i purchased a bag of wilton gumpaste and boy is it hard! is it suppose to be that way? i want to make the 50/50 fondant to gumpaste to mold things but i am afraid to cut open the gumpaste bag to use it.

also does anyone know of a good cold porcelain website?

thanks!

anyone? please help....

well, it's supposed to be firm, yet pliable. But not hard as a rock or crumbly. It needs to be kneaded before use and the heat from your hands will help soften it up.

Not sure of a cold porcelain website...

I have also found it to be quite hard, at least when you feel it thru the bag. Don't worry, once you knead it it will work out fine. If you are trying to knead the whole thing at once, you might want to nuke it in the microwave for just a few seconds on high, to give your hands a head start.

If you open it and determine that it is actually "dried out" well then you got a bad bag and should return it.

I use the Wilton pre-made gumpaste. It always feels hard through the bag but once you open it it is fine. I grease my hands with a small amount of crisco before kneading. Just knead the amout you think you will need. You can always add more. Here is a cake that I did a couple of weeks ago that has a Wilton gumpaste bow on it.
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1095933.html
To get the shimmer effect, I brushed it with pearl white luster dust mixed with everclear on both sides before I assembled it. I put it together and let it dryon the cake. I crumbled up saran wrap and put under the tails so they would have dimension. It dried overnight.

Jibbies

thanks, everyone, for replying. this will help!!