Clay Gun Woes And Questions!! Help!
Decorating By homemaluhia Updated 28 Jun 2007 , 4:33pm by homemaluhia
After recovering from my aching arm from trying to push gumpaste through my clay gun ... I've been reading that other ccer's have had the same problem and put Crisco in and on their gumpaste. If you put it in the gumpaste, does it dry hard like usual? Can I make a tiara and hope it will dry and stand up in our humid weather?
What gun are you using? I have two, the plunger type metal one and the red and black plastic gun type. (I can't remember the names of them!) The metal one was pretty hard to use. The red and black one is a dream. I use crisco to grease it and make sure that the paste is pretty soft. It will harden later. Hope this helps. I'll look for the names.
Ditto on the paste needing to be very soft. Work it well and get it good and soft before loading the gun with it.
Oh, thank you ... my arm thanks you! I have the metal plunger type. I'll go at it again this afternoon 
I use gumpaste over fondant for nearly everything, but I have to say if you are using a clay extruder, fondant is the only way to go. Even kneading shortening into your gumpaste and greasing the inside of the gun and the plunger still leaves you with aching wrists and fingers by the time you get gumpaste through a gun.
For future projects, this sugarcraft gun is easier on the hands: http://beryls.safeshopper.com/216/7424.htm?961
I'm shopping around for one, too. Another CC'er recommended this one:
http://www.clay-king.com/extruderlist.htm
It's the fourth one down on the page, size medium, for $19.20. Others have said that the one on the beryls' site doesn't hold a lot of fondant/gumpaste, if that's a concern for you.
I do gumpaste through my extruder all the time. I use one that is metal and instead of a syring-type plunger, it has a vice-style plunger. So you just twist a bar instead of having to force something by strength. This is the one I got:
http://www.theclaystore.com/pages-productinfo-product-745/makins-professional-ultimate-clay-extruder.html
When I made my tiara (pics in my album), I mixed gumpaste and fondant. It went through the gun nice and smooth and was dry after a few hours.
Thank you, Everyone!! I tried it and it was so easy to push through. I am waiting a few days for it to dry. It's so humid here in Hawaii that I wanted to have enough time for drying. Thank you!!!
Aloha,
Teri
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