Post #203264 by kaha kii on Thu, Dec 15, 2005 12:23 PM

Aloha!
Well, Im very familiar with da tagua nut... They come from central america and theyre known as "vegetable Ivory" because of the inner meat of the nut closely resembling real ivories such as elephant, mammoth, walrus etc.
I use fossil ivories in my work all the time and many times Ive tried to use some tagua. Problem is, Tagua doesnt have a great hardness level like genuine animal ivory and, it can crack if exposed to flucuations in temp. and humidity. Its fairly easy to work with but the size of the nuts limits you on how big of a carving you can make. Once properly worked, its does polish to a beautiful glass like finish and takes enamel and acrylic paints well... AND, because its plant material, its doesnt give off the toxic pilau stench of animal parts when worked! Tagua actually gives off a pleasant fragrance when sanded unlike whale bone or walrus bone which can really smell bad!

You can also google the words "tagua nut" and sites will come up explaing the nut and how to properlywork with it...

Hope Ive helped at least a little! Good luck with your carving!

Malama Pono!