My recent RI runout work has resulted in the icing crumbling when i have liften it off the paper.

So i was wondering if the mix is wrong.

does it make a difference as to how much egg white is in the mix. Is the egg white what gives the finished product its strength. would adding more egg white increase the strength of the finished run out and stop it from falling apart.

it sounds as if you got fat in your RI. If that happens the RI is not strong enough and tends to crumble.
when making RI dont use any plastic utensils or bowls. Only glass and metal. I also wipe everything Im going to use with diluted vinegar, this disolves any grease. Also make sure that you dont get any yellow in your white (if you are making it using fresh eggs) the yellow contains fat and will also make your RI weak.

HTH

It would help to know the recipe you are using. Also are you using real egg whites or meringue powder. As previous poster said, are you using plastic bowl or glass/metal. Is your icing coming out thick or thin. Is it smooth or rough when piping? Some details might help.

my utencils are stainless steel (kenwood mixer) and were tatally fat free.

the recipe was

one egg white
juice half lemon
and icing sugar
this mix took about 500gms sugar to bring it to stiff peak.

one of the tutorials i looked at said that RI should be stiff oeak before it was any other consistancy. i altered the consistancy using water.

i piped the outline the let the consistancy down to flood the outline. i left it to dry for 3 days.

am I using too much lemon ?

usually I use like half a tablespoon

I'd definitely suggest more egg white and less lemon.

This recipe works well:
2 eggwhites
900 grams icing sugar sifted (Not all may be used)
1 tsp lemon juice

Thin with water until it takes 10 seconds for a peak/blob to completely disappear back into the mix.

If you put a skim of white veg fat/Trex/Crisco on your piping surface, make sure that it's wiped away almost completely.

Make sure that all of your utensils are grease free when making the icing. You can use plastics, as long as they're grease free. A dip in hot water with some vinegar added is great for this.

HTH
Rae

What about the food color being the problem?
Sometimes I have problems with black not drying properly or crumbly. I just assumed it was too much color and it affects how the royal drys?

I've used the Wilton recipe with meringue powder for years and it is fool proof. I've never had a problem with it. Considering that eggs come in different sizes and possible could be old or fresh, I would think that using fresh eggs might give you more varied results.

And yes, food coloring can affect the results. Because you have to use so much coloring to get black royal icing, I've noticed that anything I make from black is a little more crumbly but again, with the Wilton recipe, I've always had good results.