Ladies, I was in WalMart today and I saw this tool and remembered somone's post on here and my husband's challenge that HE could get sharp edges........ Well, he was busy with yard work all day so I bought a Painter's Scrapper (plastic) and wouldn't you know it.......... Sharp Edges.

This is my new best friend. I love it. I could not believe it. My camera's battery went dead so I did not get a pic of the cake but I will get one when I am done decorating it and post it. I am so excited!!!!!!!!

Just wanted to let all ya know.........

bj

Walmart is my 3rd home, right after Target so I will be looking for that. Thanks for the tip!

And nice manicure.

Hi, that could have been me. I bought a set of three of the putty knives. they work very well. You will be happy with them, you will not have to spend that much time using the viva towel method, it helps the method a lot.

Thanks for the tip...I need to get one of those too!
traci

You guys should see what I use for my sheet cakes. I was in Home Depot one day looking at paint colors and I saw this sheet rock spackling tool. I thought - man, that would smooth a sheet cake with one felt swoop. Basically the same concept as yours BJ except it's about 14" in length and it's metal. Once I'm done icing the sheet cake with BC - I run this thing under hot water to warm it up and run it over the top of the cake. With the length of it, it usually takes one swipe and it's smooth as silk. It's amazing the gadgets we come up with.

BJ got one of them the other day, I think they call it a paint guard, awsome. While I was there I got a 6 inch spackle knife, just like the one in the upside-down cake icing article. That thing is my new best friend.

I bought a 6 inch spackle knife the other day for cakes that I had to make, and wanted to try something new....LOVE IT!!!! It is my new best friend too.

Boy I love that paint guard thing. It gets the tops nice and level too. It also works when you put it in the hot water.

Well, this is a pic of the cake and my new sharp edges....... Still need practice but they look sssssssssooooooo much better then they did. I would have never let a cake go out without a border before.

Ironbaker: My best friends 5 yr old ittle girl keeps asking me if my nails are mine. I tell her yes they are...... Bought and Paid for.
lol

bj

That's funny! I visit the Home Depot with regularity for putty knives and "texture mats". It's amazing what you can find to use!

Debbie

It is funny. I would have never thought to use that if it were not for this site. I can't wait to bake another cake to use it! The right tool does make the job easier!

bj

this sight is wonderful, I would have never thought of home depot, I'm there!!!

I've been meaning to buy these tools after reading the upside cake method. I was hoping they would work with the right-side-up method too! I have a strange question for you though----do you do sides or top first when smoothing with the tools?? This may sound crazy but I have the hardest time making the crisp edges b/c I work back and forth between the sides and top and NEVER seem to get to an end! Back and forth and back and forth?! Any tips?
Thanks for the great ideas!

Hey Mamafrogcakes! I totally feel you! I am wondering the same question. I need to find the best way and stick with it. I am constantly going back and forth from side to top. so can somebody HELP

By no means am I an expert or think that I am any where close; however, I am going to put my two sense in

The Wilton method says to smooth the top first then the sides which allows for the sharp edges. So.......... so far I have found that if I smooth the top with a long cake spreader that has had hot water running on it so it is heated up across the top of the cake and sort of "extend" the edges out over the sides, that when I come along the sides with this tool I only may one swipe and whala smooth sides with sharp edges.

Now things I have noticed so far:

1. May sure when you put the scraper, paint guard what ever it is called up against the cake that the top part and the bottom part are both touching the cake. Sounds crazy to watch this but I noticed if I did not pay attention that either the top or the bottom would come away from the cake.
2. Cake should be on a turn table. SO MUCH easier this way. I cannot imagine doing it without it. I do not move the paint guard - only the turn table.
3. I run the plastic paint guard under the hot water too and I do not know if I am imagine it or not but I feel that it makes a difference.
4. Also do not be afraid to use lots of icing ~ I think it makes it easier to do the "take off" method of scraping the sides in lieu of just smoothing the sides.
5. I use the large icing tip with the 16" bag to put the icing on. Top first, then go around the edges letting the icing overlap on the sides, then sides starting from bottom going up. (wilton's method)
5. Wait til icing crust then Viva Paper Towel it. I; however, am not a huge fan of the Viva Paper Towel because it is so humid here in Louisiana (like 100% right now) that my icing never fully crust so I just take the fondant spreader and lay it against the side pressing first on the bottom of the cake and apply pressure going up the cake. Make sense? Vertical not Horizontal.

These are some ideas....... I am still learning and but when I apply the things above it seems they are getting better and better! Thank goodness!

bj

For sides or top first or back and forth question....

I tried the top first and then the sides..... for me i just couldn't get the hang of it. I now smooth out my sides first.... i get them as smooth as I like and forget about the top. This gives me icing that was pushed up from the side along the top edge.

I then go to the top. With that extra icing around the top edge from the sides I pull straight across that edge... This also give me a fairly sharp corner.

This way (or the backwards way) works best for me. Although maybe i am backwards. Because I found out recently that even though I am right handed, I make a rose like a left handed person. As in, I go the opposite direction around a rose than most right handed people.

Hope this description works for you, if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

Leily

Wow, Thanks! I had been taught the wilton Way 3 years ago...but I tend to do my own thing 99% of the time. I will indeed try to do the wilton way again. Hopefully it will help...I am however a lefty and backwards from most of you so I will also try Leily's way. Thanks you guys for the help!

I do the top and then the sides and then pull the extra back over the top again and smooth (as best as I can) i'm still learning!

Debbie

This is wild bj - I do just the opposite. I do the sides first and then the top for the same reasons - when I do the sides - it forms a ridge on the top and then I draw my spatula from the sides in towards the middle. Once that is done - I then do the final smoothing with the paint guard thingy (we really should come up with a name for that thing which fits the cake decorating field - haha). I guess it's what works for each person. As long as your comfortable doing it and the final out come reflects the out put.

BJ I GOT ONE OF THOSE IN HOME DEPOT. DH IS A SHEETROCKER AND HE WAS THERE LOOKING AT TOOLS HE NEEDED AND I SAID THAT I NEEDED ONE OF THOSE FOR MY CAKES. HE THOUGHT I WAS KIDDING AND WHEN WE CHECKED OUT HE KNEW I WAS SERIOUS BECAUSE I WAS PAYING FOR IT. I HAVEN'T USED IT YET BUT I INTEND TO! YOUR CAKE TURNED OUT GREAT!

BJ, I bought a stainless steel one from Lowes about a year ago. It works great for smoothing frosing on full sheet cakes! I also bought a bench scraper from sugarcraft.com I use it for the sides. Works like a charm!

KATE39 - my husband is a contractor - that's how I discovered Home Depot! He actually brought me home a good stainless steel one because I bought a plastic one. He said "if you're going to use it you may as well have the good one!" I run into people there all the time. They laugh when I tell them what i'm there for!

Debbie