Ok so I watched the video on how to get a smooth gumpaste ball and I've been rolling this piece of gumpaste for an hour and still get those lines. I'm using Wilton gumpaste. Should I get another type of gumpaste or what. my arm hurt from rolling so much tried different pieces, Tried using just a bit of Crisco, water, corn starch, and nothing is working. please help.

you can use to help you a styro ball and cover it with gum paste,it.  work a thick  piece of gum paste, , then cover the ball  with  cmc gum and start to cover the ball going upwards and the roll with your hands.and take it off the excess. use crisco to do that.  I hope I helped you.

Is it a brand new piece of gumpsate, just out of the bag? I've found Wilton to be very finicky. If it's not brand spanking new out of the package, it's almost impossible to get a solid ball with no lines.

I usually flatten mine and roll it out a little first, then make a ball.
 

AIf it's too stiff, sometimes I zap mine for about 5 seconds in the microwave to soften it. Sometimes that helps to get it to mold better and might get those lines out. Hth

This is a récipe to make your gumpaste.

1 large egg White, slightl whipped

2 tsp CMC

2 1/2cup 10xxx sugar (powder sugar, glass )

1 tsp crisco

shift sugar . In a mixing bowl put egg white, beat  for 20 seg. add powder sugar, mix, then add cmc sifted, mix,    Turn gumpast  onto surface slightly greased and add crisco ,. work until is elastic keep covered dries fast.   To roll dough use only crisco.not cornstarch that makes de gumpast very dry.

Hi Bananabread....

Trying to learn the cake 'code' lingo.  Could you tell me what 'cmc' means please. thank you.

ATry mixing it with fondant. I've found a 50/50 mix gives you a good pliability and smoothness and still dries faster than plain fondant.

CMC is carboximetil cellulose or tylose or gumtex from wilton

The last time I had to make little balls for a cake, I ended up just making them out of fondant. So much easier to smooth. I let them sit overnight and they were dry enough the next day to work with and I had absolutely no problems with them.

AThanks for all the help. I finally did it, had to knead it a lot and use a lot of pressure til I got the results I needed then lighten up to shape the ball. I'll try making gumpaste recipe next time. I'm making a Dora the explorer figurine. 1st time.

AOk had to make another ball and have come to conclusion that it's the product I was using, ball didn't work. Been at for waaaaaaaaay to long and my arms hurt again.

As a professional, i can tell you that this is not the kind of thing that should be a huge hurdle. In my experience gumpaste is a pain to work with, but mixing 2 t tylose (CMC) with 1 lb fondant works much better. It stays soft long enough for you to shape your project before it hardens.

I like Wilton pre-made gum paste a lot.  If you have "hot" hands, it will dry out the gum paste faster, so adding just a bit of fondant--maybe 1/4-1/3--can help.

Take a piece of paste and fold it so that it's smooth on top. Work the seams down to one spot, smooth those over with your fingers, and then roll the ball in the palms of your hands with your hands sort of going in opposite directions (a bit harder than it sounds), you should get a nice, round, smooth ball quickly and without a lot of pressure or work.

This is a helpful video: