Hi Chanda, that is correct, most people either paint on mixed with alcohol or you can use a cotton ball and apply it, but it will give it a very light effect. Just make sure that when you mix it, it is a very small amt of alcohol, 1/2 tsp at most, you want it to be sorta thick. What is it that your trying to paint?
When I use luster dust, I mix just a little with vodka or everclear liquor. I mix it to about the thickness of nail polish. When I mix luster dust with too much liquid, it looks streaky. If you add too much alcohol, you can just let it sit out for a while and the alcohol will evaporate. Hope this helps.
I am sure some of the more experienced decorators might have more and better suggestions also.
Not sure what you mean when you say it looks bad. Is it streaky or are there thick spots here and there? If it is streaky you may have added too much alcohol, if it is thick and gloppy it spots you have not added enough alcohol. The consistency for painting should be about like unwhipped whipping cream, or household latex paint. I don't do a lot of painting on flowers, I dry dust them and then steam to set the color and add a little shine. Where I mix with alcohol and paint is for detail like the spots on a Rubrum Lily or an orchid. Sometimes you want a very deep metallic shine, like a silver shoe or tiara, then I mix with alcohol and paint.
I made a small cake with fondant and I just wanted to paint the whole thing to make it shiny. The blue dust looked streaky when I painted it on. I think acotton ball would work. I had silver dust with glitter in it and it looked like I put sand on the cake. It was gritty. thanks for the responses!!!! I also made marshmallow fondant for the first time. It was easy to make, but when I tried to add color, I thought my fingers were going to fall off when I kneaded it. Any suggestions on mixing the color?
hey..is there an alternative to alcohol.. i.e is there anything else i can add to the luster dust?? Most ppl i make cakes for don't drink alcohol.. i know its just a teeny tiny bit but i'd want to respect their choices if they have religious reasons for staying away from anything alcoholic
You can dry brush it on or for gilding I like to mix a little lustre dust with confectioners glaze and make a "paint" out of it and brush that on. That way it doesn't have any alcohol content and it doesn't leave a dusty residue or some weird "aftersmell".
the amount of alcohol use to apply the luster dust is so small, and the alcohol will evaporate away... but you can also use lemon extract.. i just find that sometimes that lemony smell lingers and doesn't go with lets say a chocolate cake.. whereas the vodka has no smell and evaporates away.
Actually the reason they recommend lemon extract is because it has the highest alcohol content (the higher the alcohol content, the faster evaporation rate, and you want it to dry quick) second is almond (but almond has a very strong smell, and pure vanilla has a the lowest alcohol content. Also vanilla is brown, which would change your lusters color. That is why they recommend vodka or everclear, because its a clear liquid, no smell, and dries very fast because of the high proof.
You're right though, when you say that it doesn't dry quite as fast. You have to be careful not to touch it!Quote by @%username% on %date%
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