Drying & Deshelling Areca Nuts

Each different type of nut requires a specific hammer weight and speed of stroke to crack it without smashing it. Vise-Grips^® are pretty good, but awfully slow. Unfortunately, most of the useful research on this is proprietary or otherwise unpublished.

Next time somebody wants a mechanical engineering project suggestion...how about Universal Nutcracker?

Here is what you could try:

1. BBQ steel plate. This would be the nut target.

2. Air compressor maybe up to 8 bar?

3. Bicycle inner tube. It should just be smaller ID than the smallest size nut. This tube is attached to the compressor outlet and is triggered at will. The nuts turn into bullets! By adjusting the pressure you work out the best cracking force point.

4. Create a feeding mechanism like a large funnel that allows the largest nuts to pass into the rubber barrel.

5. Lubricate with any plant oil you can find.

This is just off the top of my head but I could have it set up in a day or so. I am not sure if my suggestion is explained good enough so let me know.

As I understand it you are talking about large amounts and in different sizes. Only then could this method be more involved and be made semi automatic and in an enclosed area.

Enjoy, Ky.