Tagua Nut

[Lindy]

I finally tried the Tagua Nut. Is that thing ever hard to cut and sand!! I used my band saw and then sanded by hand. Now the hand sanding took forever and tonight I decided to try used a dremel with a sanding disk - much better!

Burning it wasn't bad and the smell wasn't too bad either! Anyway I thought I would share my first attempt. Want to do more of these too! Sheesh I'm never going to get all these projects done and earn a living too! Hammer

Comments and suggestions are sure welcome!

Thanks
Lindy

[WOODIE13]

Been thinking about trying them, maybe doing a little carving with the burn and make a lapel pin, just too many forks in the fire right now thoughHappy

Very nice.

[Thomp]

Lindy,
sounds the hard part is the sanding,
if you made a holder like a piece of wood with a hole in it the size of the nut slice, i think you could use a belt sander with a medium grit belt then change belt to fine, sanding should be a scinch,
while it will make the sanding faster it will waste some wood. to make the holders in different sized holes as the slices of nut are smaller as you get through the nut.
im thinking these things are golf ball sized.

maybe if the nuts are similar shaped, you could mount the wood with the holding frame to a larger board thats secured to a bench...

sanding down chain sawn slices of a bark on log with a belt sander is done with 2 tacked strips arranged in a "V"shape, on a bench, always working with the direction of the belt pulling into the "V"

i tried a planner and had quite a few blow apart the belt sander was a gods send to work off the chainsaw marks,,,

you will have to experiment, and you'll probably launch a few from beneath the belt sander but i think it will do well,,
if the boards get worn down after a few sanding just replace them and continue.

[Pyrographer]

Very nice job. I've done a bunch of tagua nuts but never really liked burning on them so I've stuck with just painting them.

You might actually try getting the pre-sliced ones for burning. We sell most of the whole nuts just to carvers and the pre-sliced ones to the burners. They are also already polished and sanded. They are more expensive but there's not much prep work involved and the quality of them seems to be better than the whole nuts latel.

One thing you should do if you are burning is to blanch them briefly to remove some of the oils which makes it a bit easier to burn. Sue Walters also has a small booklet on burning them. It really isn't a tutorial on how to but it is a helpful booklet.

Nedra

[Lindy]

Thanks Thomp for the suggestions, I'm way too good at making things fly with belt sanders so I think I might have to decline that one. So far I haven't hurt myself with my dremel sander so I'll see how that goes.

Nedra, once I get through all these nuts I've bought then I'll look into the pre-cuts. It certainly would save a lot of work. I have ordered Sue Walters Booklets on burning Tagua Nuts and I hope to see it arrive soon.

Thanks everyone,
Lindy

[Pyrographer]

Most people find the slices a whole lot easier to deal with than wasting so much time slicing and dicing....I mean sanding.Baby

Nedra

[Woodartist]

Sure seems like a small surface to burn on....at least with my eyes Curious though, has anyone burned on brazil nuts??? Seems like that could be possible????

[Pyrographer]

Tagua nuts are like ivory and used by artisans for crafts. They are easy to carve, burn and most of all scrimshaw and japanese miniature carving netsuke. Burners, carvers and scrimshaw artists use slices for pendants and things. We have also made some intricate scroll saw christmas ornaments out of them.

Yes, they are small but if you use small burning tools specifically made for miniatures it's easy. I had a guy in Texas buy nuts and slices by the dozens and carve heart-shaped pendants as he sat at his booth at the show. He was selling them as quick as he carved them right at the show.

Mind you I'm not much of a carver except chip carving but everyone I know who has carved them says it's easy. What I have found with burners is they either love them or hate them. I fall into the latter category but I'm stuck on wood so I don't like burning on much else!!!! Bouncing S

As for brazil nuts, I have never heard of anyone burning on any other type of nut. I suspect that the tagua nut, because when dried is so much like ivory it is most commonly used by carvers and now burners. But I've heard of carvers carving watermelons and potatoes so why not brazil nuts. As for burning, I honestly don't know about that. I'd much rather eat them than burn them.

Nedra

[jorlor]

I'm a tagua nut carver doing jewelery.Recently had a show in Quito, Ecuador. Great rewiews,great sales. I will like to help any one likes to persevere with tagua;No money involved.www.tagua-art.com Jorge Loor
Please try me. Thanks

[Pyrographer]

Originally Posted by jorlor

I'm a tagua nut carver doing jewelery.Recently had a show in Quito, Ecuador. Great rewiews,great sales. I will like to help any one likes to persevere with tagua;No money involved.www.tagua-art.com Jorge Loor
Please try me. Thanks

Jorge, your jewelry is just gorgeous.

Nedra