Petals That Keep Turning On Floral Wire.

Decorating By cjsunshine Updated 23 Oct 2009 , 4:04pm by FromScratch

cjsunshine Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cjsunshine Posted 20 Oct 2009 , 3:23am
post #1 of 12

How do I keep my petals and leaves from spinning around on the floral wire?
It is hard enough to wrap the flowers without breaking them, but it is a constant problem with the petals and sometimes leaves, spinning around on the wire. Am I not letting them dry long enough? icon_cry.gif

11 replies
Texas_Rose Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Texas_Rose Posted 20 Oct 2009 , 3:25am
post #2 of 12

For some flowers, you can bend the end of the wire into a little hook before you insert it. That won't work for leaves because they're too thin, and if you're wiring each petal, it won't work for that either. I usually dip the wire in some tylose mixed with water.

You can wrap the wire for bigger flowers, like roses, before you start making the flower.

TitiaM Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
TitiaM Posted 20 Oct 2009 , 3:52am
post #3 of 12

I dip the ends of the wires in egg whites and wipe it off a little before inserting it into the petals/leaves. Generally this helps with the spinning issue.

Another idea is to wrap the end of the wire in just a very thin piece of gumpaste (sort of work it around until the wire is fully enclosed in the gumpaste and just place it on the back of the leaf or petal, and smooth a little bit. As long as the piece of gumpaste on the wire is thin enough it virtually disappears.

ibmoser Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
ibmoser Posted 20 Oct 2009 , 2:30pm
post #4 of 12

Ditto dipping the wires in glue or egg and wiping most of the liquid off before inserting. A technique that Nicholas Lodge uses is to take your thumb and forefinger and gently pinch the bottom of the petal or leaf to seal the opening where the wire was inserted. You may need to lightly touch a cornstarch bag with your fingers first or even during the shaping process to keep them from sticking. If you have a gentle taper at the base, the finished piece will fit together a bit more naturally for most flowers, too.

Caths_Cakes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Caths_Cakes Posted 20 Oct 2009 , 2:32pm
post #5 of 12

when wiring anything, i bend the end of the wire into a very small loop or hook and dip that into glue before inserting into said leaf or petal. .NEver have an issue with spinning.

cjsunshine Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cjsunshine Posted 20 Oct 2009 , 5:49pm
post #6 of 12

I was wondering if I simply was not letting the petals dry long enough. I know that Nicholas Lodge and just about anybody else, says that they need to dry around twenty four hours. I do the egg white thing, and have thought of the glue thing, but one way I will try is the tylose. All of you, thanks so much! icon_lol.gif

jobueno Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jobueno Posted 20 Oct 2009 , 6:03pm
post #7 of 12

Before wiring my petals I wrap the wires in floral tape. This will defintely stop the gumpaste from rolling around on the wire or slipping out.

chelleb1974 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
chelleb1974 Posted 21 Oct 2009 , 6:08am
post #8 of 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibmoser

Ditto dipping the wires in glue or egg and wiping most of the liquid off before inserting. A technique that Nicholas Lodge uses is to take your thumb and forefinger and gently pinch the bottom of the petal or leaf to seal the opening where the wire was inserted. You may need to lightly touch a cornstarch bag with your fingers first or even during the shaping process to keep them from sticking. If you have a gentle taper at the base, the finished piece will fit together a bit more naturally for most flowers, too.




Exactly what I was going to say! icon_smile.gif

luvchocolate Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
luvchocolate Posted 23 Oct 2009 , 1:51am
post #9 of 12

The one time I experienced this problem, my gumpaste wasn't rolled thin enough -- it was too thick for the wire / the wire was too thin for the gumpaste.

FromScratch Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
FromScratch Posted 23 Oct 2009 , 2:20am
post #10 of 12

If the petals are spinning... they aren't dry enough. The wire you should use for wiring petals (and leaves and the like) should come wrapped. The naked wire doesn't work well since there's nothing for the gumpaste to stick to. Make sure you don't use too much egg white/gum glue too since that will impede your drying time.

JenniferMI Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
JenniferMI Posted 23 Oct 2009 , 2:50pm
post #11 of 12

They more than likely are not dry enough. Overnite should do it. It also could be the wires you are using. I only use Japanese paper covered wires...in my opinion, they are the very best for gumpaste. If you have any other questions, I'm happy to try and help. PM me icon_smile.gif

Jen icon_smile.gif

FromScratch Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
FromScratch Posted 23 Oct 2009 , 4:04pm
post #12 of 12

Another thought... I know Nic Lodge uses his own recipe for gumpaste (I use it too it's great) and it dries faster than any pre-made stuff you can buy, so you may need more drying time than he suggests due to this.

If you've never made your own paste try his recipe... it rocks!

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%