Am I Wasting A Lot Of Time?

Decorating By TrinaH Updated 6 Apr 2007 , 5:44am by TrinaH

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TrinaH Posted 6 Apr 2007 , 3:22am
post #1 of 6

Ok, I'm working on about 40 gumpaste roses for a cake ...... do I really have to wrap all the floral wire in floral tape? I have green floral wire (22 gauge, I think). What is the purpose of the tape? It takes so long to get on there!

5 replies
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TrinaH Posted 6 Apr 2007 , 4:44am
post #2 of 6

Does anyone know? My poor hands hurt from doing this .. i HATE floral tape!

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heather2780 Posted 6 Apr 2007 , 4:47am
post #3 of 6

gosh I just hate it when there is a post no body knows the answer to and unfortunaltly i have never worked with gumpaste so I dont know ethier a good person to pm would be shirlyW she knows everything and has made gorgous gumpaste flowers.

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blindambition Posted 6 Apr 2007 , 5:00am
post #4 of 6

I made about 40-50 gumpaste roses for my brother's wedding cake and I didn't wrap the wire, but then again, the wire wasn't in the cake or showing. If I was making a bouquet of them or something I would probably wrap them. I'm not an expert, but I think the tape just thickens the wire and adds stability and a little bit of "nice-ness". icon_smile.gif

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redred Posted 6 Apr 2007 , 5:29am
post #5 of 6

Hi TrinaH,

The purpose of floral tape is (a) to attach petals or leaves to the rest of the flower; or (b) to attach one flower to another when making a spray or posy; or (c)
I suppose to make the wire appear green like a stem, although this could also be achieved by painting the wire with food colour, dust or using green wire.

Using floral tape is not considered a sufficient barrier between the cake and the wire, so it does not mean you can stick the flower directly in the cake. You can assume that floral tape is not certified food-safe. The flower can be stuck in a blob of fondant which is then stuck to the cake, or stuck in a straw first.

So if you are sticking the flower in a blob of fondant or using straws, where the wire cannot be seen, don't bother wrapping it with tape.

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TrinaH Posted 6 Apr 2007 , 5:44am
post #6 of 6

Thanks a ton redred!

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