Here's a quick ball point pen sketch of an idea I have. I'm going to build a backyard foundry and cast brass pieces for my bike. This is a birds eye view of the piece I want to try. It's a rear fender tip with fender strut mounts on each side. I don't think I'll have to worry too much about the integrity of the brass being used to support the rear fender because it's bobbed and short, not too heavy and the bike is a solo seat bike so no one will be sitting on it. Only thing is, do you guys think both sides should be scroll work design or the skulls? Or even half and half like the sketch? I plan to cast other accent pieces from brass for the tank and wherever else I feel would make the bike look bad ass. Who knows, maybe it'll catch on and other bikers will want me to do some stuff for them? I'm gonna try sand casting first, if I can't get enough detail with that, I'll have to go with lost wax method which I really don't want to do. So... what do you think of my latest lofty manic pipe dream idea that, at the moment, I really believe in?

http://www.geocities.com/inky1_2000/Hpim1346.jpg

thats pretty awsome, i like it as it is.

Thanks, the sketch looks a bit skewed because I took the pic at an angle to get my shadow out of the frame.

I think it will keep you occupied long enough until you come up with your next brainstorm.Maybe you could combine your last two ideas and make rear fender cakes and decorate them accordingly.

Speaking of which, I baked a cake today. I'll be frosting it tomorrow. We have to bring a frosted but undecorated cake to class tomorrow, then we'll decorate them in class.

Edit: I left myself wide open for a "half baked idea" shot from you Flubbles. What happened?

I think it's great you keep challenging yourself with new ideas, i wasn't taking a shot at you or anything.I used to make my own fishing weights by moulding them out of lead, so this brass casting idea interests me...i hope you pull it off.

Come on, take a shot... it's what we do, man.

I couldn't possibly take a pop at my hero.

So is that the new 'in' thing.. guys being gay? Seems quite a few are taking to that.

Yeah, the whole "homosexuality" thing is just a fad. Where the hell did that come from? Honestly, I read the comments several times and for the life of me I cannot figure out how you came up with "gay" somewhere in them.

it wasn't for you it was for Flubbles...
plus I'm just gonna be a stupid bitch for a while off and on 'cause I'm quitting smoking... or trying to anyway

I've been away for a bit so I'm sure I missed something here but Axil, are you taking cake decorating classes???? Wilton??? You're probably not aware of this (and prob don't even care) but I worked as a professional cake (artist as I prefer to call it) decorator for 5 yrs at a European Bakery. Loved the creative part, hated the job! I did a grooms cake last weekend and I've got a wedding cake to do next week! Can't wait to hear how it goes for you! =) (PS >never eat a half-baked cake and always 'ice' never 'frost'!)

Yes, Wilton, and I do care. I'd like to know more. Why did you hate the job?

I had too many titles and responsibilities to enjoy the creative part!!! When I moved up from each position, it didn't mean the last position I left was someone else's, it was all piled up on top of the next so while I was making 80 deli sandwiches for the lunch crowd, and slicing imported meats, I'd be supervising the counter employees at the same time I'd be managing the store while my 60-135 cakes waited for me to get to them! I ended up going into the bakery at 3:30 am regularly to get a jump start on the days cakes before having to move out to the store to manage, supervise, slice bread, stock cookies, bread, and donuts while making latte's & chicken salad! I'd never clock out before 6:30 pm either. And that doesn't even include Holidays!!! After 5 yrs of this and a pregnancy not fairing too well from the stress, I retired, happily!
I still take occasional cake orders and do them in my home but only if they're worth my time and effort. I leave the simple birthday/kiddie cakes to Publix =) I used to do competitions with my cakes as well, and even won or placed in several of them! I have my cake gallery posted in my facebook if you care to befriend me =)

