What Do You Use To Make Fondant/gumpaste Pearls Uniform?
Decorating By Jopalis Updated 9 Feb 2007 , 6:20pm by Lexy
www.sugarcraft.com www.globalsugarart.com Some people even use a decorating tip like a 10 or 12 and cut the fondant with those so each are uniform. Haven't tried any of these yet but plan to........have fun. I also think that earlenescakes.com and cakesbysam.com has them too.
After making about 300 pearls by HAND with no mold for two cakes, I finaly ordered a pearl mold, they are made out of silicone. I ordered mine from cakesbysam.
I have a bead maker and I hate it hate it hate it - you can't get rid of the seam and they look like a rope of plastic pearls with seams! Horrible. I know I'm not the only one to have this problem.
I roll out a sausage of fondant, cut it into equal segments and hand roll them, one in each hand while I'm watching tele. Drop them in a bowl with luster dust in and by the end of my programme I have all the beads I need. It does take longer, but they actually look like pearls. Check out my photos for proof!
I have not received the mold yet, but I am sure it will work fine. I have the directions and I will STUDY and PRACTICE!!!! LOL.....I do NOT want to do it all by hand ever again!!
WOW!!!! Emmascakes, your cakes are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
I have a bead maker and I hate it hate it hate it - you can't get rid of the seam and they look like a rope of plastic pearls with seams! Horrible. I know I'm not the only one to have this problem.
I roll out a sausage of fondant, cut it into equal segments and hand roll them, one in each hand while I'm watching tele. Drop them in a bowl with in and by the end of my programme I have all the beads I need. It does take longer, but they actually look like pearls. Check out my photos for proof!
I'm the same way. Have the mold, waste of my money because I won;t use it. I would rather take the time to make individual ones. And yup, sit in front of the TV to do it! 
Earlene Moore has excellent instructions on her site on how to make uniform sized pearls: http://www.earlenescakes.com/prlinstruct.htm
I have the small and large bead makers (fmm ones), and I don't think I like them either - and they were expensive! I prefer to roll my own (and yes, its a pain in the butt, but they look so much better!), using the tip method. I roll out my fondant to a uniform depth and then use the small part of a round icing tip to cut out circles (you can do this until the tip is full - timesaver!), roll them by hand (aggravates my carpal tunnel no end though!), then put all the beads in a ziplock bag with pearl dust and shake to cover - works beautifully!
I also have the bead makers I love the smaller one but the lg one is kinda hard to use. It is getting better as I get it "broken in", but for now it takes two people to get the beads out or else I end up smashing some of them. As for the seam I just put it in the back. The smaller one I have had good luck with and I like that the beads stick together kinda like a strand.
you might try bead ROLLERS made for use with polymer clay. I love mine. I dust the rolling troughs with a little pearl dust to start with and then roll the finished beads into a saucer with more dust for the final finish. I don't think I'd want to make tiny pearls this way, though. Come to think of it, I've not seen tiny bead rollers.
I do not like my mold (only one size, has a seam, and they look like the pop together beads I had as a kid.) A waste of money for me.
I prefer using my pasta machine to make a ribbon of fondant the same thickness, then cut them out with a round tip, cover them so the fondant does not dry out and sit in front of the TV and roll them by hand then plop them into my baby food jar of pearl dust and shake.......
I have bead makers in 3 sizes, they do have a seam when you mold them, but the seam is the part you turn towards the cake so it won't show if you are trying to make a strand. For indiv beads I use the bead maker and pull them apart and roll the seam out.
I just got my silicone bead maker from CakesbySam, and I was sooo excited to try it and I LOVE IT!!! I bought the 8mm size and I just ordered the other sizes. I do not like the string look, so I used an exacto knife and cut them apart and rerolled and dusted with super pearl dust, saves ALOT of time.
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