Firstly what is a flexagon and why would somebody want to make one?

Flexagons are flat models made from folded strips of paper that can be folded, or flexed, to reveal a number of hidden faces.
They are amusing toys that have also caught the interest of mathematicians and paper crafters alike.
We will be making one of the simplest types, called a trihexaflexagon. While its name is complicated, making one isn’t. It shouldn’t take much more than 10 minutes of your time if you use one the template provide at the end of this article.
If you decorate your own it will take a little longer.

If you would like to see the flexagon in action you can see the video here


Materials Required

• Printed copy of the template
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• 10 minutes of free time.

First you need to decide which of the templates you would like to use. The template on the left will result in a flexagon with six unique patterns while the right will give only three. The model I am demonstrating is made from the template on the left.
flex1

Once the template has been cut out, crease along all the diagonals and along the centre.
flex2

Once the template has been creased this should be the result.
Turn the template over to the non coloured side for the next step.
flex3

Add glue along the small side and fold in half along the centre line.
flex4

Fold the left side under to create a mountain fold between the blue and red triangles.
flex5

Fold under again between the blue and red triangles. This creates another mountain fold. Let the single layer flap sit on top of the existing paper.
flex6

Now glue the two single layer flaps together to enclose all the uncoloured paper.
flex7

Congratulations you’ve just made your very first flexagon.
flex8

I have included templates to download. The first is the template used in the article. The second is a blank template.
flexagon template.pdf

blank flexagon template.pdf

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Posted in Papercraft, Diagrams, Free, How to |