Can you use a steamer on dried gumpaste? I made roses and they looked good at the time but now they just look dull.

THANKS!!

I've never used a steamer, but I have used my kettle steam on my peices and it worked lovely. Just had to work quick though..lol.
I look forward to the day I have an actual steamer.

I seen it done, so I know that you can, but I've never done it myself.

I bought a cheap steamer at target for about $30.00 and it works great, especially on chocolate but the shine seems to dull by the next day. It does remove any sugar or cornstarch on the cake.

I frequently use a steamer on gumpaste, not so much for the shine, which has a short life span, as for the lovely soft porcelain look it gives after the initial shine is gone. Other things I use for shine, such as confectioner's glaze, gum arabic, piping gel + vodka, vodka + corn syrup, edible varnish, (gelatin+glucose+water), even Pam. There are a number of choices a true shine. For the soft, velvety look of rose petals, dust the rose with petal dust, steam lightly, then re-dust. This will allow an additional layer of dust to stick, giving the velvety look.

I use a steamer on larger things, such as removing cornstarch from fondant covered cakes. But for smaller detail, I prefer holding the flower or item with a pair of forceps or needle nosed pliers and briefly rotating them in the flow of steam from a tea kettle. Just take care to be brief, particularly with thinner edges of petals. It doesn't take much to make them melt or sag.
I hope this helps you.