How can I stop this? I use the covered floral wire to build gumpaste roses on and the end of the wire keeps fraying. I wouldn't worry so much about it if it didn't affect the end result, but it kinda does. You know that little ball of gumpaste you slide onto the bottom of the flower when you're finished? I forget what that part is called. When I have to push that past the part of the wire that's fraying, it makes the hole in the gumpaste bigger and then it's harder to form it nicely to the base of the flower.

I hope I was clear enough. Does anyone use uncovered wire for gumpaste flowers? Or some advice to stop the threads from fraying? I tried just using some tape but that didn't work so well.

I use uncovered for my base stems, then I use paper covered wire for my petals. Are you using paper covered or fabric covered? I always had that problem when I used fabric covered, but paper covered has been awesome!

By covered, do you mean the Japanese paper-covered wire or that cloth-covered wire you buy at hobby stores?

I just snip a wee bit off the end if the paper starts to fray. I love that paper-covered wire.

You could wrap some floral wire around the tip of the wire to keep it from fraying. See if that helps.

can they just be dipped in a little elmer's glue and let dry before you work with them?

Can you just cut the end of the wire off? I think it's the rose hip you are trying to add. I use the paper covered as well, never the cloth covered.

Ahhh, I've never even heard of paper covered wires! I've only used the fabric/thread covered wire from Michael's. That's the only cake place I have around here.

I have considered just getting uncovered wires and then wrapping them with floral tape when I'm done with the flower. I heard a trick somewhere on here where you heat up the end of it and then while it's still hot, insert it into your gumpaste cone/base for the rose. The gumpaste melts to the wire and you're done.

And sweetflowers brings up a good point. The wire I get comes in long strands, so I have to cut them. That's where they are fraying. Also when I'm working on it, I stick it into a block of styrofoam for them to dry. I think it's the process of taking them out of the foam and back in a few times that's causing it to fray. I've got some uncoated wire, I think I'll experiment with that for a bit.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm glad I asked because I've never heard of paper covered wire before! I heard about a cake store that's about an hour or so away from me that I might drive up to on my next day off. I'll add that to my list of stuff to look for!

I order the various sizes of Japanese paper covered wire from globalsugarart.

I got the paper covered wires! I ventured to a cake shop today that's 40 minutes away from me. Got a lot of stuff included the paper covered wires! I'm gonna try them tonight.

If you live in the back of beyond and don't have access to a store that has paper-covered wire, you can buy it off the web (eBay, Amazon, many other sites). Just search on "mizuhiki"--that's what the Japanese call the craft that they do with this wire (also called mizuhiki cord, although I just noticed on eBay someone spelled it wrong and listed it as mizuhiki core).

Mizuhiki cord comes in all colors--white, pastels, rich colors, foils, ..... (sorry I forgot this in my previous post)