doing it. The feeling is magnificent. Thanks Greg Greenwood

[@sadafmaneval9274]

Hello Greg. I always watch your videos with great pleasure and I learn a lot. I recently tried foldforming, with more or less success... I would like to know if metal "has a limit"? after a certain number of times where we have hammered, then annealed, then hammered again, etc., does the metal stop transforming? Thanks. Sadaf.

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Sadaf, Thank you for watching. I appreciate it. Glad you tried foldforming. It is a real learning process. Non-ferrous metals in theory have no limits. You can hammer or forge, then anneal, and the metal will become soft again. But, in foldforming, each fold will leave a mark or signature. If you get too many folds on one piece it can become "messy" and look too confusing. Also, the folds can become very thin and will start to break. Experiment with a piece of metal and see how many times you can fold and hammer it. You will learn a lot from this experiment. Good Luck and have fun. Thanks for your interesting question. Greg Greenwood

[@Jento]

I don't get it. You talk about this as if it's something new and interesting, and mention someone contributing to the technique as if it's significant. People have done this stuff forever. It's far from being something new. Even if you wanted to go more modern... it's essentially nothing more than a simplified origami, except with metal. The process itself is the same, except that origami experts are far more proficient. Only the materials differ. If you want to learn about true technique and innovation for the process, look into origami. The metal folding itself just for the sake of it isn't even remotely revolutionary... I mean, even trash compactors do it. Lol. I feel like this is modern people trying to hijack credit that belongs to others in history...

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Jento, I respect your comments, I have a great appreciation for origami and have taught it in my art classes. It is fascinating and very intricate art form. You are very correct when you say that foldforming and origami are similar. Although they are similar, paper and metal have very different characteristics. I am not sure if you have watched my entire 6 part series on Foldforming yet. When you do, you will find that foldforming is not only folding the metal like origami, but we use "forging" or hammering techniques which give the metal an entirely different look. The molecules of metal move in very interesting ways when they are hammered. Giving results that paper cannot. It is very interesting that different art forms can share techniques and a great history. Thank you again for sharing. Greg Greenwood

[@Jento]

@@greggreenwood4628 I haven't watched the series. I did wait to comment until I finished the first episode, at least, though, in case I was missing something. I typically wouldn't comment necessarily, but I've found myself agitated lately seeing a number of things that people are calling new, innovative, etc and trying to take credit for it, rename it, or something along those lines. Mostly because they're things that people have already done, already named, and already made their mark on history with. To me, that's a slap in the face of the real "pioneers", if you will. Thus the agitation. While I understand that metal is a different material from paper, it IS still the same concept. Though you're certainly right in that, in a visual sense, more can be done with metal. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of what people come up with for this stuff, as it's mostly creating "abstract" things. To me, that's essentially another word for "talentless chaos", as it's mostly a nonsensical jumble that's borderline accidental. Similar to people splashing paint splatters on a canvas and daring to call it art. Though, I did get some inspiration from some of what you did in the first video. For example... the first sharp bend, when you pulled it apart again. Very easy way to make a building roof without having to cut and solder two different pieces, etc. That said, I assume as a teacher, educator, master, etc... that your goal is to teach technique and inspire. In that regard, you've certainly succeeded. I am, in no way, trying to say anything negative to, or about, you with my comments. Just railing against the idea of "new and innovative" and credit being given to anyone alive for the concept of foldforming. 😜 Haha.

[@greggreenwood4628]

Hello Jento, I understand your agitation. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood