Anyone laser a nut?

Looking for any info on lasering a nut - say an acorn? I am looking all over for this having been done.

Feel free to expand to other unusual organic materials - like this seashell: http://youtu.be/-kXT4TVFPmk

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Someone mentioned tagua nuts before:

I would be nervous if you intend on lasering on the nut and not the shell. Nuts are extremely flammable

I haven’t used a laser on a nut, but I did cut a few circles out of sea shells with my cheap Chinese 40 watt. Took several passes at 100% power. If I can find any acorns I will give it a try, but I would think the Glowforge would do a better job. Can’t wait to get it.

Anyone laser a nut?

Not yet, but I’m starting to become a laser nut.

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I have a giant bowl of uncracked pecans in right in front of me. Usually I use a nice lever style cracker. But I will attempt to score pecans for easy hand cracking. I thought if you could score the top and bottom then do a line up the middle, you could take the meat out whole. Just have to tweak settings. That is, after I get my Glowforge!

I am pretty sure that use as a “nutcracker” is one of the more precarious justifications for buying a GF! :wink:

Are you going to need some kind of jig, or just continuously adjust the focus?

Well found an acorn seems to be no problem with engraving or cutting even with my cheap laser. hope that helps.

Sweet! That is great! Any chance of a picture? Thanks for trying it.

Best I could find, but it works.

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Thanks for the pic! It makes me think of A Bug’s Life for some reason. :smile:

I’ve watched enough Glowforge promo and interview videos and I remember it was said several times that ‘organic items are the best with a laser’. It may have been said a little differently occasionally but I would think that nuts would qualify as organic right?

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Not nuts… But I know someone who laser engraved a companies logo onto their coffee beans for a promotional display. They turned out super nice!

I had an idea for lasering an “organic item”: as a prank I want to gently laser-etch a frozen burrito just enough to remove some of the moisture. The theory is that you can laser it without leaving an obvious mark but when the unsuspecting user heats it in the microwave it will heat unevenly (because part of it is significantly dryer than the rest) and a pattern will emerge.

If you see reports of “miracle burritos” that have pictures of saints on them when the Glowforge comes out you might suspect this sort of trick!

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