Can someone tell me how long it takes gumpaste to dry?
Thanks!
MJ 
Not that long... depending on the thickness of the piece. I make my own gumpaste and it usually takes a couple of hours for things to dry.
I should add though, that if you're new to working with it and you're planning on making pieces for cake to make them as far ahead of time as possible and make extra to allow for breakage.
I use gumpaste a lot. To make flowers look real you have to work it thin...and it dries faster. It can really be fun to work with and you can get real good results. My avitar is some of my gumpaste work. If you need help PM me and I will do all I can.
I use gumpaste a lot. To make flowers look real you have to work it thin...and it dries faster. It can really be fun to work with and you can get real good results. My avitar is some of my gumpaste work. If you need help PM me and I will do all I can.
Ken, your flowers are beautiful!
Hugs Squirrelly
Hi I'm starting to work with gum paste, and I hate the smell of the Wilton recipe. I'm trying to make the flowers realistic, and am wondering what other recipes would work and maybe smell and taste better.
Well, most people don't eat gumpaste, technically it is edible although the gum additives in the quantities used in gumpaste, aren't really that good for you. Plus the fact that it gets so hard, not likely a good idea for your teeth.
If you want edible flowers, you are better off with fondant although they are more delicate than gumpaste.
Hugs Squirrelly
What's the difference btwn gumpaste and fondant?? (Sorry, I haven't used much fondant and never used gumpaste!).
What is gumpaste good for, besides flowers??
Thanks!
Well, gumpaste is pretty well the same as fondant but with a lot of a hardening agent, usually a gum or tylose added. It just hardens up much faster and much harder. So it is less fragile than fondant on its own but then fondant remains edible whereas with most gumpaste things even though technically edible, you don't normally eat it because for one thing, you could break some teeth on it. Also, gums are not a good idea to ingest. So for more of a porcelain look to your flowers or for larger figurines or things that you want to be more permanent, and or dry harder and in a much quicker time and basically keep indefinitely, gumpaste would be your choice. For thinner smaller things that you still want to be able to eat, fondant is a better choice. And then there are things in between that you might just want a bit more hardening or drying effect so you would turn to a fondant with a hardener, add more hardener or mix in 1/3 or more prepared gumpaste with fondant.
Hugs Squirrelly
Hi I'm starting to work with gum paste, and I hate the smell of the Wilton recipe. I'm trying to make the flowers realistic, and am wondering what other recipes would work and maybe smell and taste better.
Try the Nic Lodge recipe for gumpaste. It's all I use, works great too. (although I use meringue powder in place of the egg whites when I make it)
Hi, in Toba Garrett's book, she gives the following recipe for gumpaste:
1lb commercial fondant or homemade
11/2 tsp Tylose if commerical brand or 2 tsp if homemade
1/2 tsp white veg. shortening
Make well incenter of fondant. Add tylose. Rub shortening in hands and knead for three to 5 minutes. Can be used immediately. I am making flowers as I am writing this and the tylose seems to make a big difference. Much better than plain fondant!! Hope this helps!!!
The CK brand of gumpaste is great and very forgiving with no bad smell.
A couple weeks ago, I added to much water to my paste and then added cornstarch to try and stiffen it up some. At the time, I throught that it was not working so I put it in a storage container...hate to throw things away 
well, a couple days later it had stiffen up and it was usable.
Love their royal icing also...just add water
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