What is the CMC?

http://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=4321&trng=fgle


Product Description   
  
  
# CMC Tylose Powder provides the paste with binding and structural properties that make the paste last longer
# Specially formulated to resist humidity
# Improved freeze and thaw stability
# Low bacteria count gives long shelf life
# Emulsifies fat to prevent oxidation
# Flowers and showpieces dry remarkably fast
# Excellent to use in pastillage

so its tylose powder lol.....why not just say that

Several things to keep in mind, for those of you having problems are to roll the gumpaste THIN (6 or 7 on my Makin roller). Use a pastry brush to coat the mat as well as the backside of the gumpaste. You should see the brush marks but not the white of the shortening. Make sure no air bubbles are trapped under the gumpaste. Use your fondant smoother to get a nice tight bond with the mat.

As to the versatility of the machine, that is limited to your imagination. If you purchase software such as Make a Cut, Sure Cuts A Lot or Inkscape you will virtually eliminate the need for cartridges and will widen the spectrum of what can be cut. Examples are cutting 100 rose petals in minutes, cutting templates for baby shoes etc, making your own cupcake wrappers for pennies not dollars. Customizing a logo cake without having to use an edible ink image. No more expensive cutters, tap outs or other tools that take up space and are limited to one design or function.

As others have said this is tool, nothing else it allows us to achieve a popular look without the time involved by using cutters. By doing so we can pass the savings along to our clients. If a bride comes to you and ask for an elaborate scroll work cake and you quote her a price, including the hours having to labor using the cutters, stencils or piping whichever method is your choice that very well might be outside her budget, thus denying her the cake of her dreams. But quote the same cake with the time it takes using a Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot and you could very well shave off several hundred dollars.

I believe it was Christopher Garrett that once said you have to be an artist to be a cake decorator, I don't totally agree. But neither does using a TOOL make you less of one. A paintbrush is a tool, a cutter, tip, extruder, stencil are all tools, what we do with them as cake decorators/artist is what makes the cakes special. Am I in this to be the next Picasso? No, I spend the hours hunched in a chair making gumpaste flowers, painting on cakes and praying for sleep at 3 a.m. in the morning when I'd rather be sleeping because seeing the joy and delight on someones cake for their special occasion makes up for it.

Worst investment I've ever made. I tried EVERYTHING and nothing seems to work. Even when I cut real big easy designs, the edges look jagged. Forget about cutting intricate or small designs. I wish they'd just give me my money back!!

I can honestly say that I no longer have that problem IF I do the things I know are necessary in order to get a clean cut. I love mine, so much so, that I've purchased additional software and a laptop to optimize things I can do with it. I'm truly sorry that you've had no success with yours because it does make things easy and opens up several avenues.

I have used mine more than I thought, I cut out some paisleys for a cake and NY Yankees logo,and some writing . It took patience and I thought the worst case scenario was I would have a paper cutter! It requires planning but it was sure a lot easier than cutting things out with an exacto knife.

I've found using older gumpaste of fondant helps. If you have to use fondant pick a "tougher" one such as Wilton or add a bit of tylose. Also make sure you needle is clean and your speed and pressure are correct.

From what I've seen the biggest problem people have is rolling the gumpaste thin enough. If rolling by hand It's difficult to do so. Since you can get a clay roller for less than 20.00 (craft stores with 40% coupons) or a pasta machine for a bit more the problem is easily solved.

I love the time I save with writing, logos or repetitive patterns (i.e. circles, stripes or paisley) and ohh the ease of bow making! I made a template in PS and converted it to a SVG file now I simply load it and all my strips are made in minutes and since the cuts are so clean I don't have to go back when it's dry to clean them up with file. I think the thin bow loops look great.

I just used my cricut cake with fondant... in the freezer for 20 minutes.. and here is the results so far so good......easy to use...I think I am going to love it well sorry It will not allow me to add the pic. I will try to put it in my photos... Just checked and it is in my photos..

i too am trying to love mine - my biggest problem is that i am inexperienced with fondant and gumpaste int he first place but i am trying to learn. my biggest problem seems to be when cutting things close together. but perhaps i am just not getting it STUCK to the mat well enough. i am a ERY experienced PAPER cricut user so i know the potential...i just boguht several cake books and am learning some basics so i can hopefully make it work. my daughter and i will be attempting a winter snowman cake this weekend!

I hate the cricuit icing sheets, they just shred, however, here are a couple tricks i have learned just from playing around with my new cake cricuit: first as already mentioned, your gumpaste/fondant/chocolate sheets must be really really thin, I roll mine out directly on the mat, then trim around the edges a little inside the lines of the mat to prevent the roller closest to the blade from rolling your medium up as it goes, the other cool trick i have discovered is if you use a heat gun, like for embossing powder and just hit the top of your gumpaste or whatever for just a couple of seconds, to where your top feels nice and smooth but not dryed, just "set" it will achieve more intricate cuts with much less drama! Also, be sure your spatula that you use to remove your cuts is WELL greased and I have been using the pick tool that came with my paper cricket to take out the tiny pieces in my more intricate cuts........hope that helps, and thanks for the tip about the software, where can I purchase that?

Lizzy...lol was about to ask you about the heat gun..

Inkscape is free and can be downloaded from the link below

http://inkscape.org/

I purchased by Sure Cuts A Lot 2 from the following, but it's for sell in several different places.

http://www.mycuttingbuddy.com/

I do a lot of scrapbooking so of course I already had a cricuit expression and already knew that there is a learning curve for these machines, but so worth the effort! The heat gun is something I had on hand, i was popping my rolled sheets in the fridge for a few min. before cutting, however then there was a sweating issue, so I started using my heat gun. You can buy them in the scrap booking section of any craft store, they are about ten bucks. They heat to extremely high temps so really just a couple of seconds, but it sooooooo makes your cuts really clean and sharp. You want your top to feel set, but the underside to still feel really pliable, trial and error, really been a great help, plus if you are in a hurry, the heat gun can then dry your design on your former in less time, with zero humidity involved, regular blow dryer picks up moisture from the air because the temp is obviously much lower, the heat gun doesn't just don't hold to close to your sheet or you will get some buckling..........happy baking! thanks for the software tip, downloading right now can't wait to try it!

ohhh...*visions of last minute baby shoes and gumpaste figures dance in my head*

I'm a bit slow so let me ask a few questions plz...

I use a clay machine and roll to about 6 or 7 using gumpaste..I never put them in the fridge just cover with a clear cutting mat and let sit for 20 or so min to "dry" so would you dry it on the mat or pick it up and dry it, flip or???

Are you going to be coming to Austin for the sugar arts show?

Is the humidity in the lakes as high as her on the coast? I have a horrible time getting things to dry so if the heat gun quickens the process it will be a big advantage.

Can't wait for the exterminator to come and spray so I can run to Hobby Lobby with my 40% coupon!

I've been rolling my gumpaste out on the actual cutting mat, Very well greased and i just run the heat gun over the top for a few few seconds, not to much and not to close or you will run into some cracking edges and other natural disasters! by using the heat gun on the mat what happens is your top sets a little and your underneath stays nice and pliable, it gives your blade something to sink into while still allowing you to manipulate your cuts to get them onto a former, if you get a little overzealous with the heat gun and it doesn't cut well or cracks, just use your pastry brush with a little shortening to smooth out any rough edges.......when is the show in austin, i am so new to this, i know NOTHING but my daughter lives there and I would LOVE to come, I could just stay with her and it would be sooo fun! Heat gun can be found in the scrapbooking section with the embossing powders........when using on shoes, or other diminsional objects just be sure you don't get too close, I am actually on my way to buy a clay roller!!!!!!!!!!!!!! never heard of it before today, can't wait to try it!

You'll love it, so much faster (I splurged and bought a motor for mine) and can roll very thin.

The Austin show is Saturday & Sunday Feb 26/27th. Cost is very reasonable and lots of mini demo's and vendors...not to mention tons of cakes to see.

Thanks so much for the tips, I'm going to pick up a gun this afternoon and give it a try.

I will sooooooo be there thanks and happy sculpting, on my way to Michaels right now for clay roller!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The heat gun is just like any other new tool, just play with it, you have to be further away, like 8-10 inches from fondant pieces, but I have found gumpaste to be pretty tough can get 4-6 inches depending on the delicacy of the piece, you will love it, acts like a dryer and dehumidifier combined! DO NOT GO near chocolate sheeting with it! LOL But works fabulous with buttercream, royal icing, gumpaste and fondant!

all I gotta say is if there is anyone that hates theirs enough to sell it to me for $100 let me know!! I'd love to mess with one

lol If I didn't already have one I'd buy it too!

