How The Heck Do You Use The Bead Cutter?????
Decorating By katharry Updated 25 Oct 2006 , 11:40pm by Fairytale
I bought this ages ago and tried it tonight as I want to make a bead border on a cake for Friday.
I can't for the life of me get a string of pearls... one side is semi okay but the other has big seams in it, I tried reducing and increasing the amount of gumpaste but it's got me stumped!!! 
Please please someone help
i dont know if youre doing anything wrong- i just used mine for the first time and got the same results. the instructions say to trim the edges...i think that the seam will just be there...i'm stumped too. i spent a heck of alot of money on that piece of plastic to get results that look tacky. i told my husband that i'd relist it on ebay and just spend my time hand rolling them. do you know that method? using fondant, and the tips of round wilton metal icing tips, cut out circles, hand roll, then paint with luster dust. time consuming, but much prettier and realistic.
Hi melysa.... yes mine was super expensive too! Oh well I guess it will go into my other big box of "looked good at the time but what was I thinking"!
Hand rolling I guess is going to have to be it!
I found this website by the makers of my brand (FMM) and from what I can see of the tiny picture I think they are supposed to look like that!
Boy I am having a bad night... here is the link....
http://www.fmmsugarcraft.com/pdf/Project17.pdf
I have problems using these as well. I bought one and was so excited to try it - but when I did, the first few I did, didn't come out in one go, all fell apart, then they all stuck and wouldnt' come out
Now I do them thicker, but I try to trim mine right into the pearls to get rid of that seam before I lift them out. Now whether that is what you're meant to do is another matter - AND that still doesnt' ensure the come out in one piece cos they are now so delicate! SO I now take them out and then try and take out the excess paste with a small tool - THEN try and lift them on the cake without breaking them!!! 
Thats if Ive got time and the patience otherwise I've done them by hand - so mine could be going on e bay as well!!
cheers Jan x
Just wanted to add to this to share your pain! I bought one too and had exactly the same problem - I now hand roll all my beads - very annoying!
I use the bead maker and have two sizes 6 and 8. I have made the beads and what I do is dust the inside of the mould with lustre dust to make the pearls shiny. Roll a sausage and place it in the mould amd then squeeze shut and trim off the excess. Then I open them and one side is free and with the other side I run a knife lightly under the seam and carefully tip them sideways so the pearls fall out. Yes they are delicate but are quite easy to join. I place the seam edge to the bottom when I attach them to the cake. My moulds are the rubbery type and they are joined where you put them into the mould. Looks as though yours has two seams. Cheers Briarview
Boy I am having a bad night... here is the link....
http://www.fmmsugarcraft.com/pdf/Project17.pdf
because it's made from hard plastic you can even see the seams in the project pictured also.
I use the blue soft one, I got mine from Earlene Moore's website. and she also has a tutorial , just like the one posted..
you can run the blade of a small knife gently along the edge of your strand.
What do you mean webbing between beads. To me that is the cord that the beads are strung on. Perhaps I have misunderstood you. See 10a picture if thats what you mean.
The webbing is a very thin membrane in between the beads on the front, not the back. Don't have a pic of it but the beads look horrible unless you remove the webbing. I do cut off some of the excess on the back, just so the beads will lay better.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%