Hi there-
I need to make a lamp stand. I can't decide if I should use pastillage or gumpaste.
I need to be able to make something really smooth on the surface and it needs to dry really hard.
Problem is, the last pastillage recipe I tried didn't dry fast or hard, and didn't seem anything like the stuff they use to make trays in the world pastry competition.
I like Nick Lodges gumpaste recipe, but did have a little bit of an issue getting the surfaces ultra smooth when making my sai's in my karate cake (see my photos). So I'm worried about having the same problem here, since I MUST have a smooth surface. Obviously, the fault could have lain with me....I am a rank amateur. But I'd like to know what you advise using for this project, and if it's pastillage, could you point me in the right direction?? Or give me tips for rolling really smooth thick ropes????
All help welcomed and vastly appreciated...
Did you know that pastillage can be sanded? Once it dries, it can be sanded just like wood.
A smoother recipe for pastillage has lemon juice or vinegar (I prefer lemon juice as the vinegar smells). I think you use 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. tylose or gum tragacanth, and enough lemon juice to make a slightly sticky dough. It needs to sit for at least an hour wrapped in plastic. A neat trick I learned was to place a damp towel over the pastillage to keep it from drying as fast. The person I saw doing the demo (I can't remember his name, but he was cute), used petroleum jelly on his work surface to roll his pastillage ropes very smoothly. He used a very tiny amount on marble. Please don't quote me on this because it's been about 3 years since I saw the demo and I only got to see part of it.
Consider using a dowel rod as a center support. Or maybe you should just ignore this. I'm not really sure of how you want this to look.
Good luck. Sorry for the goofiness.
Michele
How about using MMP (mexican modeling paste) it does take a while to dry, but I find great to work with for modelling.
How about using MMP (mexican modeling paste) it does take a while to dry, but I find great to work with for modelling.
I did not know it could be sanded....maybe because mine never dried very hard and it would have never occurred to me to try it. I like the petroleum jelly idea, I'll have to try that, thanks!
What is mexican modeling paste? It's edible? Do you have a recipe??
MMP is a mix of 1 part petal or gumpaste, to 2 parts sugarpaste or fondant. It can be bought here in England, but its cheaper to make yourself. My tutor uses it in our course to make models. I have used it for my lucky bamboo model in my photos. HTH
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