Walnut Kalimba Necklace (Semi Acoustic)

We at NakagawaGakki are always looking at new ways to make sound more portable and interesting. The idea of a necklace capable of rockn da house was the inspiration.
If you have time on your hands and the nuts, then you can make one too.

You will need:
Walnuts
Small handsaw
Sandpaper
Wire
Hair pins
3mm thick hardwood
wood glue
Hand drill
Contact mic (if you want to make your necklace LOUD)

OK lets get started...

(If you want to skip all of the following steps then you can always visit our Etsy Store to purchase one of our exquisite Kalimbas!!!)

Step 1 Split and flatten ya nuts!

Ok, easy enough you say, but first you will have to decide if you want to crack them or cut them.

You can try cracking a few with a hammer, a nut cracker, your hand or your head but you run the risk of not getting a clean/straight line and/or injuring yourself.

We prefer cutting them down the seam with a hacksaw or small hand scroll saw. If you decide to do it with heavy machinery the normal precautions apply.
Please be careful of your fingers.

Take a break, eat contents of opened nut.

Next is to make the surface flat.
Lay out some medium grit sandpaper on to a flat surface like a hard table top.
You can use a little doublesided tape to keep it from slipping.
Slowly run your walnut across the sandpaper in a straight line away from you.
After a short time (walnut is quite soft) the surface should be as flat as your table...

It might be good idea to clean out the refuse in the interior of the nut unless you want your kalimba necklace to double as a maraka.
Hey come to think of it, thats a great idea!!!

Comments

[tudgeanator]

Having finished making mine a while back (no pics - my camera is broken) I discovered that the walnut itself does most of the resonating itself, rather than the plate of wood at the front, because I used wood that was far too thick as I had no thinner stuff, which means if I hold it like you do in your video, I get no sustain at all. But if you hold the walnut to your mouth and play it, you get loads of sustain, it's louder, and you can alter the sound with the shape of your mouth! Thanks so much for the 'ible, I'm onto making a more traditionally sized one using a coconut.

[tudgeanator]

 Awesome 'ible, i'm definitely making one! But, as far as I can tell you missed out one small step - you didn't mention putting a whole in the front plate, but it appears on the front plate in your pictures.

[NakagawaGaki]

Tudge!
Your right we did leave out the process of doing the soundhole on the frontplate, thanks. To be honest, the soundhole makes VERY little difference to the volume of the Kalimba.
Its there for aesthetic reasons only.

Nepheron.
Glad we inspired you and your creation packs a mean punch.
Hope its the start of many more.

[nepheron]

WOW!!! You inspired me to make my own!
I got the piezoelectric disk from Dollar Tree. It was inside an "IntrudAlert" burglary alarm
..the alarm function is a failure, but it makes a mean pickup after some dissecting! It even come pre soldered, with wires attached and all!
Here are pictures of the one I made:

[NakagawaGaki]

Thanks for the response guys. Our sketchy internet connection doesnt know quite how to cope!!!
Yeah you can try any nut, infact the sunflower seed seems the next frontier.
We are making one now out of a Hyoutan, its a gourd from Japan. Sounds really nice and easy to hold. Still OK to wear as a piece of jewelery but the Walnut looks better around the neck as its just the right size.
May do another 'ible for the Hyoutan Kalimba.

[noahlankford]

I wonder if there are other types of nuts you could use for this? But still a great gift idea!

[snapel]

 Coconut? I don't think there's any bigger nut. Or any other with a shell.

[omnibot]

Yes, I'd suggest coconuts but only someone with truly fiddly hands should try sunflowerseeds.

[nickodemus]

I like the idea, although it looks a bit hard to hold and play. But aside from that, great job on the 'ible.

[cowscankill]

I love that sooo much, because of it's size and what it is made from :D
I just need a walnut...

[zascecs]

A little out of tune, but still, this is pretty cool! I like how you can plug it in like a guitar, gee, my brother would just love to have one of these! 


Nut in disguise!!!