Purse Handles?!!!!

Decorating By adobewife Updated 8 Jun 2011 , 7:27pm by pheonix31571

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adobewife Posted 19 Dec 2010 , 8:23pm
post #1 of 6

Desperately seeking advice on a bag handle. I am currently making a hobo bag and first handle has broken in middle made 2 days ago out of gumpaste. Tried using a wire but can not get it on smooth. The handle is suppose to stand up but am open to laying it down(long distance delivery) and structural advice would be appreciated. If you have any tried and true or lessons learned please share. Thanks in advance!

5 replies
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Normita Posted 19 Dec 2010 , 9:24pm
post #2 of 6

When is it due? I just made a purse cake this last Friday and did the handles on Wednesday night. I just used fondant with lots of tylose...rolled it into a long sausage, formed it and let it dry for 2 days without touching it. When it was ready to get placed on the cake I glued 2 lollipop sticks with melted chocolate and inserted them into the cake....very gently. I always make extra of everything just in case they break. Maybe instead making them stand up you can make them flat and kind of make them flat like this:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1293648


(Scroll down to the middle of the page)
http://www.azcakes.com/3dandnovelty/


OH....and if you are driving a long way....do not place the handles until you get there if you are planning on having them stand up.

Hope this helps icon_smile.gif

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Crazy-Gray Posted 20 Dec 2010 , 12:21pm
post #3 of 6

This happend to me once and now I always make spare a whenever I do any gum paste modeling as the breakage always happens when it's too late to make a replacement!
The way I fixed mine was to make a really thick royal icing the same colour as the set gum paste (or the body of the purse if the handles are a different colour), mark where the purse handles have to be inserted into the cake and cut a hole a little bigger than required and fill with the royal icing, this means that the strength is at the base of the handles not in the curve, once set a little more royal icing at the broken join will smooth out the crack- thining the royal icing slightly at this point gives a smoother finish.
I hope this helps!

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FlourPots Posted 21 Dec 2010 , 2:56am
post #4 of 6

I've made 4 purse cakes, none of the handles had interior support, they're all standing up, and I used toothpicks (for 3) to keep them in the cake.
None of them had to travel anywhere by the way.

There's a great idea in the Planet Cake book, they instruct you to use 1/2" diameter plastic aquarium tubing...you cover it with fondant, stick cut skewers up into each side, and stick it into the cake. It bends into a nice U shape.
I bought a similar clear tubing from Home Depot or Lowe's once. It was very inexpensive for a couple of feet. I needed it to try and repair a helmet face mask (not the one in my avatar pic).

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enth001 Posted 8 Jun 2011 , 1:36am
post #5 of 6
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pheonix31571 Posted 8 Jun 2011 , 7:27pm
post #6 of 6

I took 4 wires and twisted them together on each side then I pulled them apart and wrapped the ends around a small dowel rod I made sharp points on them. I took and place in a think styrofoam base so that it stood up then took fondant and covered and let dry for the day. Then when I inserted into cake I made sure that the dowels went completely threw my cake and cake boards. I hope this helps and this was my first one ever thumbs_up.gif

Yes I had to transport it and I had no problems icon_biggrin.gif

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