lironp

ahh.. that makes sense. and wow, so time consuming! Also metallic- is the jewel line by chefrubber considered metallic? I use it and definitely do not get those colors...

but how do they get those black smudges? if it were just backed with black, then theoretically it should look more uniform, no?

I live these! Any ideas how they get the black/shimmery effect?

Did you ever figure this out?

Also Papermart is pretty cheap and has a good selection

Chef Rubber cocoa butters- After going back and forth with their support (hey, at least I got them to eventually respond which is a win), I am even more confused around the different lines they have- artisan, decor, jewel, natural, infused, zen. Here is what I have gathered so far: artisan- regular colors. natural- same type of colors made from natural ingredients (whatever that means) jewel- artisan with added luster dust. zen- natural with added luster dust. infused- infused with real flavors. I bought one which clogged my airbrush (and the color barely comes through on the chocolate). However, 1 customer representative assured me that it is intended for airbrushing, and another one told me that it isn't because the particles are too big. Sounded like a good idea, but I will not buy again. Decor- again, conflicting information- 1 representative assured me it is good for airbrushing, another told me it is only intended for decor (not suer what that means- isn't airbrushing considered decor?) So, my questions are: 1. Is the decor line suitable for airbrushing? 2. Does anyone have any idea what color is used to get this result?

I haven't actually figured out how to set the psi in the compressor, so don't actually know- whatever it was set to when I bought it? It seems pretty strong when I open the GMAC till the end- when I spray the GMAC is open just a little bit, and I can finish a mold very quickly no backspray at all, I do have some overspray but also because I am not experienced yet with aiming the airbrush to the right place

I of course just see the flaws 🤣

Yes. Although at some point i started painting them on after they were out of the mold (less shiny, but otherwise the darker green was sometimes stuck in the mold)

Finally have all the equipment and did my first big airbrushing project for Rosh hashana- after the first 100 or so, I finally got the hang of the apples and making the seam less visible, same for the pomegranates https://www.instagram.com/lironpg/ www.mmm-chocolate.com

Just finished reading through this thread, but apparently missed this part- arre you saying washing the mold with soap reduces the need for polishing each cavity?

oh, and my "spray booth" is a big cardboard box Because it is very easy to control the pressure with the GMAC regulator, I don't get much overspray so nothing outside of the box gets color on it (and I did just spray around 20 molds at once)

Adding my 2 cents for @SweetSymphonybyM as Jim recently helped me a ton with this Here is the setup I got that works like a charm: TG5 GREX Tritium Top Feed w/ 0.5 mm Needle TK-7 GREX Nozzle Conversion Kit 0.7mm (I switched to the 0.7 needle straight away, but I think there was someone using the 0.5 needle and said it was ok) CP50-1 GREX Tritium Top Feed Cup 50mL (I actually don't need the large cup yet- I prefer several small cups as I switch colors quite a bit so far) GMAC GREX Quick Connect w. Air Flow Valve (this is genius- allows you to control the air pressure easily from the airbrush) AD12 GREX Adapter 1/8” M x 1/4” F (the 1/4" F is what my compressor required- that will depend on your compressor) GBH-10 GREX 10' airbrush hose (I got the 10' so I could move a little more) 1/4" NPT quick connector- the hose goes into AD12, which then needs a quick connect to connect to the compressor. Apparently there isn't much of a standard for quick connect, so I went to our local hardware store, they gave me 3 different types of 1/4" NPT quick connector, and told me to return whatever didn't work (and they said that if none of them would have worked I should get a set of coupler + plug kit to replace the coupler that is already part of the compressor). California Air Tools 8010 Ultra Quiet & Oil-Free 1.0 hp Steel Tank Air Compressor, 8 gal, Silver - this is the compressor I got that was recommended to me by grex support. It is quiet, large tank, and has enough power to get everything out. Master Airbrush® Brand Universal Clamp-on Airbrush Holder- for putting the airbrush down without the paint spilling from the cup. Hopefully this is helpful- took a little bit of work to figure out, but everything is working like a charm. I do also recommend purchasing from https://jerrycarterairtool.com/ who are the nicest guys ever and have amazing customer support, and not chef rubber (who don't have all the pieces, and also have consistently terrible customer support). Regarding the natural cocoa butters - I tried 2 types: 1. Pomegranate infused cocoa butter- it keeps clogging my airbrush, and the little that does come out is so dull you can barely see it on the chocolate. 2. The zen series (which I think they claim is also natural)- much better than the infused, but still not as bright as the artisan or jewel which is my favorite.

That's a very good point regarding tye overspray, and final convincing in getting an airbrush now. The grex sounds like it is worth the extra price- small oversray, large tip, changing fan and piston which is more comfortable. I contacted their support to ask what the compressor requirements are for the 0.7 tip, and it requires a more industrial one (they recommended California air 4620ac. (60 psi is not enough with 0.7 tip according to them). Since it is double the price of the husky, and the spec is actually not as good (smaller container, less HP and CFM), I think I will get the husky which seems like the cheapest for now and will stay around if i switch to a spray gun at any point- does that make sense, based on the points you mentioned? (I want to make sure this setup addresses all those points) That, combined with the airbrush and accessories for connection comes to around $450 which I can live with

Thanks Teo I do have a full time job in software, so this isn't professional for now. However, because it isn't professional, I am also ok on spending more money to make things less arduous so I keep enjoying it (so am fine going up to in budget), I just am having a hard time figuring out what the best solution is for me, considering I don't have a lot of volume. If I up my budget to the $400-$500 frame, it sounds like the grex + appropriate compressor would be the best solution for me, does that make sense?

