ornate zinc
Most curved nalbinding needles are cut from wood with the curve, then shaped and smoothed. I wanted to make a set of needles that are actually bent, with the grain run visibly bending as well as a witness to the technique. This was oak from a pallet headed for the landfill. It was soaked in cleaning ammonia for 24h, removing most of the lignin, clamped in a vise in a jig with a fulcrum point to bend over, then held in place for 24h.
The ammonia soak had a number of effects that I didn't count on (most notably that it actually delaminated the wood in a few spots). It also auto-stained the workpiece, which I found rather interesting. The resulting piece does hold its curve, does take sanding, shaping, and finishing okay, and overall, I'll call it a success. However, the effect is—imo—not worth the hassle it took to get it.
(BTW: h/t to Mitchell's abrasive sanding floss. Amazing stuff for sanding the insides of through-holes. Available on Azamon...)
empty wagon