My first attempt at Blown Sugar - Page 2

[quote="RisqueBusiness"][quote="SugarCreations"]Terri there are cheaper alternatives to the heat lamp. Go to any pet supply store that sells the brooding lamps for baby chickens $11 all you have to do is remove the dome shield and you have your heat lamp socket. You have to be careful with heat lamps because you cannot just plug them into any socket fire danger you know. The Jacque Torres method mentioned by Shirley I think is a good alternative. Key thing is you do not have to spend a fortune on this stuff its just common sense. Your pump, you can get a small piece of copper or something to put in it. I used that rig for a while. You can get heat lamps at Home Depot as well as Lowes. There will be two types red and clear the choice is yours. Most use red because its easier on the eyes but clear serves the same purpose, the red is a little more expensive.[/quote]

Yes, sugar creations ...as I suggested ages ago and you kept on arguing that those lamps were not made for sugar..

Durrrrrrrrrrrrr! [/quote]


There are 250 watt lamps not reptile lamps. You put a 250 watt lamp in a reptile cage and your going to have a cooked reptile. Are you????? Yes I believe you are. That tells me why things are???? Hmmmmmmmm.

Moydear,

Please reveal your source for isomalt at that price? I am paying way more than that right now.

Thanks!

Theresa

I buy mine from www.sweetc.com

Ok I found my catalog

2 pounds for $15.99
5 pounds for 36.75

Thanks! I have a gift certificate I won at a Day of Sharing! Now I have a really good reason to use it!

Theresa

Are you around Minnesota??

No, I'm in PA.

T.

No, I'm in PA.

T.

I still couldn't see the picture but right clicked, copied and pasted into a word doc. The ball looks really cool! I don't know if this is what you were going for but I REALLY like it. It looks kind of spindly and see through at the same time. GREAT JOB!

Make Sure you get a 250 Watt heat lamp.
and be carefull. Always keep an eye on your sugar under the lamp, keep moving it and turning it so it doens't liquify but stays evenly soft.

I don't agree with Mr. Torres about using a space heater. I'm taking for granted it is a space heater with a fan and that is going to heat and evaporate any moisture in your sugar making it harder and harder to pull and blow. If its a ceramic radiant heater that would be better but it will be hard to find one that doesn't have an emergency off switch when they get tipped over. Mind you I'm in Canada safety regulations may be different in the states.

www. kincaellan.com

Sugarcreations,
you commented earlier that Isomalt is harder to pull and blow than regular sugar. Try increasing your water content it can get real easy to work with but be carefull as it will take longer to set and will be more capable of sagging after it has set. It will take a few tries to find what works in your area but it really shouldn't be harder to work. How often are you reheating it? That can make it harder to work with too as you evaporate the water content. If you are using a radiant fan heater it will really give it a short working life span.

Let me know if any of that helps.

www.kincaellan.com

Thanks Shirley W, I'm always glad to help when I can.

I do have to say It is a lot cheaper to use regular sugar for this and it is more stable as a finished product except for the shelf life. You can always seal it though with a food lacquer or a regular lacquer if no one is ever going to eat it.

if you are doing a project that is just for fun or a few days I suggest cooking the sugar, If you are doing something you want to keep that is not going to get moved a lot or you're in a hurry than isomalt is great. If you are doing a project in the winter use sugar the isomalt will crack when it goes from the hot house to the cold out doors.

www.kincaellan.com

for sure, for practice use the sugar..easier and cheaper to find! and if it cracks you can always add it to your hot beverages..lol

Since we were working with "showpieces" we learned to work with the ISOMAL...but it wasn't really yummy.

If you learn ONLY how to pull some pretty ribbons and or make loops for a bow, you will increase the market value of your cakes tremendously!

I remember seeing a cake that was "wrapped" around in a pretty sugar ribbon as you would use the chocolate wraps. The top of the ribbon was undulated..was a very nice effect!

Too bad I'm in Florida, because the mintute a cake like that hits the outside! Forget 'bout it!!!! lol

[quote="kincaellan"]Make Sure you get a 250 Watt heat lamp.
and be carefull. Always keep an eye on your sugar under the lamp, keep moving it and turning it so it doens't liquify but stays evenly soft.

I don't agree with Mr. Torres about using a space heater. I'm taking for granted it is a space heater with a fan and that is going to heat and evaporate any moisture in your sugar making it harder and harder to pull and blow. If its a ceramic radiant heater that would be better but it will be hard to find one that doesn't have an emergency off switch when they get tipped over. Mind you I'm in Canada safety regulations may be different in the states.

www. kincaellan.com[/quote]

Granted safety is always a concern so heres what you do. Go out to the local hardware or home supply store and get yourself a dimmer switch most are rated for 600 watts do not use anything less than that RISK OF FIRE. Cut and splice your heat lamp cord at a place where you want to put the switch and tie it in. You can use a switch box like they use for regular house switches to put the switch in. With this setup the dimmer switch allows you to adjust your intensity of the lamp while thus maintaining constant heat on your sugar. If your uneasy about electrical work get someone to do it for you. This also allows for you to turn the lamp off without unplugging it. I have this on my box and it works great.

Sugar Creations, would love to see some more of your work...you must've gotten a lot better since you posted last year...

with all your practice and books that you've gotten.