Gumpaste Orchids Sooo Fragile! Any Suggestions, Pros?

Decorating By joycesdaughter111 Updated 27 Oct 2010 , 10:04pm by PinkLisa

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joycesdaughter111 Posted 26 Oct 2010 , 8:54pm
post #1 of 5

Hi all!

My gumpaste orchids are turning out ok, but wow are they FRAGILE! I'm afraid to touch them just to gum glue the pieces together.

Broke the first one when I picked it up. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Also, is there a gumpaste out there that is more elastic than others?

I currently use Wilton fondant mixed with gum-tex.

4 replies
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Cake4ever Posted 26 Oct 2010 , 9:11pm
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I've made wired gumpaste cymbidium with homemade gumpaste.

I always assemble on a foam pad, it makes breakage less of an issue. Have your tape cut and ready for wrapping. I've been taught to cut the tape in half lengthwise and it helps! -- This is if you are using wire, which I am not sure if you are...

Love gumpaste made with tylose or cmc, it seems much more elastic. Nick Lodge has a recipe that people rave about. I use one that calls for gelatin and it's the closest to store-bought I've found.

Don't worry too much if you snap an end, you just take a new & dedicated nail file to it once it has dried. Very gently file down the tip, if possible according to the flower.

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joycesdaughter111 Posted 26 Oct 2010 , 9:20pm
post #3 of 5

Thanks for the tips SkisInOkinawa! Your flowers are awesome. I looked in your photos and I already had one of your cakes and your pink peony in my faves!

Oh, yeah. What is cmc?

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Cake4ever Posted 27 Oct 2010 , 6:42am
post #4 of 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by joycesdaughter111

Thanks for the tips SkisInOkinawa! Your flowers are awesome. I looked in your photos and I already had one of your cakes and your pink peony in my faves!

Oh, yeah. What is cmc?




LOL. Thank you for your lovely compliment and for adding my flower into faves. thumbs_up.gif -- CMC is the same as tylos. I mentioned CMC because it's what we get here in the UK.

PM me if you need help again, and I will be glad to assist. Have fun!
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PinkLisa Posted 27 Oct 2010 , 10:04pm
post #5 of 5

How long did you allow the petals to dry before you put them together? If they don't have sufficient drying time, I find them more fragile. I want to experiment with homemade gumpaste but do to lack of time I've been using Satin Ice premade gumpaste. It works fine, but I have nothing to compare it with. I also find that the more you work with the flowers, the better you will get with handling them. I used to have more breakage than I do now.

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