Thread: Netsuke carving

Originally Posted by artme

I´m here TL. Just haven´t been near a computer for over a week.

Had the nuts in the back of my mind anyway, but will do what I can to see if they are available.

I´ll look up info and get the scientific name and see if I can get a local name for them.They may not be Specific to Brasil but that remains to be seen.

Hey thanks. I think Sebastion was gonna buy some from somewhere. But always good to have alternatives.


So hows the great lathe project going?

Originally Posted by artme

Had the nuts in the back of my mind anyway, but will do what I can to see if they are available.

You know there's doctors that can help with that now

The thing I'd be worried about buying a heap is that supposedly they're nice to carve when fresh, but very hard when old. Would these be new or old nuts?

Russell.

Russell,

These puppies are haaaard, which is why they hold detail so well. Ive heard of them being held in humidified environments but real carvers use what they can get their hands on right?

Good luck Artme! I'll be curious to see what you come up with.

Originally Posted by tea lady

Hey thanks. I think Sebastion was gonna buy some from somewhere. But always good to have alternatives.


So hows the great lathe project going?

Long story. Keep an eye on the turning forums.

Originally Posted by artme

long story.:c keep an eye on the turning forums.

:u

I bought some tagua nuts from Carbatec a fair while back. They were a nice pale creamy colour. There is still a few in the shed. The nut can vary widely in shape and every nut has a cavity in the centre, making it interesting for turning.`The nut is from the palm tree Phytelephas Macrocarpa. It can be "softened" a little by soaking in water with the "germ" hole sealed to prevent water entering the cavity. The nuts I now have are probably 15 years old and have gone a yellow/brown colour.
Jim

Originally Posted by powderpost

I bought some tagua nuts from Carbatec a fair while back. They were a nice pale creamy colour. There is still a few in the shed. The nut can vary widely in shape and every nut has a cavity in the centre, making it interesting for turning.`The nut is from the palm tree Phytelephas Macrocarpa. It can be "softened" a little by soaking in water with the "germ" hole sealed to prevent water entering the cavity. The nuts I now have are probably 15 years old and have gone a yellow/brown colour.
Jim

Always wondered exactly how long "a fair while" was.

And what of the things you made with them? Do you know what they look like?

I will have a look in the morning and see if I can find something made from a nut and one of the nuts as well. If that is ok...
Jim

HI Sebastiaan,
Was just going to direct you to a thread on a US forum and then saw the members name. It was you.
I hope those guys can give you the answers you need.

Terry

Thanks Terry, I think the best way to learn will be to ruin a few....

Originally Posted by Sebastiaan56

Thanks Terry, I think the best way to learn will be to ruin a few....

So did they tell you any gems of wisdom?

I havent had a lot of responses to my queries. Wear a glove, the holes have no consistency in size or location and the only way to tell what colour is inside is to open one up. I reckon thats why they are sold by the pound, I suspect the wastage is high.

Originally Posted by Sebastiaan56

I havent had a lot of responses to my queries. Wear a glove, the holes have no consistency in size or location and the only way to tell what colour is inside is to open one up. I reckon thats why they are sold by the pound, I suspect the wastage is high.

So the colour can be a bit variable? I've seen a lot of dyed tagua nut buttons.

We will see, the package has arrived