Fit one piping bag with a petal decorating tip, like tip #101, and the other piping bag with a round decorating tip, like tip #7. This flower is created with one color, so fill both bags with the same color icing. The icing should be of medium consistency. Buttercream is easier to form, but royal icing will dry harder. Grab the flower nail with your non-dominant hand and the piping bag with your dominant hand. Hold the round #7 tip perpendicular to the center of the flower nail, then squeeze the bag to form a relatively flat ball.  Once you're satisfied with the size of the ball, stop squeezing the bag. Lift the tip straight up and away after the icing stops flowing. If the ball looks too rounded, dust your fingertip in cornstarch and gently press down on the top of the mound until the top surface looks slightly flat. Hold the petal decorating tip a 45-degree angle to the flower nail. Gently squeeze the bag. As the icing flows, spin the nail while simultaneously rocking the tip back and forth to create zigzags.  The wide end of the petal tip should touch the outer edge of the center ball when you start the row. Once you complete a full rotation with the zigzag row, stop squeezing the bag. Carefully lift the tip straight up and away when the icing stops flowing. Use the same technique to create two or three more rows. Tilt the tip more dramatically for each consecutive row.  The thin side of the tip should tilt upward at a higher angle, but the wide side should still touch the round base of the flower. For the final row, you should pipe the zigzags directly over the flattened top of the center mound. Switch the #7 round tip for a small #1 round tip. Use the smaller round tip to pipe five dots over the exposed center of the zinnia.  To make the process less messy, you could attach the #1 tip to a third piping bag instead of switching out the larger tip. For each dot, hold the tip perpendicular to the flower and squeeze gently. Release the pressure once a small dot forms, then lift the tip straight up and away. Allow the flower to dry for roughly 30 minutes, then carefully peel or slice it off with a flat knife.  Flowers made with royal icing might be hard enough to peel away with your fingers, but if the zinnia resists gently pressure, slice it off with a knife. Attach the dried flower to your cake or other pastry surface using fresh icing.
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One-sentence summary -- Prepare the piping bags. Pipe a ball of icing. Pipe zigzags around the ball. Create two to three more zigzag rows. Add smaller dots to the center. Dry and use as desired.


Use a measuring tape to determine the width of your aluminum. Afterwards, select an appropriate sized chisel. Common sizes are 1⁄4 inch (0.64 cm), 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm), 3⁄4 inch (1.9 cm), and 1 inch (2.5 cm). For example, if your aluminum piece is 1⁄4 inch (0.64 cm) wide, use a chisel that is 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) wide. to a 60- to 70-degree bevel using a honing guide. Fit your chisel into your honing guide (a tool that clamps onto your tool either from the sides or from above and below) and tighten the screws on both sides to keep it in place. Set the guide to the appropriate angle, and then place the bevel (the metal edge of your chisel) against a second-cut, medium-coarse file. Hold the guide with both hands and move the chisel back and forth in a thin, figure-eight pattern. Once you notice scratches on your chisel's bevel, switch to a medium grit. When new scratches begin to appear, switch to a fine grit. Wipe the bevel between each grit using a dry, clean cloth. Position the piece in the center of the vice's jaws. Make sure that it's tightened firmly in place. Be sure to use a heavy-duty model bench vice. Hold the chisel tip against the metal—perpendicular to it—with your non-dominant hand. Use a ball-peen hammer to strike the chisel's handle and always cut perpendicular to the jaws of the vice. Continue striking the metal until there is a notch in it. At this point, you should easily be able to snap it into 2 pieces with your hands.  You should be able to cut your aluminum metal piece within 30 seconds. Anything longer and you're probably using the wrong sized chisel, or you need to use a saw.  Add 1 drop of 30-weight machine oil to the chisel's edge for lubrication. This makes it easier for your chisel to get into your aluminum's hardened grains of metal. Never use a claw hammer—the heads are not designed for hitting hard metal and are prone to chipping. If you're cutting a line in a sheet of aluminum, you can skip the vice and cut your way down the sheet on a flat surface. Use wood as a backing piece to help push the chisel through the metal and prevent the chisel's tip from wearing.
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One-sentence summary --
Purchase a cold chisel that is 1 size wider than the aluminum. Sharpen your chisel Place your aluminum piece into your vice and tighten it. Align the chisel with your vice's screw and hammer the aluminum.