Red paper Orange paper Yellow paper Green paper Blue paper Purple paper Folding bone (for sharp creases; optional)
A metal spoon An old credit card A flat paperweight
Fold your papers vertically so that a crease runs from the top to the bottom corner, then unfold and smooth. Fold your papers horizontally so that a crease runs from the left to the right corner, then unfold and smooth. [3] X Research source
Take a corner and fold its tip to the center of your paper where your first two creases cross. Repeat this until all four corners of your paper have been folded so the corners meet in the center. Unfold your blintz fold and smooth your papers.
Rotate your paper so that the horizontal folds you just made are vertical.
Fold the bottom of your paper similarly, until its edge is also even with the first diagonal intersection where the X crease crosses the diamond shaped crease. Turn over your paper so the colored side is face up.
At this point, you should rotate your paper to return it to the orientation where three horizontal folds run between the left and right sides of your paper.
Tuck the paper inward, toward the center. The folds that you have previously made should allow the paper to collapse into the shape of a triangle. Crease your waterbomb base sharply. [11] X Research source [12] X Research source
Pull the bottom edge of your waterbomb base up so that the downward facing point of your inner triangle is touching the upward point of your waterbomb base. As you pull the bottom of your paper toward the top, you may need to pull the corners of your triangle inward. [14] X Research source [15] X Research source Turn over your paper and repeat the process. At this stage, your paper should be a solid triangle shape on top, with two “legs” at the bottom of the triangle that are unconnected.
Repeat this process with the other leg of the same side of your paper, then turn your paper over and then perform this fold again. The squash fold you use to crease your locks will create small triangles that have points facing out to the left and right.
Be sure your colors correspond between piles. If the first color of your colored pile is red, the first color of your white pile should also be red (on the inside). [20] X Research source
Using your right hand, hold together the outer flaps on the legs of one side of your white paper. Then fold down the top triangle part so that it forms a flap that you can insert into the pocket of the colored paper. [24] X Research source [25] X Research source
Lock your white and colored papers together until all 12 pieces are connected. The bottoms of your linked pieces of paper should be even.
This should form the same left and right outward pointing triangles that you folded when you creased your lock folds. Fold all of your lock creases for each paper, starting from one end and skipping the end white paper. [29] X Research source
Close the two outer locks by rotating the paper so that the inside is facing outward. Once you have locked all the individual parts of your firework together and have rotated the inside out, your firework should be complete.
