I need to make a pair of sunglasses to go with a cake I'll be doing next week. I was going to use gumpaste for the frames, but I'm wondering if there is a way to make the lenses look a little more realistic. Any ideas? Anyone ever do them with melted sugar (candy) before?? I've never dealt with sugar so I wouldn't even know where to begin doing that!

HELP!!

Thanks in advance!
Valerie

Use gelatin to make the lenses, as per the dragonfly wings instructions in this link: http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-86441.html

You might try piping get on the lenses to give them a clear effect.

Thanks for your quick replies!
Meriel- just before I logged off earlier I saw your instructions for the dragon flies (which I love, by the way) and I thought "hmmm....I wonder if that would work for the glasses". So, I tried it!!! I couldn't get the gelatin to stick to my loops by running it through, so I pressed the wire down onto wax paper so it laid flat and simply poured the gelatin mix into the wire. Within about 15 minutes, I was able to lift them off the wax paper and stick them into foam to dry all the way. So far so good. I made extras just in case....one of them has started pulling away from the wire as it's drying, but that's ok. Even if it comes completely off the wire, I can use them and just attach it to the gumpaste glasses!! Do you think I could just attach the gelatin to the gumpaste with an alcohol based product like everything else??

valerie

Aren't those great instructions from Torki? I've only used it once and the gelatin liquid did not pull away from the wire frame. Not sure if you can use alcohol with gelatin as glue - can it melt the gelatin? If this is a cake for next week, can you try redipping the part with the hole?

Well, I made 2 sets, so I may try gluing the "holey" one onto some gumpaste and see what happens to it!! My other thought was to go ahead and make the frames of the glasses from gumpaste and allow them to dry a little bit, then pour the gelatin mixture into the hole in the frame where the lense goes. Surely the gelatin would cling to the gumpaste like it does to wire.

Regardless, even if it pulls away from the wire, I can probably pop the whole thing loose from the wire and attach it to the gumpaste somehow.
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll let you know how the finished product turns out!

Will the gelatin eventually dry completely hard or will it stay sort of jelly like? (these are pretty thick since I poured it into the frame)

Thanks again!
Valerie

Ok, the gelatin was a great idea....but ran into a problem. As they dried hard over night they pulled the wire in and they are distorted looking and bent oddly.

Any thoughts???

Valerie

what if you poured the gelatin mixture into a flexible mold with sides... like a lid from a coffee can or oatmeal canister. Allow it to set up. cut your lenses from it a wee bit larger than the frame holes then set in place with royal icing or a thin gumpaste rope?

Eureka....found a solution!!! The gelatin works perfectly because it does get completely hard....and you can cut it with scissors without it breaking!! YEAH!! So, here's what I did.....made the gelatin mixture and colored it. Pour out onto parchment or wax paper and all to solidify. Once solid, gently remove and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. It does sort of wrinkle on the back side due to the moisture at first, but it just gives it texture. Allow to dry hard and then cut into desired shape.

It will attach to gumpaste using an alcohol based product or gum glue without softening the gelatin.

I have my frames cut out and drying and my gelatin drying. As soon as I put them all together I'll post a picture of them.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
Valerie

Glad it worked for you!

I just came upon this post while searching for some info on gelatin (want to make a windscreen for a car I'm doing this weekend).

Valerie, I had a look at your pics and the sunglasses (actually, the whole cake!) turned out great! I am just wondering if the gelatin is flexible once it has dried completely, as I would like to be able to bend it slightly, so the windscreen is curved?

TIA

Kelly

Kelly,
I actually ended up using melted sugar instead of the gelatin. I couldn't get the gelatin to dry flat.....it kept curling up on me. Although if you can find a way to dry it flat you could easily cut it with a pair of scissors and then probably just heat it over some steam to bend it, then let it harden again.

For the melted sugar, I ended up mixing equal parts of corn syrup and sugar in the microwave for about 6 minutes. Then I just poured it into the frames and let it harden.

Valerie

Thanks Valerie!

I may end up just using some sheet gelatin that I have in the cupboard! I was just thinking that I'd make it myself if it worked well enough, as the sheet gelatin has a criss-cross pattern on it.

Thanks again,

Kelly