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How to Split a Walnut Perfectly in Half

4/12/2023

1 Comment

 

Watch the video tutorial here!

If you want to use walnut shells for crafting, it's a great trick to be able to split them perfectly in half without destroying one side. This can be especially difficult for the walnuts I get from the grocery store around Christmas! This method is fairly consistent in helping me crack a walnut without breaking the shells, but I do still get a few failures.


The step-by-step breakdown of how you can cleanly break a walnut shell in half ​is presented below. You can also check out the tutorial video on my YouTube channel.
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Soak your walnuts in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.
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To do this safely, you need to consider how to safely support the nut. I stick the nut pointy end down into a lump of playdoh.
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Stabilize the walnut with your fingers and thumb away from the blade of your knife. Push the tip of the knife into the hole in the base of the nut.
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Eventually the nut will come apart. Be patient, you'll probably have a few failures.
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Make sure you clean out the loose membrane stuff that's in there.
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Dry the nuts off really well. You don't want any water making these things slippery!
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I wear a cut resistant glove on my work holding hand. I use the biggest, most inflexible chef's knife I own.
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Working VERY slowly, work the knife back and forth, carefully opening the gap. This should take a few minutes. DON'T TWIST the knife. Pry very gently.
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I'm using a sculpting tool to clean the nut out of the shell.
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When both sides are all cleaned out, you have a perfectly fit walnut shell for all your crafting desires!
If you're interested in learning how to turn your clean walnut shells into a box with a DIY  hinge, check out the tutorial video here! HOW TO split a walnut, make a wire hinge, and make a box DETAILED STEP-BY-STEP
1 Comment
Keith
1/14/2025 10:18:37 pm

Definitely found boiling (low / slow boil at least) the walnuts easier to get the shell apart without breaking up.

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