i have read of people using gumpaste to make a mold of stuff. how is this done?

if you do a search on the subject you will come up with many threads on this...

I'm not really sure since Ive never done this but I think you can buy molds, much like candy mold and use the gumpaste to mold the shape.

I've taken molds (they are rubber) that are used for clay (I know it is a big no no, but I haven't actually used them on the cakes, I was just trying it out). I first used a brush to coat with crisco and then just push the gum paste into the mold and then the edge of a spatula to scrape off the extra, then pop it out and let it dry. Worked great!

I've always been curious about the flat ones though.....

I know you can use them to make leaf veiners. You just roll out the paste push the leaf in and let it dry. I should imagen moulds are made in the same way.

http://www.kitchenworksinc.com/catalog.php?mode=publicview&ref=8564

You can use molds like this

do you mean make a mold FOR gumpaste or a mold something ou of gumpaste?

to make a mold out of gumpaste for fondant or chocolate. though not sure if i could use it for chocolate. i have never worked with gumpaste.

You would find it so much easier to make your molds with Silicone plastique, you can then use them for chocolate or gumpaste if you use food safe grade silicone.
http://www.culinart.net/silicone.html

You need a fairly large amount of fresh gumpaste, depending on what size item you are molding. I would spray the item with Pam or some type of pan release spray, blot it a little bit with a paper towel. Form your gumpaste into an oval or round shape, fairly thick, push the figurine or what ever you are molding, into the gumpaste. Carefully remove the item and allow the gumpaste to dry completely. It may take 2 days to really dry all the way through. When you are ready to mold your piece of gumpaste, dust the inside of the mold you have made with a good sized amount of cornstarch, be sure you get it into all the small details of the mold. Turn it over and tap out the excess cornstarch. Knead a piece of fresh gumpaste and press it into the dusted mold. Remove carefully from the mold, you may need to coax it out with a toothpick at one end, or tap the mold upside down in the palm of your hand. Let the molded piece dry completely and then paint with petal dusts thinned with alcohol. Or if you are doing something of a solid color you could airbrush it.

I don't recommend these molds for saving permanantly, they will eventually dry out to the point that they will become brittle and break if you bump them very hard. But they work if it is for a one of a kind, once or twice kind of project.

thanks. that really helps. can these mold b used for fondant? or chocolate?

No, not for chocolate, it wouldn't release well. Fondant, I would add Tylose powder to before trying to mold. I think fondant alone would be too soft and might stick to the mold or not pick up the small details in the mold.

But I did watch a cake designer who was a guest on Sugar Rush make a mold for chocolate. She filled a deep pan with cornstarch, smoothed and compacted the cornstarch by pressing down on top with a smaller pan. Then she pressed an item she wanted to mold in chocolate into the compacted cornstarch, pulled the item out and filled in the impression with melted chocolate, left until the chocolate was completely set and then pulled it out of the cornstarch. Doing that you have to remember that your molded item will be coated with cornstarch, you would have to brush that away with a dry paintbrush or pastry brsuh, then brush the molded item with a bit of vegetable oil on a clean brush to remove all traces of the cornstarch and to leave the chocolate shiny. That is a lot of work and you can find a huge variety of chocolate molds for under $2.00 at this link.
Look at the left hand menu for categories.
http://www.streichs.com/cgi-bin/streichs/candymolds.html?open=

I would think so.

thanks i saw that episode i think they were making a tree

i found a picture from a user who posted it. maybe this will give you a visual on how to.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo-175853.html

thanks that does help.