Can anyone tell me where I can buy ready made Pastillage? I believe this dries better than Gum Paste & I am having a major problem getting my Gum Paste to dry here in Hawaii. I am now looking into Pastillage or Cold Porclain. What are your thoughts & tips on this. Love you guys.
Superstar
Hi!
I am not aware of anyone who makes ready-to-use pastillage. It is normally cast or formed into larger pieces for structural/support purposes, or pieces that require a lot of handling. It dries quickly, and not with the smooth surface that flower-making requires.
I was told, on another forum, that in Australia, some people use Mexican paste for flowers, as some people along the coast also have humidity issues with their flowers.
I have never used cold porcelain. The look is beautiful, but it is not edible. and therefore not recommended for use with food products.
Are you making your own gumpaste, or are you using pre-made? I live in PA, and even I have difficulty with pre-made gumpaste drying properly.
Theresa 
you can brush pastillage with a very lightly damp brush and it "seals" the porerousness (?) out. so it doesnt' look so rough. but it does dry fast and it's not as flexible as the gumpaste
Thanks, RisqueBusiness,
I should have remembered that. We just did that in woodgraining class in August.
Theresa
Hi,
I am not making my own Gum Paste, I am using Nicholas Lodge's ready made. There doesn't seem to be a difference between his recipe & the readymade one they sell. Do you have a really good recipe that stands up to dampnes & humidity. Thanks for your help.
June
Hi there,
I live in the Caribbean, and have the same humidity issues.....
I have minimized the problem by having a saucer nearby that has about 1/2 cup of corn-starch and 2 teaspoons of Tylose mixed together in it. I take a small ball of gumpaste - press it into this mixture, give a little knead, then roll out - cut - and shape as usual.....seems the extra tylose and cornstarch goes a long way in helping the gumpaste resist humity....
I also use a light-box to dry - or place on styro in the oven with the light on.....
Hope this helps
Thanks for the tip on 1/2 cup Cornflour & 2 teaspoons Tylose. I have been adding extra Tylose. Going to try it your way. This problem is new to me, I lived in Southern California & we did not have to think about dampness. I don't want tp have to give up cake decorating, I love doing it so I am exporing all possibilities. Thanks so much everyone.
June
Oh by the way, I was given a tip on keeping the Gum Paste dry ( once you get it dry) place finished work in an airtight container with Silica Sand/Gel sachets. I have seen this tip in a few places since I started looking for a solution to my problem. Thought I would share it with you.
June
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