Me again. (Good magazine!) I found another article, Cost-Effective Production (p. 54-55) that talks about using fondant at a piping consistency for string work. I've never heard of that before. Have you ever done it?
"...Ask these questions about the customer: Will they notice? Will they care? Will they pay the difference? says Norman Davis, owner of The Sweet Life in Annondale, VA. Some cake artists say, I dont want to do it that way. Its cheating. Well, spend the extra time on that cake, and you will be lucky if you get $3 an hour. Davis also judges for the National Capital Area Cake Show in Washington, DC.
Both Davis and Brooks advocate using fondant at a piping consistency, as opposed to royal icing, for stringing on cakes for retail clients. For starters, the fondant is much easier to work with than royal icing. Also, royal icing has a very limited shelf life. Brooks says that replacing it with fondant saves time and simplifies the challenging task. In addition, the difference in appearance is arguably indiscernible from royal icing...."
I'm going to read some more, so I may be back.