I don't :) i do use mycryo to temper chocolate which is super fast, and for splatter pattern with a toothbrush i would just wait for the CB to cool down, then give it some good shakes in the jar and and that would do the trick, although I don't really know what the official temps are for just CB. regarding the compressor- thanks again for your help, you sound nothing like a know it all and I do appreciate your advice! it seems that to get a compressor that is strong enough for a spray gun, even a cheap one would probably be $300+ , not to mention a massive toy I dont have anywhere to store (working in home kitchen for now). so with that, i will likely spend on the grex airbrush you recommended, buy the 0.7 nozzle (i see the default it comes with is 0.3), and now my last question is really what is the cheapest compressor that would work well with that airbrush (not necessarily a model, but what spec should I look for- capacity, HP and etc?). I dont mind the price if the husky I mentioned, but if i am not buying something that will work with a spray gun anyway, i would rather get something smaller and lighter than the husky.

Ok, good to know that How do you temper cocoa butter? In the bottle? Thinking about this some more- The grex is $200. If I decide to buy that it seems like it can do with a much cheaper/smaller compressor, and no need to spend $300 on a large compressor. For the grizzly, do you think the husky I described above could work? Or too little HP (also the grizzly spec says 6 CFM, does that mean the CFM here isnt enough?)

And actually one more question- it seems that because the grex is an internal mix, you need to temper the CB before using it, vs external mix airbrushes where you just need it at the right temp?

So I have been spending way too much time going back and forth on this. I think where I am now, is buying a compressor that will be strong enough for a spray gun and the grex, so I can get the HVLP and the grex at some point. From what I have read, I need at least 2 HP for the grizzly, is that correct? I went to homedepot and they didn't have any compressor with that much HP, they did have a Husky 1.8 hp, 8 gallon capacity and 3.7-4.8 SCFM for ~$150, do you think that will work for the grizzly? (Are there any minimum values for capacity and SCFM that are needed for a spray gun?)

Saw this in a pavoni mold image- is this just gold leaf they stick in the mold one by one? or is there a smarter way to do this?

Thanks for your super detailed response, highly appreciated @Jim D. & @Sweet Impact Mama! I have been splattering with a toothbrush until now, but I think I was being greedy wanting to do that automatically In the video I linked to above, Thayer recommends 1.7-2.2 nozzle for a spray gun to get a really smooth finish, but I don't see anything in that realm- is that applicable to the very expensive models? Is there really any advantage to using a cheap spray gun over the grex or even the Paasche H single action? It sounds like that will force me to buy a more expensive compressor and with the volume I predict for the next few months wont save me too much time. Is this the grex model you are referring to? https://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=22697&trng=fgle&gclid=CjwKCAjw4MP5BRBtEiwASfwAL3wnb4A3_XBksU-U3kYURsg22MnXx-ByZb68zApHlrDazTRBTj47hxoCAIwQAvD_BwE

Hello everyone! After taking a break from chocolate making for a few years, I am back and doing some small production right now. Most of what I do is dipped, and for molds i either brush with luster dust or splatter colored cocoa butter with a brush. I would like to buy an airbrush/spray gun and after reading through this thread and watching this very informative video I still feel lost. Requirements: Volume: In the next few months, I will want to spray around 10-20 molds per week (ideally all on the same day, with multiple colors- my favorite is chef rubber's jewel collection). This isn't a large amount, but I do also have a day job, so wouldn't want to spend more than 2 hours at most on this amount of molds. Decoration: I would like to also use it for splatter and not just spray (unless that drastically increases the price). Ideally, I would want to spend up to $200 on a gun/brush + compressor, unless that is completely unrealistic for my needs (and then will rethink cost vs requirements). So now I am trying to figure out whether I need a brush or a gun, and based on that what should I buy. I understand a spray gun is much faster and more comfortable to use than an airbrush. While there are quite a few spray guns that are around $50-60 (I have no idea if they are suitable for cocoa butter), because they require a larger compressor that may be out of my budget? The airbrushes themselves seem to be better for more detailed work (such as spraying through a piping tip, which I am not going to do anytime soon ), how long would it take to spray an entire mold with one? It also seems like the canisters are very small, so not sure how many pauses would be required to refill them? Would appreciate any guidance on what would better suit my needs, and based on that any specific product recommendations, TIA!

If anyone is willing, I'd be happy to see a demo for the recipe for the reverse engineered Jaques Genin caramels They were the best caramels I have ever tasted, and I certainly haven't managed to get such a texture on my own..

It hardens quickly, but the end result isn't as firm as a ganache- when I cut through it with the guitar without cooling it, the corners got squished