Hi I am trying to figure out how to do the gumpaste flowers. I bought the Wilton kit but so far no luck. The gumpaste usually tears or gets slimy trying to put the petals on. Any suggestions as to how to do these. I see that many have done beautiful flowers and would love to know how to accomplish this.

From what I've heard the Wilton gumpaste is terrible.

Have you added "Tylose" to the gumpaste? It's makes it more pliable. The slimeyness is due to too much water.

You could try purchasing another kind of already prepared gumpaste on-line. Or you can mix 1/3 prepared gumpaste to 2/3 prepared fondant. Also, are you using Royal Glue to attach the petals? One teaspoon water to one teaspoon of meringue powder and using a small artist style painbrush or decorator brush you very sparingly apply where you will be attaching the petals.
Gumpaste usually dries out quickly so you need to keep all petals etc. really well protected from the air until you use them. I double bag them in freezer bags and make sure there is no air in it. You also need to knead your gumpaste well to avoid cracking issues.
I don't like the Wilton Gumpaste mix personally. I think I would give a prepared gumpaste a try.
Hugs Squirrelly

thanks for the tips with the gumpaste and fondant will have to try that out and the royal icing glue.

cashley, don't give up on gumpaste flowers. It took me about four different attempts to get the feel for it. I was either rolling it either too thick or too thin. The royal glue that Squirrelly suggested is great and easier than trying to attach everything with water. Good luck!

bikegal

I use clear vanilla extract or plain vodka as glue for my gumpaste--a little goes a long way and it dries very quickly due to the alcohol content. I like it much better than plain water.

Cashley! Hey, I just finished a gumpaste class. It's Wilton fondant that is terrible.....my experience with the gumpaste is just fine. Two totally different animals! It sounds like your gumpaste might be too wet to begin with tho. I had this problem in the beginning......you can knead in powdered sugar and/or cornstarch to stiffen it a bit. Also.......use very little of the liquid you choose for attaching the petals, etc. I use clear vanilla on a paintbrush....sparingly. It's amazing how little it takes. Hang in there.....it's worth the effort. If you want to come over some weekend....I can help you!!!! LOL!

I use the Wilton recipe for gum paste the Wilton ready mix is no good. For the glue I use a little water on a small paint brush. I tap the brush before I apply the water. A little water goes a long way.

What is wrong with the Wilton mix???????????? LOL!

Phoov, I actually like the Wilton Gumpaste Mix too! Granted I haven't tried anything else but its never given me any problems. You're not alone. *laff*

bikegal

I use the Wilton gumpaste mix..never had a problem with it.

Well it took awhile, but here is a re-print of our pal Texas Sugar, a Wilton intructor's post on that very subject about the directions on the Gumpaste cans being incorrect. Thanks once again kiddo!
Hugs Squirrelly
TexasSugar
Forum Addict



Joined: Sep 01, 2005
Posts: 597
Location: East Texas
Birthday: Dec 08
Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 8:54 pm

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I posted this in the past when someone else had a problem with the Wilton Gumpaste Mix. I'm not sure if it is the problem this time, but here goes....

This is from the WMI board posted by an Instructor that had problems with the Wilton Gumpaste Mix and called their customer service. She was told the directions were wrong, and here are the new ones.

Gum Paste Mix in The Can Instructions As of Sept 2005
>
>In large bowl, add mix and make a well in center
>Add 1 Tbsp of Gum Tex and 3 Cups of 10X Sugar
>
>In Glass measuring cup add
>4 Tbsps of Warm water
>1 Heaping Tbsp of Glucose
>Heat on high in microwave for 30 seconds until clear.
>Add mix to center of well in bowl. Knead mixture
>together till it comes together. If still
>semi-stickly or dry then coat with shortening. Keep
>mix covered at all times.

------
Also before you give up on gumpaste I would suggest trying other recipes. Maybe a homemade recipe will work better for you than from a mix.

