I'm thinking about using this to make the cage part in the front of a football helmet. From searching through posts I saw that fondant didn't dry hard enough and was susceptible to moisture. Can you please tell me...

How hard does gum paste dry??

Is it pricy??

Thank you!

Gumpaste dries rock hard. It is not expensive, you can get a can of gum paste powder for about $5 at Michael's or Hobby Lobby-type stores. Or, the ready made kind is about $8. There are also recipes for homemade, if you have the ingredients on hand.

I think the face mask will do better out of gp, I've done it with MMF over wires & that wasn't too great. Good luck!

It dries very hard and should hold up fine. You might extrude it from a clay extruder to make the grid. (You can buy one at Michael's for $1.25 if you don't already have one.) Allow at least a day for it to dry. Pastiage will also work. It's even stronger. No it's not expensive if you make it yourself. I use the Nick Lodge recipe, which is on his website. Good luck.

I'm a recent converter to pastillage and I swear by it now, but then again I'm in Texas. Summertime heat in South Texas and Gumpaste just don't go together as well as drier places. I see you are in Washington and may not require the strength of pastillage. Some say it's harder to work with but I found it quite enjoyable. I use Ewald Notter's recipe.

Shoup-Family,
If you have the time, could you photo document the making of the grill? I'm thinking of doing a carved cake helmet for DH's birthday next year, and celebrating with a Super Bowl party. I'm nervous about making the grill part, though.
Thank you!

The grill of the helmet is the hardest part of making that cake. I've done 2 and have had trouble with both but I did use fondant on both. Haven't tried the gumpaste yet. It's so hard getting it the right size so that it fits the cake. Good Luck.