I'll try to answer some fold forming questions. The process is one where I spend most of my time. What is fold forming? Well to begin with just look at the words fold and forming..gee you could do that with a sheet of paper..people have, they called the process origami..those same cultures also did origami with metal, mostly foils. They folded they formed..origami with metal ignores the properties of the metal and treats the resistance of the metal as an obstacle to be overcome. What if we used the characteristics or properties of metal in the process? When we do that, we are doing what today is known as "fold forming"
It should be called "Fold forming using metals characteristics" That whole statement is the title of a paper written by Charles Lewton Brain. Though unspoken it's very important that the metal and it's properties be included in your thinking. Miss that bit of knowledge and you have missed the whole thing.
The ability of the metal to stretch makes all the difference in the world to the forms that can be created.
No one claims that metal smiths haven't hammered a folded piece of metal before. Damascus blades are made from folded metal. Mokome' can use folding as part of the billet making process. Blacksmiths bring metal back on itself frequently. But to totally develop form from worked folds in metal is something new. I don't get into arguments about development of the process. Here's why. I didn't begin doing this with a hammer. I made my first fold formed piece on a rolling mill. I'd never seen anything like it. For me it has been about the folds first and foremost ever since. I'm totally involved in the right now of developing form by this technique. I find the historic discussions about it to be similar to discussing the peanuts served on your flight here. I'm into flying and arriving.
Fold forming has been broadened over the years to include those forms just developed by folding. Cause what else are you going to call them? Many have spent years working on only one type of fold "worked line folds" Many of my pieces are developed through line folds. The thing is that there are over three hundred other named folds. You really should check out CLB's fold forming web site. He's spent over 30 years developing this approach to metalsmithing. He's the pioneer. Buy his books, buy his tapes. Visit his other sites.
Many basic folds are explained on his web site T folds among them.
How do you fold a curve? Well you could chase the line into your metal. You could deeply score a curve on your metal, with a graver etc. I use a press. There is a certain economy of motion to my method. My approach is akin to embossing the line..But that term brings to mind too many distracting concepts. My experience has taught me that describing the process of making the line fold my way as press work, also brought with it too many other preconceived ideas. The thing is regardless of how you actually bend in your curves, some really interesting things are going to happen.
When people that do fold forming get together they seldom discuss the folding..The big question is, "How did you un-fold that?" Here's hoping that everything unfolds beautifully for you. Brad