So actually, that is a correction for the Gum-tex not the Gumpaste mix because all you add to that one is water and then knead in a bit of powdered sugar.
So no explanation for my problems with the Gumpaste mix.
Hugs Squirrelly

Thank you for all your help will keep at it. Phoov if you lived closer I would take you up on the offer of help. Thank you all for your help

Cashley,

I ruined 2 batches of gumpaste until I got it right. When I first started, I started looking on the internet and found many people willing to help. One of those people was Jeff Arnett He posted photos of step by step on how to make gumpaste roses. From this, I ended up adjusting my roses to make my own. Here is the link for the photos. http://community.webshots.com/album/409694647SCfrnv He is very nice and was very willing to answer questions. I also am going to send you the email he sent me to show how to make the board to make flowers. I also use water to glue the petals on and sometimes it gets goopy. You have to let them dry between rows or it gets too heavy and tears. Good luck and if you have any questions, you can email me.
Vicky

By the way Cashley, Wilton gumpaste is horrible. Try CK powdered gumpaste or the best is Satin Ice. It is more expensive so I use CK to practice with and Satin Ice for my orders. It is worth the price.
Vicky

You know...it's late....and I'm gonna go to bed~ but I'm getting tired of rude, outspoken people on these threads that slam a previous person's comment as if they were chopped liver. Sheesh. There are nice ways to share your opinion....and then there are other ways. G'night.

Well, I am not certain if you mean me but I didn't mean to be rude or slam anyone's opinion. I was just speaking from my experience with the Gumpaste Mix. It is really expensive here in Canada and was hard for me to get. I have no idea why it didn't work for me, could be the humidity level, I don't know, but it didn't work.
But you see that is the thing, not every product does work the same for everyone, who knows why? Could be that the can I got was old or something was wrong with it. That was why I suggested if it didn't work for someone and they were frustrated not to quit but try another product.
Anyway Phoov, my apologies, I wasn't slamming your opinion, I can see by the lovely gumpaste work in your gallery that it did work very well for you, lovely flowers!
I don't like working with MMF, many people do. I prefer working with Wilton's fondant for some decorations but not for covering a cake, other people don't like it for anything. We all have our preferences.
Regarding the Satin Ice mentioned, I thought Satin Ice was sugarpaste otherwise known as fondant. Do they also make a gumpaste?
Hugs Squirrelly

Satin Ice makes a wonderful gumpaste as well as fondant. Was Phoov referring to me? I hope I didn't say anything rude to hurt her feelings. We are all just offering advise from our experiences.
Vicky

Like I said before I didn't see any posts that were rude. Maybe I should stay out of it but that is just my feelings about all the posts. All I see is advice and opinions. Nothing wrong with that

Lazy_Susan

vicky, have you tried the Wilton Gumpaste mix? What are the differences you've encountered between all the products, etc. it would help if you could explain to us why you think it is horrible. And the difference in pricing between them would be cool too! I'm always looking for new products.

bikegal

The Wilton gumpaste was not as workable as the CK gumpaste or the Satin Ice. It fell apart easier and was not as easy to work with. As I was new to this I started asking around and found out that all people I talked to had the same problem. There didn't seem to be a big difference in price between Wilton and CK but since Satin Ice comes premixed in a bucket, it is more expensive. It is smoother and easy to work with and has a better texture. I do add gum tex to quicken the drying time, though. I also have tried Bakels Gumpaste and wasn't as thrilled with it either. However, to each their own... Right?
Vicky

Thanks for the info on the Satin Ice Gumpaste, because I cannot get it here, I don't really keep up on what they have. Prepared gumpaste hasn't been sold for all that long, I had no idea that Satin Ice made it, good to know.
If you go to www.baking911,com, there are some comments from Colette Peters regarding gumpaste. She mixes Bakel with, I believe but don't quote me because it is late, oh heck, something else, it is escaping me at the moment. So I guess everyone plays around with what combo works for them. I hear that people that live in Florida or areas of high humidity like to use Tylose as the hardener.
I am beginning to draw the conclusion that weather once again as with royal icing and just about anything sugar, has a big effect on preferences as does the weather the day of the week you make these things on.
Hugs Squirrelly

I found it to be true in Missouri. Our humidity does a number on the drying time. With Bakel's gumpaste, which I used last week and was unsatisfied with, it seemed that it did not dry as hard as CK or Satin Ice. My little thingies (on the calax) on the roses kept breaking off. This was sooo frustrating. This was after drying for over 10 days. I can get Satin Ice only sometimes; I order it from www.sugarcraft.com and am looking to find it somewhere local. Shipping is a joke. Well talk to you later...
Vicky

I love the CK brand of gumpaste and royal icing...both are inexpensive