I am trying to sketch out a cake for a welding company. They initally wanted a cake that looks like a welding machine welding with a fine line on top of a razor, thankfully I have steared them away from it.

My oh so wonderful significant other seems to think that I can have a 8-10 inch round cake floating in air, cardboard circle underneath it, sitting on a dowel (the fine point welding mechanism). Yes, the dowel is 100% exposed, (the other end of it is touching the cake board) ONE dowel is keeping the cake up in the air. Am I on too much medicine or is this just completely freakin insane?!!

actually, if you have a someone good at construction handy...

very doable --- not cheap but doable

if they want it to seemingly float on the tip -- then they will have to build the support for you.

they'll have to cut a circle of metal that size of cake they want (8 or 10 in)

then they'll have to weld a metal support to the bottom of the circle and to a metal base that will big enough that it won't tip over.

then it's up to you to create the cakes and detail it all out so it looks like a welding machine.

HTH

I mean I don't know what a welding machine looks like.

But there are those clear plastic 'dowel' that you put single cakes on at different heighths kwim? They are maybe too fat for this project?

And you can use pvc pipe too.

Thanks Doug for whipping that up for me!

The design we have agreed on is a welding box (lincoln style) and a welding helmet leaning up against it. Dont ask how I am going to pull this one off, not sure if I can and it is freaking me out!

got a specific model number for both?

if so, could give more assistance

HELMET
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/1648512_lg.jpg

BOX
http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/catalog/POWERMIG180C_1882_1.jpg

The box....all it will have is the handle, buttons, vents and one cord thingy (plan on using black licorice for that). Their company logo will be on the side with an edible image. Puzzling over how to do the vents

maybe do the vents with royal icing? or extrude thin strings of fondant?

What about a dowel made of lucite?

ok ..

the main box is just a 4 layer (like 2 same size tiers) cake -- depending upon how many servings you need this would be 2 any size sheet cakes split in half and stacked. (if go w/ full sheets will need more layers -- 6 or even 8 -- to maintain proportions.

then just a wee bit of craving to get that front control panel area

gumpaste covered dowel for handle -- this dowel supported by two more, one at each end, going down through cake to cake board.

then lots of detailing out w/ fondant.

helmet -- take a hint from Ron Ben-Israel wonky cakes and use a styrofoam wedge to hold it at an angle. then it's just 3 layers or so, stacked and gently carves (mostly around chin area) to get the shape of the helmet. viewfinder area can be built up from cake scraps or just a block of fondant.

HTH

again -- issues of strength and rigidity as you make the dowel thin enough to duplicate the look of the torch part.

I owe you Doug. The cake needs to serve 50. I quoted her $320 for both cakes. I had that idea for the box...stacking like that...wasnt sure on the helmet. Again, thank you so much and I will update this post with a pic if once completed.