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Pistachio Shell Construction

"I have to eat this whole sack to complete my model"
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If you're anything like me, besides having large sideburns and a predilection for Scots accents, you'll eat vast quantities of Pistachio nuts. And why not? - they are a fine nut indeed, perhaps second only to the king of nuts, the mighty cashew. But I digress.

Eating lots of pistachio kernals involves cracking your way through lots of pistachio shells. This action is part of the joy of the whole thing. But once you've got to the tasty interior, what generally happens to the shell? It just gets thrown away. What an incredible waste.

Why not use these shells to build something? Pistachio shells are a strong, lightweight material. You've seen those losers who make model steam engines out of matchsticks - they're not even proper matchsticks, they have them made especially for construction. With pistachio shell construction, you're finding a useful purpose for something which would otherwise go in the bin.

-alx, Aug 14 2001

(?) A mosaic in beetles enchants Brussels http://www.iht.com/articles/86001.htm
(link posted in annotation by [n-pearson]) [-alx, Oct 21 2004]

[link]






       Perhaps ground up for particleboard?
badoingdoing, Aug 14 2001
  

       They could be used to clothe a life-sized Allosaurus, giving it an eerie old-ivory pebbled skin texture. One might also build a 20-meter sailboat by splitting each shell with a razor and laminating the resulting strips onto a concrete form coated with epoxy resin. There's aboslutely no reason to waste these materials on trivial things like 30-cm model biplanes.
Dog Ed, Aug 14 2001
  

       For those people who like to build miniatures: you could get four small shells for feet and hands, two larger shells for the torso and a medium shell for the head and join them all together with florists wire and glue. Make armies of these and play traditional role playing games with a nut theme. It’s cheaper, tastier, and quirkier than the alternatives you will find at you local comic book store.
sdm, Aug 15 2001
  

       compress them into briquettes for the barbecue. Cheaper than charcoal (maybe) and imparting a delicious nutty flavour to the food.
gravelpit, Aug 15 2001
  

       Junior Cat enjoys bashing them around the floor.
angel, Aug 15 2001
  

       Oooh, good one, [Rods], I'll try that.
angel, Aug 15 2001
  

       Affix the shells to your chin and pretend you have a strange rash.
benfrost, Aug 15 2001
  

       Nipplecaps.
The Military, Aug 16 2001
  

       Crush them up and grind them into the grooves of Boston / Styx / Kansas records.
snarfyguy, Aug 20 2001
  

       God bless snarfy. Though I wonder if the tip might act as a needle and the shell act as an amplifier cone in the pre-crush stage (Horrors).
thumbwax, Aug 20 2001
  

       I like it (and foresee goofy headlines like "Architects Shell- Shocked by New 'Nut House'", &c.). See also: www.iht.com/articles/86001.html
n-pearson, Jun 18 2003
  

       "Glue them back together again, seal them in bags and sell them again from a busy shopping area such as Oxford Street in the centre of London." - Rods Tiger   

       Nice idea, but why rip off the public? Put a fortune inside before gluing them together and sell them as Fortune Pistachios. You could do the same thing with cantaloupes, eggs and walnuts.
ZomGlo, Feb 13 2004
  

       I used them for hills when I played with my tiny toy soldiers.   

       They also (almost) make good boats for... umm... ants?
ye_river_xiv, Dec 21 2006
  
      
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