Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a smooth edge when cutting shapes out of fondant/gumpaste with an exacto knife? I've been working on cutting out some numbers and they look fine from far away, but up close the edges are a little rough...

Should I let the fondant/gumpaste dry a little before cutting?

I've struggled with this myself. What I found is that I have to let it sit for a few minutes first. Then, If I'm using a template, I put my fingers on top of the template especially to the endpoint of where I'm cutting in order to keep the fondant from stretching. I still struggle with it so I'll be watching this for some more tips. HTH!

Make sure your blade is super sharp and clean; i'll get caught up in cutting and not stop to clean the blade, and the tiny piece of fondant/gumpaste stuck on there snags everything else. also, i don't move the letters until they're dry..i cut away the excess and leave the letters or numbers alone. hope this helped!!

All of those things definitely help. I guess the key is letting it set some before cutting and making sure the blade is sharp and clean... Thanks for the suggestions.

I also let it sit for a few minutes before cutting to let in firm up and then wipe my blade often with a wet cloth. I still get a rough edge sometimes but I just use a small paint brush to push them in and smooth it out.

After you cut it out, take shortening on your finger and rub the little edges down, push them flat with a stick or frill tool, somthing like that. Also, whenever you have straight cuts, don't cut with an Excato. Use a razor blade by itself, or a ruler to press down to cut. This helps eliminate a LOT of that.

I use cookie cutters for my numbers which works like a charm. Check-out the kitchen isles in stores like TJ Max, Ross etc etc. Some great little finds are hiding on their shelves!!!

i love a rotary blade when i can use it because it leaves no tearing or dragging....but so many thanings i canot cut with the rotary.
whenever i use the exacto knife, it is never as clean.
i see these cake artist's on tv use their knives on fondant so cleanly and i try and try to figure out how they make that work so well when i fail every time. grrrrrrrrrrr .

i crisco up by blade and that helps some, but i am still frustrated.

I read somewhere that coating your cutters with crisco helps. I'm like BosCakes I get into what I'm doing and I forget to re-apply the crisco.

A lot of us out there are using the little craft knives that slip over your finger, and have rotary blades. Little teeny ones. It cuts the path which your finger is making. A friend of mine calls it her "personal sized Cricut"

I roll out my fondant or gumpaste and let it dry a bit before cutting. This prevents stretching and also makes it much easier to get a clean cut. I allow mine to air dry for at least 20 minutes before cutting and it makes a world of difference.

You can get the finger one's at Michaels. I just discovered them myself and i'm thrilled with the amount of control you have with the finger ones. Has anyone ever frozen fondant before cutting with the exacto??