Non-Toxic Chalk, Can It Be Used?
Decorating By CakesHeaven Updated 10 Nov 2009 , 8:48pm by CakesHeaven
thank you, I'm going to Michaels ....woohoo.
The dusting powders are hard to get in my area, only found about a dozen colors and they are costly - $9/jar. Thank you Texas Rose for the tip on steaming them, does that help seal the color onto the gumpaste? I will give it a try.
Yes, it will keep the color from coming off on other things.
While you're at michaels, if you look where they've got model car kits and stuff like that, they've got little plastic cups with snap on lids...I think they're called Buddy Cups. Anyhow, they're a good size to store grated chalk. You can grate the chalk by rubbing it against a metal strainer.
I have all 48 colors finely grated in stackable bead cups that screw together. I think there are about 8 cups in each stack. Check the bead department of your local arts and crafts store, like Michaels. Each stack was about $2.50.
yep. they're there. i've been working in the bead aisle a lot lately and everytime i pass by the stackable pots i eyeball them and think of my cake closet!!
I will be at Hobby Lobby on Monday after noon and I am going to look in the scrap book area ......... If I find them I'm getting them....lol I can't wait to see.......
Steaming not only brightens the color but it also sets it so it doesn't wipe off. Whenyou stem it the color melts into the gumpaste. You don't need any type of alcohol or other liquid to put the color on; just dust it on with a dry paint brush and then steam it. I'm totally sold on steaming. Also, just a tip, make sure you use multiple colors on your flowers. Layer the colors, lightest first. It makes the flowers look so much more realistic. Once they're steamed they have highs and lows and the light captures these differences so nicely.
Thank you for the instructions, I'm so excited to try this once my flowers dry. CCer's are wonderful.
This will hopefully be my last question:
How are you holding the flowers when steaming them? I'm guessing they are completely dry? Are you hand holding them by the bottom?
thank you
I am assuming you have wires in your flowers... if so, just hold them by the wire upside down over the steam. If you are using a kettle, hold them quite high, it only takes a few seconds for the steam to set the color. I use a clothes steamer and hold the flower by it wire on it side as the steam comes out the front of the steamer --again rather far out from the steamer. If not careful, either method can "spit" on you flower and leave you with a blob that won't look pretty. With both methods, give the flower a little twirl so that it is even coverage all around. I set my flower back in Styrofoam to dry back down to a satiny sheen. All the flowers I create get steamed. It provides such a lovely "real" look to the petals.
Well I'm not happy...... Went to Hobby Lobby tonight to look for the metalic chalk and all they had was metalic chalk cream .....and it was 14.99 .... Is that the right stuff ?
I've used the non-toxic chalk too and grated them with a tea strainer into these little containers I found at JoAnn's (flat clear case with 24 1" dia. containers; perfect because you can see all the colors all at once and the flat clear cases can stack on top of each other without taking up much room).
Someone mentioned using pastels... unless they say "non-toxic" I wouldn't use them. I think I had looked at them too but they didn't say non-toxic so I didn't buy them. Gotta use safe stuff because you never know who's going to snitch a flower off a cake (kids?), thinking they can eat it.
Chalk is made of calcium carbonate, a common substance that is edible. It is what eggshells are made of and often found in antacids.
I am curious though about the metalic chalks. "Non-toxic" does not mean "edible", it only means it is not poisonous. I would be VERY reluctant to use chalk with metallic substances on something that could be eaten. Even though my gumpaste flowers are on metal wires, I've had people eat them. I'd be more worried about the metal in the chalk than the metal in the wire. I'd do some research before using the metallic chalk on gumpaste flowers.
wow I so love cc'ers....this has been such a helpful thread .. i guess I will being going tof hobby lobby ..and to think I just swore i wouldnt spend any $ on cake stuf for at least 3 months.. ( I have been shopping a lot for cake stuff lately)..Oh how I love cake and shopping ..LOL 
wow I so love cc'ers....this has been such a helpful thread .. i guess I will being going tof hobby lobby ..and to think I just swore i wouldnt spend any $ on cake stuf for at least 3 months.. ( I have been shopping a lot for cake stuff lately)..Oh how I love cake and shopping ..LOL
Chalk is made of calcium carbonate, a common substance that is edible. It is what eggshells are made of and often found in antacids.
I am curious though about the metalic chalks. "Non-toxic" does not mean "edible", it only means it is not poisonous. I would be VERY reluctant to use chalk with metallic substances on something that could be eaten. Even though my gumpaste flowers are on metal wires, I've had people eat them. I'd be more worried about the metal in the chalk than the metal in the wire. I'd do some research before using the metallic chalk on gumpaste flowers.
Thank you for your advice, I'm going to look into the metallic chulk a little more before buy it to use. I don't want anyone getting sick.
I really, REALLY need to move to a city with stores. Sigh. I want to try all this fun stuff, too!
So, these chalks can't be used to paint fondant cakes? I am trying to paint an ocean cake so that the blue is much darker at the bottom and lightens as it goes up.
Not sure about using it on a cake, I think I would stick to the food colors or the petal dusts and paint it on that way.
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