While I'm at it, here's what I DON'T like about Wilton's way of cake decorating. (sorry Wilton, but I do love your decorator icing!)
1. In order to become an instructor, you only have to take Wilton's 3 courses. Lil'bit of History-I took course I and pretty much laughed my way thru it. I was self taught but I took the course thinking I needed to learn 'the correct way' of decorating. BUT, I was already more advanced than the instructor was! She hardly had any experience and even asked me what i was doing in her class!
2. TOO many steps to achieve a simple task! THAT'S where they make their money! You don't need TWO tips to make a rose! Remember the kit and all the extra supplies they encouraged you to buy? Most likely you rarely, if ever, will use half of them! You don't need to buy their 'wet pan wraps' to get your cakes to bake evenly either!! Just set a pan of water on the rack under the cake in the oven! Mine are even every time! You don't need all those extra couplings and different size round tips either! #1&#2 tips are hardly used, unless you have the patience and strength to force buttercream thru them, and if you make your own piping bags from parchment paper, you just toss your tip into the bag before you fill it with icing, cut off the tip and thar' ya go!
3. You don't need to do a 'crumb' coat of icing first. Just freeze your layers air tight after they're COMPLETELY cooled. Once frozen, trim so they're level with a good serrated edge knife and cover with icing, smoothing at the end.
Here's a good tip for really smooth icing...after icing it as smoothly as you can with a long, metal spatula, let the cake sit about 20-30 so the outside forms a nice thin crust. Use a VIVA paper towel or wax paper, lay over your cake and very lightly with even pressure, rub over the towel or paper with the palm of your hand!

Thanks for caring, Axil, but see where it got you?? A book to read from me!!!!! Sorry, I tend to run on a bit at times =p All the best to you in your decorating!! Let me know if you ever have any questions and I'd love to see your work some day!! Peace c:

That information is gold! Thank you! Sadly, yesterday I was baking a cake and I was using Wilton's aluminum 8 X3 cake pan and I didn't have those wet pan wraps that told me to get and my daughter said "Why don't you just put a pan of water under it in the over, Dad?" I basically scoffed and didn't listen. Now I'll be baking a new cake today....and I went out and got those damn wet strip things just prior to reading your comment. Yes, I did let my daughter read your comment so she gets to be all cool and right and dad gets to be wrong. :)

It's not a bad thing, atleast now you know you've got a pretty smart daughter.You wont be so hasty in dismissing her ideas in the future, she could have saved you a few dollars.

Well you, your daughter, and you, flubbs, all just MADE MY DAY!!

I haven't used the 3" pans before. Do you use more batter per pan than the 2" pans? My guess is that you would? Do you make your cakes from scratch or do you use a boxed mix?? My fav to use, especially if I'm doing a 3D/sculpted cake is Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix but I follow the recipe on the side of the box that has you add more eggs, oil, water and a box of jello vanilla instant pudding. They actually call it a pound cake. It's denser but still light and moist. It also rises a lot more than the reg mix and I bet it would work out great in the 3" pans! Too bad you already went to the store and bought your ingredients too huh....=(

Well, I used the Duncan Hines super moist box mix. It rose perfectly to the top of the 3" pan without adding anything. I HATE those setting strips. I had to do two cakes because when I used those damn things on one of the cakes, the top almost burned and the inside was still gooey. I just finished frosting the one that did work. Now I have to wait and bring it to class tonight. Keep in mind this is my first try at this. Mine is the white one in the foreground and you can see Jessy doing her's back there.
http://www.geocities.com/inky1_2000/Hpim1362.jpg

Wow dude! I'm impressed with your icing job and excellent job with straight sides and level top! Is tonight your first class ever?? Have you ever gone looking at cake websites? I belong to one called CakeCentral.com. In fact, I have a gallery of cakes there and some of my competition cakes that won or placed in the comps they have there. Look me up! (you likely have to register but it's free). i go by ellyrae. I remember that you enjoyed a poem I wrote to go along with a drawing I did here of a young girl in silhouette holding a stick with a fish on the end of it. Since you liked that one, you may enjoy the one I wrote about CakeCentral when I first discovered the site and became addicted! Look for the icon of a smiley face with a chefs hat on that says "Warning, this site is highly addictive" on the left side of most any page. You should be able to locate my gallery by clicking on my name in the poem as well!
I look forward to seeing your cake decorated!!!

Sounds like cakecentral is like a drug you just keep on having to go back to get that fix, i'd be careful if i was you dude.

I remember seeing a few of the cakes you made, elly. Quite impressive work! :)

Thanks, sunny! Flubbles, true, it can be like a drug but I went thru the 12 step program to be cured. Now I'm looking for that 12 step program for 2draw! I've been hooked for a while now....

Yep tonight was my second class. We decorated our cakes. :) Have you gone to cakewrecks.com? Yet elly? Makes me laugh. Thanks for the compliment on my icing job! Here's the decorated end result. I tried to make gradient shades of gray for the rainbow but I ran out of time so they aren't as varied as I would have liked. You can see Jessy's cake too.... she had a little trouble centering her rainbow, but we had fun.

http://www.geocities.com/inky1_2000/HPIM1365.JPG

fun to read about, i kinda can't wait to see your progression.

so have you two thought about totally DESTROYING eachother with those cakes? idk if id actually want to eat them at this point :D

By "destroying each other" do you mean have a cake fight? :) Hey wait a minute... why not eat them?

yesssss cake fight..they look perfect for it.

because.....you're going to be baking 123123 cakes in the process, think you'll get sick of the smell of buttercream by the end. not that they dont look delicious! :P

Have you tasted the cakes yet? it's not a bad effort for your first cakes.I didn't realise your daughter was doing the course with you , atleast going with your daughter rules out the possibility of you being gay.

