Moulinet Spinning Toy

The moulinet is a clever toy that is made using a walnut shell. It has a vertical axis, usually topped with a cross. It dates back to the early renaissance, appearing in religious paintings as far back 1460. A century later, Bruegel the Elder depicted a child playing with a moulinet in his painting “Children's Games.” (lower left-hand corner) The English Wikipedia page for Bruegel’s painting calls it a shell bobbin.

1. a large walnut (plus extras for practice)
2. a pocket knife, preferably with a thin pointed tip
3. two straight sticks about 2 ¾ “ (7cm) long, one about ½” to 1.5cm in diameter and the other slightly smaller, about a centimeter in diameter
4. 15” (35cm) of thin but sturdy string
5. a sturdy wooden skewer and a drill bit of the same diameter

Choose the largest walnuts you can find. Cover them completely in water and let them soak overnight. This softens up the seam where the two halves of the shell meet and makes them easier to open without breaking.

You may want to wear a protective glove to hold the walnut, and you may want to put masking tape on most of the blade, because you will be using just the tip of the knife to work the two halves apart. Sometimes the two halves come apart easily; usually it requires patience.

Start at the pointed end of the walnut. Do not be tempted to take advantage of the small opening on the other end of the walnut; starting there almost guarantees a broken shell.

Pinch the end of the blade exposing just ¼”. Start on the seam about ½” away from the pointed end and press the tip between the two halves, rocking the tip of the knife back and forth and side to side. Don’t rush. I usually pry my knife into several spots along the seam all within a ½” from the point. It usually takes some time to work the point into the seam. Continue to work it apart gently, wiggling and advancing the tip of the blade until the rest of the seam opens up easily.

Remove the nutmeat and clean the inside of the shell.

The moulinet has three holes: one top and one bottom for the vertical axis and one on the lower half of the pointed end the walnut. Use the tip of the knife blade with a twisting movement and steady pressure to whittle away the holes. Once you pierce all the way through, ease off on the pressure to avoid breaking the shell. Verify that the holes are aligned properly. If a hole is a little off-center you can make adjustments as you scrape the edge the hole to make the right size. The top and bottom holes need to allow your skewer to move freely. The side hole for the string can be smaller.

For the cross, split the thicker 2¾” (7cm) long stick in half lengthwise. With a knife, mark across the center of the end grain of the stick. With a rocking motion, wedge the knife into the first 1/8” or so, and place it upright on the work surface. Tap the back of the knife blade with a hammer. It should split easily. Mark the center one half with a sharp point, making the start of a guide hole for the drill. Hold the two halves together and drill straight through both.

For the bottom collar, drill no more than a half an inch into one end of the thinner stick and saw or cut it off.

The rest of the thinner stick is for the string pull. It can be split or used whole. Either way it needs a shallow groove around the middle to help secure the string. The groove can be made with a knife or with the edge of a file or sandpaper block (see photo).

Slide the cross pieces onto the top of the skewer. If needed, first lightly sand the end of the skewer to fit into the hole. Push the skewer through the top hole.

Attach the string to the string pull with a simple noose knot. Make a noose knot in the other end and slip the loop into the side hole in the lower half of the walnut. Attach the knot tightly to the skewer, slip the skewer through the bottom hole and glue the walnut shut.

Alternatively, glue the walnut shut before piercing any of the holes. Attach the string to the string pull as above and slip the second loop into the nutshell. Use a wire hook to fish the string out and attach it to the skewer. It will need to be tugged back inside. Make one of the holes slightly larger so the skewer will be able to fit through with the string attached.

Finish by sliding the collar onto the bottom of the skewer.

Hold the walnut and spin the cross to wind the string onto the skewer. Still holding the walnut in one hand, give a strong brief tug to the string pull. Let the momentum of the spinning cross bring your hand back to the walnut and give it another tug… and another. Walnuts are the historical choice, but they aren’t the only choice… how about trying with a snail shell?