I have just recently purchased an FMM bead/pearl maker and am having difficulty with it ..... I keep getting a slight ridge line right across it and I cannot seem to get the perfect pearl shape. I also seem to have to much icing/flower paste and when I trim off I make a shambles of it.

Any tips or suggestions?

Can't help....junp bumping. Someone will be along soon to help!!

As far as the ridge or line, that is the side you should lay next to the cake , it wont be noticed and I wouldnt try to remove it. With the beads being mis-shapen all I can imagine is that maybe you arent getting enough fondant in the maker?Or possiblyyou arent letting the maker close on its own?Dont force it together that could distort your pearls. I hope some of this helps!

roseanne, can you take a picture of what you are talking about and attach it to your post? i have not worked with the bead maker but i emailed a lady that had a cake on her website with a ribbon that had beading around the edges and she told me how she did it. she did say that there would be a line (could call it a ledge, a lip, etc.) left behind when you open it up. i'm assuming you are supposed to maybe use an exacto knife to carefully slice away the excess.

i wanted to buy one the other day but it was like $30 for the small bead maker. it was about an inch wide and maybe 8 inches long and 1/2 thick. so about the size of a harmonica i guess! like a rubber stamp that you kinda spread apart and lay your fondant rope in the middle and close it up which in turn forms your bead strand. the one i looked at didn't really open full-face so i could definately see the problem of having to take the bead strand out of the bead maker before you can start trimming on it because they are still soft and smushy. i hope someone can help you with this because it would really help me out as well!