Brazil Travel - What is Balata?

The latex is dried to form an inelastic rubber-like material that is stored in blocks. The blocks can be heated in a warm water bath to soften it, so it can be shaped by pressure from your fingers. The local people that supply our art figures, form the balata into small reproductions of Indians and animals of the forest. The texture of the finished objects is similar to leather and the material can hold an impressive amount of detail.

1. a nonelastic, rubberlike, water-resistant gum that softens in hot water and is obtained from the latex of a tropical American tree, Manilkara bidentata: used chiefly in the manufacture of machinery belts, golf ball covers, and as a substitute for gutta percha.

Manilkara bidentata is a species of Manilkara native to a large area of northern South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Common names include Balatá, Ausubo, Massaranduba, and (ambiguously) "cow-tree."

Balatá is a large tree growing to about 125 feet. The leaves are alternate, elliptical, entire, and 4-8 inches long. The flowers are white, and are produced at the beginning of the rainy season. The fruit is a yellow berry, 1-2 inches in diameter, which is edible; it contains one (occasionally two) seed(s).

Balatá was often used in the production of high-quality golf balls, to use as the outer layer of the ball. Balatá-covered balls have a high spin rate, but do not travel as far as most balls with a Surlyn[4] cover. Due to the non-durable nature of the material that the golf club strikes, Balatá-covered balls do not last long before needing to be replaced. While once favored by professional and low-handicapped players, they are now obsolete, replaced by newer Surlyn and urethane technology.

Balatá trees are farmed along the banks of the Amazon River and its tributaries, such as the Içá. It is also the most important timber tree on Puerto Rico.

The tree is a hardwood with a red heart, which is used for furniture and as a construction material where it grows. Locals often refer to it as bulletwood for its extremely hard wood, which is so dense that it does not float in water. Pre-drilling is necessary to drive nailed connections. The fruit, like that of the related Sapodilla (M. zapota), is edible.