i've read somewhere that royal made from eggs is better than meringue, guess its stronger. also, i add a bit of gum tex to my royal, it really helps. some other tips would be to used freshly made royal (read that in toba's book) and to strain the icing though a unused nylon to avoid the dreaded clogged tips. have fun!
Hi, Rylan! I just saw this, so didn't know if Gefion had gotten back to you or not.
I have Nicholas Lodge's Book Two, which covers extension work. He suggests adding liquid glucose to give the icing more stretch, which helps when piping the vertical lines: use 1/4 tsp. liquid glucose to each egg white used and stir into the finished icing. He also notes that you can make the icing stronger by leaving the egg white out in a greasefree bowl for 24 hours at room temperature before making up the icing. Also recommended: sieving the icing sugar several times through a very fine sieve or clean nylon stocking. (I have a friend who sieves the finished icing through a nylon stocking before using; she recommends this.) He says that "experience" will let us know when we've reached the right consistency: too firm and it won't flow easily through the tubes; too soft and it will droop and have a tendency to break.
The tips he uses in the book are 00, 0 and 1.
Here's the recipe:
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 lb/3-1/2 cups/500g confectioner's sugar, sieved
Steps: (use a clean, greasefree glass bowl)
1. Measure the lemon juice and add it to the egg whites in a clean glass bowl.
2. Sift some of the confectioner's sugar (c.s.) into the bowl.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir the c.s. into the egg whites and lemon juice.
4. Stir in sufficient c.s. until the consistency is like thick cream, then beat well with the wooden spoon until you reach desired consistency.
At this point, you would add the liquid glucose.
I remember reading somewhere in the book that he thought that using a mixer makes the RI too fluffy for extension work (and lacework, too). However, I also have Toba Garrett's book, and she uses a mixer (and somewhat larger tips). Soooo, two exceptional experts and two somewhat different methods -- goes to show you, there's always more than one way, right? 
Anyway, HTH. I'm looking forward to seeing your work -- I'm sure it'll be exceptional, as always.
Take care.
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