I think you're a natural, Axil! Jessy too! Rainbows with the star tip. Nice! I see you're doing star tip borders as well! I have a feeling you're really going to enjoy the class!! I have not been to cakewrecks.com but I'll be checking it out! How can I not with a site name like that?!! c: I too look forward to watching you progress!

Staci, YES the smell of buttercream does give me a sick feeling each time I smell it and I did get the chance to have a cake fight in a skit a friend of mine and I did on film once not long ago. Loads of sticky fun!!! LOL!

My birthday was today so I promised my sister I would save the cake until Saturday when they all come over and cook for me. I just have to say.... I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE FUCKED UP CAKES SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE BROUGHT TO CLASS!! Grown women... I mean...COME ON!!! They looked like some 8 year olds did it all by themselves to surprise mom or some shit.

I wouldn't have come to class unless i had something presentable, i'm one of those people who has to do things right or not at all.I've never had a cake decorating class or anything but im not half bad at it, i'm starting making my xmas cake next week so when it's ready i might post a picture up on here.

Cool. I'm kinda the same way. Sure as hell wouldn't have shown up with those. You better post a pic of it Flubbles because now we know that if you suck at it, you won't post at all.

Dont build your hopes up to high, it's not gonna be the greatest xmas cake you've ever seen, but it's not gonna be the worst.

This should be fun...

Axil, I think it's great that you're taking a cake decorating coarse. Extra points for doing it with your daughter! You seem to have a natural skill for it but you have to get away from the Machismo! Cake decorating is all about rainbow colours and pretty flowers! So just do it! You know ya wanna!
Here are some cakes I did just to show you you can still be a man and make pretty cakes!!http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx83/jewell_022_photo/scan0039.jpg for my brother
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx83/jewell_022_photo/_DSC7390_Dx_raw.jpg for my daugter
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx83/jewell_022_photo/IanKellyJUNE1309194.jpg for my nephew.

OK. I'll do it. Hey, great looking cakes! Did you do the roses yourself?

Yea, wow..they are great looking, jekyll.

Axil, your cake is funny! lol oh my..I bet they are having fun with you there.

It was your birthday and nobody sang here for you? The shame!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dePMU8R131s Better late than never...

@ Omg, I just love that second cake Jekyll!

All I did yesterday was make a chocolate cake, hmm, chocolate.

I was going to wish him happy birthday but then i got sidetracked and forgot about it.

Pretty impressive there, Jekyll! I had no idea you had it in ya! Are you self taught or take classes? Axil's gonna rock as a cake decorator!! Hope you had a fab birthday by the way, Axil!
I have to disagree with you, Jekyll on one thing you said tho, cake decorating is not just about rainbow colors and pretty flowers. There's an amazing world of cakes out there, as I'm sure you know ;) and not all of them have rainbow colored flowers! Here's a few I've done that don't have much to do with rainbow colors and flowers...
and one that does.....sorta =)
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_35752.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1412999.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_37419.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_46429.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_29373.html

Thanks, all! Yes Axil, I made the roses. They're done with Royal Icing. It allowed me to make a bunch up ahead of time and I placed the better looking ones on the cake. I never took a coarse I just kind of try to figure what the different tips might do. We have no bakeries or pastry/cake shops where I live , so you have to learn to be resourceful! As a matter of fact, the bottom layer of the cake in the third pic was so large, I used a large drywall trowel to spread the icing! Hows that for Machismo?
And Elly! Your advice on here is invaluable! I'll be sure to use it the next time I do a cake!

My xmas cake is gonna look pretty basic compared to those...if i ever took cake decorating classes i'd like to learn how to make novelty cakes or something.

there's some really great classes out there, flubbs, for all kinds of specialty cakes! Just gotta do some looking around...y'all need to play around with some fondant! Are any of you up and coming decorators familiar with fondant?? Most of the cakes above, if not all of them, I posted are covered with fondant but that's not all you can do with it...it's like working with a super fine clay!....

