SC - strengthening sugar sculpture

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Mike Young wrote:
> 
> I've been to the florigium and can't find the answer to this question so I
> would appreciate any advice.  I have made(and broken)2 sugar trays(using
> granulated sugar, water and egg whites).  How do I make them stonger?   I
> need to be able to transport them to an event without breaking.
> Thicker?(these have been about 1/8 to a 1/4 in. thick) Thinner? Different
> recipe? Something I'm just not getting? I'm pretty desperate...I think I
> have sugar in places it shouldn't be...<g>

I haven't worked with the materials you mention, but I suspect you might
try a different recipe, only because  what seems to have been used most
often in period is either a cooked sugar syrup (essentially hard candy),
or, somewhat later, a paste made from either gum tragacanth or gum
benzoin. I know both of these items can be made reasonably strong and
will withstand at least some reasonable impact. Of course the materials
they are intended to imitate are themselves delicate, so period sugar
workers probably didn't expect _too_ much strength out of what they made.

I think the problem with using granulated sugar is that you might end up
with a sort of concretion of granules (possibly semi-melted) held
together with some of the paste you are trying to make, instead of a
smooth, homogeneos paste. At the very least you should probably try a
finer sugar, possibly confectioners' sugar, and I highly recommend
getting hold of some gum tragacanth or some other muculaginous binder to
use instead of egg white. Otherwise what you're getting is basically
Royal Icing, not sugar plate.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================