I, too, use Nicholas Lodge's Recipe a lot, but I also use this one for finer work - it dries quickly and is very strong. Sometimes I use a combination of the two. This recipe takes a while to make, but is well worth the effort.

2 level teaspoons gelatine
6 teaspoons (1 fl. oz) water
1 large egg white
3 teaspoons gum tragacanth
3 cups pure icing sugar - well sifted
1 1/2 oz white fat (Copha, Crisco or similar) softened until almost liquid
Additional 1/2 cup iciing sugar for kneading

Method:

Soak gelatine in the water for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat half the icing sugar with all the gum trag. in oven at 150C for 15 minutes. Dissolve the gelatine/water mix carefully in microwave until completely clear (Do not boil!), add white fat and stir till dissolved (nuke for a couple of secs if needed). Add the liquid to the heated sugar mixture together with egg white. Mix well. Gradually add the remaining sugar until mixture is smooth, pliable and white.

Place into a plastic-lined, airtight container and allow to stand for at least 24 hours. This paste improves to a very fine paste the longer you leave it.

HTH!!