Wafer paper is very sensitive to humidity, so if the air is dry it can become brittle and rip or tear when you handle it. If there are thin sections on cut-out shapes, they can also tear and break if you’re not careful.
How to repair the wafer paper can be tricky because it will dissolve if it gets wet, and this can prevent the edges from lining up.
In addition, adding pieces of wafer paper to each other can make the repaired section look darker, so you have to be very careful about how you fix torn sections.
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The basics.
To fix torn wafer paper, you can simply reattach the edges if there is enough paper to overlap without creating a noticeable join. Use a very minimal amount of water or vodka to slightly dampen one side of the tear and overlap the edges to repair it.
If this isn’t an option, you can add a backing section to the paper that will stick to both torn edges and will provide a stronger support for the paper without dissolving the edges.
I sold some wafer paper insect cupcake toppers that had very thin sections, and I gave customers a choice on whether they wanted the legs cut out or not.
If they chose “cut out,” they ran the risk of having to repair a bug leg or two, because no matter how careful you are, the paper can tear if the legs are thin.
Click to shop for wafer paper on Etsy.
How to fix broken wafer paper bug legs.
To fix wafer paper that tears due to thin areas breaking off, use a backing piece of paper to place the torn areas on without having to moisten them at all.
Use a very small amount of water or vodka and dampen the backing paper, then join the two torn edges by attaching them to the paper, not to each other. Leave the join to dry, then cut the backing paper off.
By moistening the backing paper instead of the edges of the torn legs, you’ll avoid any kind of shriveling of the torn edges, and the backing paper will provide some extra stability for the area that was torn to begin with.
You can also do it by attaching the thin legs to the body of the insect, but be sure to only use a TINY amount of liquid, or use a small amount of piping gel or corn syrup.
How to fix torn edges of full wafer paper sheets.
If a printed sheet of wafer paper tears, you might end up with a jagged edge, or a piece that isn’t long enough to wrap around the entire tier.
To attach the torn pieces together, you may be able to trim them off and attach them like a normal join would be attached. However, if you’re going to run out of paper by cutting the edges off, you’ll need to attach the edges together where they ripped.
The safest way to do this is to use piping gel or corn syrup to avoid wetting the torn edge and melting it, or use a VERY slightly damp paper towel.
Using a little bit of the edible glue, put it on the unprinted side of the torn page that will be the top layer of the joined edge.
Carefully overlap the torn edges and press the top edge onto the lower edge. The less you can overlap while still attaching the pieces, the better. Sometimes overlapping the edges of printed wafer paper will make the join look slightly darker where the edges sit on top of each other.
Attach the torn sheets directly to a fondant cake.
If you are attaching the paper to a fondant-covered cake, it may be possible to attach the pieces to the fondanted cake individually, and just line up the edges without having to overlap them. That will avoid an obvious join, and may be less obvious.
Paint the area that will contain the overlap with corn syrup and press the paper onto it to adhere the torn edges.
Try not to smear any of the printed paper as you press it with your fingers, and make sure that your hands are dry and free from corn syrup that could spread onto the surface of the paper.
Doing it this way will eliminate the need to attach the paper to itself at all, but you’ll need to be careful not to smear the printing when you’re pressing the paper onto the cake.
Make sure you have dry hands and pat the paper, don’t rub it. This will reduce the amount of ink smearing you’ll have.
To watch the video click here: How to fix torn wafer paper