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_32053.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_30037.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1217040.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_31238.html

Thanks for the compliment, Jekyll =)

When i was at primary school i entered a fruitcake in the local school fate and won first prize...it wasnt decorated or anything.I beat off all the old women with there pink rinses, i think they were pretty peeved.

Wow Elly!!! We posted at the same time so I didn't get to see those pics till now. They're like cakes I've only seen in magazines! Centerfolds of the cake world! Thank you and yes, I am self taught or self floundering as the case may be. I have never used fondant but I would like to give it a try. I wasn't all that bad with plasticine in grade school. I may finally be able to put those skills to use! By the way, I even disagree with what I said about rainbows and flowers. I'm sure you and Axil know it was just my way of saying cakes are about the people we make them for and you have to do the frilly stuff sometime so you're best to learn to do it well.
And Flubbles! Good for you peeving those old women! I bet you were a cheeky monkey back then!

I still am a cheeky monkey, but i got away with it more back then, the old ladies used to like squeezing my dimpled cheeks.

Those are different cakes from last I saw, elly. Awesome job! Can you eat fondant?

Flubbles: is the cake you already started a fruit cake? I love them. =O

Thank you, jekyll, for the kind words! As you can see I really got into cake decorating as an art form! And it's great to get paid for what you love to do! Gotta wedding cake to do this weekend as a matter of fact!

Flubbs, I LOVE the fact that you had the interest enough at that age to make fruitcake! If I had been one of the pink rinsed old ladies, I would'a been really proud of ya!! Good for you!

Sunny, fondant is edible but I never encourage people to eat it. There's hardly much flavor at all and it's sorta chewy, like gum. There are ways to spruce up the flavor and recipes that use marshmellows to make fondant with but it doesn't work very well for what i like do with it. The easiest and quickest way to get fondant, especially just to play & practice with, is to get Wilton's ready made fondant. Wal Mart & Michael's carry it.

Ok, yeah. I was wondering because it looks sort of thick, too. What do people do, make a decorated cake and then another to eat? I've had really delicious buttercream, but I pass everything up if there is whipped cream. ;P

My grandad got me into baking really young, his dad used to own a bakery shop and thats how he got interested in it himself.So at school holidays i used to stop around his house helping him bake stuff.I lost interest when i discovered girls, i used to get drunk at the local park when i was 13 and smoke weed... and if i was lucky snog some girls face off.

No wonder you talk about food so much. You must be a good cook then...but the cake you started, what is it?

I've not started it yet...but it's going to be a rich fruit cake with marzipan and icing.I've got to start it soon though because i like leaving it a couple of months for the flavours to mature.

Sounds delicious. Is the marzipan used for making decorations? You can tell I'm not much of a baker. My grandmother used to make fruitcakes for Christmas and she would start long before, too, and add brandy every now and then for it to soak in. I miss that.

I add brandy too... the marzipan goes on before the icing.

:O Wow! elly is super at making a cake! I have always wanted to do stuff like this! (But right now I can't afford it). Baking is a little one of my hobbies and I'm not to good at it... I cant find a recipe for edible sugar dough anywhere!
Look at these cute ones :) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2163/2419607697_0c8f7584ab.jpg
Sadly, I didn't make them but it would be neat to try!

Happy belated birthday, Cakemakinaxil.

Yeah, happy belated birthday, sir.

Thank you. :)

I used to sneak a cup or two from the amerretto and rum bottles when we'd have them out to use on cakes;p sure helped a busy bakery day go byy!

Thanks, nekochibi! Those must be cupcakes in your pic? Very cute!

flubbs, we used LoTS of Marzipan and almond paste in our cakes and pastries. Yuuummy! I miss that taste!

Happy Belated (really belated....) Birthday Axil!

I made a cake twice so far, the first one was for my momma on her birthday, it was good but it wasn't really decorated, just frosted with chocolate frosting. Then the second cake, it was horrible! It was a marble cake, and it came out a bit too dry. So once the cake was finished, we (as in me and my mom) decorated it with strawberry icing, and I hate artificial strawberry flavor. We tried to make it red by using food coloring, but it turned out as pepto bismal pink. We laughed a lot, and I wrote "Happy Birthday James" on it with black icing and drew a scythe, and the "A's" were the Anarchy sign. That's when my mom decorated with so many sprinkles you couldn't tell what in the world it said, and before it was barely legible. So after dinner, we ate the cake, and I instantly regretted it. It was faaar too sweet, and not even milk helped!

