I forgot to say how I shell them. I use a vise. A good vise. You get a
feel for how much you can crack without damaging the nut too much. i
do it from the top to bottom, slightly off center. Once you get a
crack, move the nut and press on another area to crack more. I like
cracking walnuts.
James is right, let the nuts cure a while in a dry place. Then shell a
few. You can tell by tasting if they are cured.