I hate that people are so dissatisfied with it, because I really do adore mine. It takes time and patience to be proficient. It frustrates me that Provocraft does such a horrible job in support that people aren't told the tips and tricks out of the box, I assume they want people to linger under the assumption that it's effortless and from day one your cakes are going to look like Linda McClure or Martha Herbert. That isn't the case so people feel overwhelmed and become disgruntled and toss in the towel.

lol we've lost lizzy to this conversation, she's playing with her software.

I got a Cricut Cake in late Nov/early Dec and have just had a chance to play with it...been keeping up with all the info here pro and con. I ordered fondant sheets to play with, thinking that since its their product, it should be the easiest way to learn...Wrong!! I opened the brown sheets and they are sooo dried out, they are cracking and shredding even before I put them in the machine...lifting them off their mat after cutting is a breaking/cracking nightmare. Instructions say I can put a wet paper town in the sealed plastic with the mats...I did that. I'll check tonight and see if that helps. I also bought pastel sheets that I have not opened yet; hope they are better than the brown. I am really looking forward to mastering this machine, even as a hobbiest baker.

I am a hobby baker and bought one for myself for Christmas, they were about half price here in Canada. I can use it for cakes or for paper as I bought separate blades and mats for each. I have already used it for paper etc. and really enjoyed it.
I used the program "make the cut" to try a design for a cake top and used the cake today for fondant. Ran into some issues with it and came here to read up on the tip/tricks. I won't give up on it as I can see it will be a learning curve but I wanted to thank you all for the above tips. Going to try my design again in a bit.

CC the sheets are truly nasty..I thought the same when I got mine. Keep the white or lighter colored ones because you could probably use those for edible images if anyone in your area has the printer & ink.

Tai, so glad you want to keep at it. It really is worth the effort, if for nothing else fonts, repetitive cuts etc.

lol Scratch I'm intrigued also, wanted to go and pick one up yesterday but the furbaby had an adverse reaction to the drugs they sedated her with to clean her teeth at the vet and I was a nervous wreak after that so going to do it today.

Yes you did lose me, but unforntuantly I didn't get to play with my software was redoing a cake disaster for my son's extra credit spanish project! I bake a tiered cake and was going to decorate with crowns and masks for a king cake just to include the symbolism involved but was informed I had to do a traditional pastry ring following the mexican tradition.......yea me I was up all night but it truly turned out amazing flavor wise, i took some poetic liscense with the recipe and added lime zest to the dough instead of lemon and the cream cheese filling also had lime zest, lime juice, the tiniest hint of chili powder and fresh grated ginger YUM! Anyway then I went to town decorating posted under mardis gras cakes, king cake with a twist, the crowns were cut with my cricuit, the mask was hand cut, marbled and painted...the shoe was just slapped together from a template, but it looked really nice, we made an A!

To ScratchSF I have used my heat gun on EVERYThing pretty much just don't forget to move it around alot, you don't want to concentrate the heat for long and don't get it too close, i have turned gumpaste jewels into toasted marshmallows and fondant into syrup! LOL I just love it when I do that sort of thing too because it just means I have learned yet another new trick! I had to heat gun the heck out of the baby shoe I put on my kings cake in the wee hours this morning as it was a last minute thing!

CCC don't even waste money on those icing sheets, I have no idea what provocraft was thinking, they are disgusting and expensive! Gum paste and fondant is the way to go and just for the record, thanks to all those who recommended the clay roller thingy to me, I really did drive to tyler to buy one yesterday to do this cake for my son and i am in love, so I rolled the gum paste through it,, laid it on my cricuit mat, trimmed and the cuts were amazing!

Just wondering, is anyone else going to the sugar arts show in austin? I am so excited, this will be my first trade show and I can't wait, thinking of even entering a cake in the beginner divisional competition anyone else going to enter one and does anyone have any suggestions on a theme or style?

one more thing, I am really really new to this actually just discovered how much I love working with sugar art stuff, however, would really like some feed back on the mardis gras cake i posted,, just the elements is what i am looking for feedback on, the cake itself had to be what it was I had no choice there for this project, but would really like to know if my elements are good or horrible, either way because that's the only way i am going to learn and if they are terrible, what should i have done to improve their look, texture, etc? I am so open to constructive criticism......again that's how i will learn, so looking forward to taking classes in austin......have never had any type of formal instruction, just trial and lots and lots of errors!