No one could finish it, not even my brother, and when my brother can eat it, you know it's bad. SO! My mom and James decided to be creative with the rest of the cake, and luckily enough there was school the next day so I nor my brother could not participate, and a food fight began. It was hilarious to watch, and the cake was everywhere! I don't think I'm going to be making any more cakes sometimes soon though.

Sorry for my rambling :)

And Elly, Wonderful cakes!

ok, found it. Got mixed up with all the cake talk. Did you get the FIRE clay?

No. It's been snowing for two days now. Geocities shut down so now all the links to any pics I've posted are no good. I need to find another place to upload pics.

Why dont you just post them at deviantart or photobucket?

Is that allowed?

I think so...you can post whatever you like at photobucket..

Yeah it's alowed at photobucket..at deviantart too..unless someone files a complaint agaisnst something you posted...

Posting what kind of pictures?

Nude midget wrestling and illegal ferret fighting pictures.

I'd sign up for that!...

OK, my final cake for course 1!! YAY!!
http://s699.photobucket.com/albums/vv352/Axil62/?action=view&current=Hpim1384.jpg

Well done.It's really inspiring that your not affraid to show off your feminine side form time to time.Is that your daughters cake in the far corner?

Looks very pretty..and mighty tasty!

Thank you. Yep that's Jessy's cake. Here's the whole thing...
http://s699.photobucket.com/albums/vv352/Axil62/?action=view&current=Hpim1385.jpg

Hers looks slightly oriental where as yours looks more traditional...are you both gonna do the 2nd course?

I really like that contrast of the green and the pink....it's very nice...

We can't decide if we want to do the next course or not. Her's looking slightly oriental makes sense of course, being half oriental and half white.

I like the color contrast on hers too BMW. I think her cake came out better than mine this time.

I think you should go ahead and do it..you'll be one step closer to learning fondant...besides loks like you guys really took to the whole process...why not keep going...

I played with clay today.
http://s699.photobucket.com/albums/vv352/Axil62/?action=view&current=Hpim1393.jpg

Not showing up for me..I get the photobucket login.

I think you have to click on it from inside the thread. If you click on it from the welcome page, the address gets cut off.

Silly question, what do you do with the cake? Eat it is the most obvious option, but if you do more a week, you'd get sick of it soon...

The cake before this last one, I put out in the back yard for the squirrels to eat in hopes they'd have heart attacks and die. This last cake is still on the table. I had one slice and Jessy had one so far.

Your little half of a clay face is kinda cute...oh and before i forget to tell you...I just ate a cupcake...

Is that clay self drying? If so, what is the brand?I need self drying clay that doesn't crack when you go to shape it into something... nor do you have to bake it.. it gets too delicate that way...the art store near here isn't selling good stuff anymore

Ok, got it now. Nice, axil. Clay is fun. Is it your FIRE clay?

This clay is the oven bake kind, but they do sell the kind that just air dries. I don't remember the brand name though.

No, this isn't fire clay. Fire clay is basically a special kind of high heat resistant dirt.

Was it a pretty cupcake?

ahhh, ok. haha, I wasn't even close to picturing heat resistant dirt.

Crewman 1: Captain, their radio is dead!
Captain: Try again, Joe!
Crewman 2: They're out of control and coming right at us, Captain!
Captain: Use the destruct-O-ray!

It was a pretty cupcake...almost as pretty as me!..:D

Hey look! I made this one from scratch! No icing yet.
http://s699.photobucket.com/albums/vv352/Axil62/?action=view&current=Hpim1402.jpg

Looks nice..very uniform....congrats on the baking from scratch..not always the easiest thing to do...

OK, got my fire clay! Got some bentonite and silica sand too. I have to go somewhere today but tomorrow I'll be mixing the castable refractory and making my foundry! Wooo Hoo!! But I still have to figure out some tongs and a crucible. Oh and some hose for the propane tank.

Taking a break from disassembling the Halloween decor..the good thing about it though is that it comes down a lot faster than it goes up...

OK, got about 120 pounds of green sand mixed today. It looks and feels perfect! I also got all the metal cut for all the pieces to make the "oven" for melting brass. Tomorrow I have to mix all the stuff up to make the lining/refractory of the "oven" and then cast it. I'm old now, my back is sore from hand mulling all that green sand for about two hours. WHEW!! Oh yeah, I also got a good start on the points cover piece I want to cast. I decided to do a Michelangelo style eye for the design instead of the "zap" lettering idea.

My sister was nice enought to drive me all around today to the library and other various places I wanted to go....got some good books and had a pretty nice outing even though I wasn't feeling that great...and right now I am watching Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman who I find very handsome...