Jim D.

@gfron1, beautiful shells and very intriguing flavors. For the elderberry, did you use elderberries or elderflowers (or elderflower liqueur)? I don't know if the berries have the same exotic flavor as the flowers do. I tried a ganache with St-Germain liqueur, but the elderflower taste got lost somewhere. I'll ask the obvious question about tonka: Where did you find it? Imported from somewhere in the dead of night? And finally, your shine, the equal of Andrey's, for sure, even down to the light from the windows reflected in the shell.

Ah, you omitted that crucial detail. Chanterelles are not mere mushrooms. They are in a class of their own. Sautéed in butter, their vanilla undertone comes out. Fortunately they are foraged in the area where I now live. I can imagine the filling you are describing paired with a ganache that emphasizes that vanilla flavor. But please, no garlic. Teo isn't always right (just kidding, of course).

@Muscadelle, I think I have waited long enough to ask this: It took a while to reveal that it was mushrooms you were candying. I for one was thinking of pears, apricots, peaches, ginger, etc., certainly nothing we think of as savory. What in the world do you do with candied mushrooms?

@Douglas K, I am now a convert. Thanks for your explanation. I do have a moisture filter between compressor and airbrush.

Did you see my recent post about a toaster oven that came on without me being anywhere near it at the time? Don't tell Hubby this, or you'll lose your water heater. I'm still trying to picture anyone telling you what to do.

Do you know why Hubby insists on this each time? I must confess that when I read this, I went down to the basement and drained mine immediately (visions of house blowing up, etc.), but I would like to know a bit more before I become so virtuous.

I tend to share the view of Kate Weiser, whose business is in Dallas:

Congratulations, and good luck. As for the specific questions: Labels: I have two inclusions in each box: The main one has my contact information and a guide to the flavors (photo + description). Every box has the same guide, which I have "printed" (photocopied actually) on glossy paper at a print shop. The other item is the ingredient list. Our state requires ingredients and weight of product, so the latter will vary depending on the number of pieces. I print ingredient lists on my inkjet printer and cut them to size. Each label will include all ingredients, but I account for variation in flavor by saying "Depending on selection, contents may include any or all of the following:" At the end I state the weight (average) of the contents, which will vary for the various box sizes. And, of course, allergens must be listed as your state requires. Shipping: So far I have resisted large-scale shipping because (frankly) it is so much trouble. The biggest issue I have noticed is that the bonbons can bounce against the top lid. To counteract that, I first cut a piece of waxed paper to fit inside the box, directly on top of the chocolates, then a few layers of bubblewrap (whatever it takes to fill the space), then the candy pad and the inserts mentioned above. I use a gold elastic loop that fits around the box and holds the lid down securely. The idea is that the lid must be tight but not so tight as to damage the chocolates. Then, if the weather is warm along the shipping route, I seal the box in a large plastic bag. I do not use ice because I have never received anything when ice was used (aside from dry ice) where it wasn't completely melted. So I don't ship when heat is a major factor. I place the box in a shipping carton, surrounded with crushed shipping paper (or bubblewrap). If a box is going to the eastern part of the U.S. (where I live), I do not use flat-rate USPS because it is more expensive; instead, I weigh the carton and ship it Priority Mail. To the rest of the country, I use USPS flat-rate boxes. It exhausts me to describe this process, and so I am reminded why I continue to resist shipping. As for charging, you can start with whatever you pay USPS and add as much as your conscience allows (I think those in retail often speak of "nuisance charges" when they don't really want to do something, so feel they deserve a reward for doing it). I should add that no one has ever reported damage to a bonbon using the shipping method above. But especially at holiday time, shipping is a bit of a gamble.

I was also going to mention chablons. Martellato makes all sorts of shapes, including circles of varying dimensions. Chocolat chocolat had the size I wanted and might be able to obtain others. You might have to layer two of them to get the height you want.

I am confused. Earlier you wrote: Couverture is not the same as confectionary coating (a snob might say it is the opposite, but of course we don't have those types on eG). If I may dare to give advice to someone much farther along in the business than I am, if you use the real thing, you can charge more and have claim to the quality of your chocolate.

The compressor, of course, shuts itself off when you stop calling for it to produce air (that is, disconnect the airbrush from its hose). When I am finished airbrushing for a chocolate batch, then I turn mine off with its switch. At that point I also disconnect it from the power source. Totally unnecessary, I am sure, but it's my "Proctor Silex" moment. Once I had a practically brand-new Proctor Silex toaster oven. It was sitting quietly on the counter, not turned on, no toast in it, nothing to provoke it, and suddenly the heating elements came on. Fortunately I was at home and near it, and probably nothing serious would have happened if I had been away, but I have never forgotten that moment--and have never fully trusted anything electrical ever since.

Actually plumber's tape. Painter's tape may also work, might eventually peel off. Plumber's teflon tape sort of "melts" into the connection (you can tell by my mastery of technical terminology that I hold a master plumber's license).

If the purple color comes completely from luster dust, that is very impressive. What kind of chocolate is behind it? These are beautiful. Where do you get the luster dust? My process (haven't done it in ages) is the same, but the color seemed to be absorbed, certainly did not show up like yours.

Welcome to eGullet. That is an interesting idea. So you had no trouble with anything sticking to the mold when you unmolded the bonbon? I would be concerned that some gold flakes would stay in the mold and leave little holes behind. But it looks good. I've never had much luck with using luster dust and similar decorations--they are either invisible or melt into the chocolate.

With 27 gal. it shouldn't turn on often at all. Maybe once a week. 😄 When Kerry took a class with Luis Amado, I think he had his compressor in an adjoining room/space. But I know you are working in your kitchen, so that probably doesn't help. You do get used to the noise after a while of doing this.

Is the compressor damaged visibly? I ask because an air leak can be from incorrectly installed connections. Some connections require plumber's teflon tape.

Beautiful. Congratulations. The shine is very impressive, and the airbrushing looks as if you have been doing it all your life.

At what psi do you have the compressor set? And approximately how much do you lower the pressure with the GMAC (I know that is difficult to tell because there is no gauge)? I lowered the pressure to 30 psi at the compressor control and had the GMAC completely open, and the spraying was incredibly slow, so I had to reset at 60 and lower it a small amount at the GMAC valve. I was going to post previously that setting the pressure lower will result in less backspray but in slower spraying. It all depends, I suppose, on your patience. I use the term "backspray," by the way, for the cocoa butter that bounces off the spray booth/box and back to the person spraying. It isn't really the same as "overspray," which usually refers (for most people, I think) to what lands on the molds outside the targeted cavities. Some regulator valves have gauges that provide the psi numbers at the airbrush, but the ones I have seen or used add quite a bit of weight to the whole setup.

Others on eG have dealt with the spray issue in a kitchen and have utilized large sheets of plastic over nearby objects. Doing this very often will probably impel you to get that rental space sooner! One suggestion meanwhile is to utilize painting techniques (with brushes, sponges, etc.) in molds so that you minimize airbrushing. One technique we learned from Andrey Dubovik is to paint several layers of translucent colors in a cavity, then spray an overall covering layer. It makes a marbled look that can be quite beautiful. You can see examples in the thread on the Dubovik course.

My, for someone who wasn't sure about pursuing the airbrushing of chocolates and who made only a few of them a month, you certainly have some impressive equipment. A melter is what many chocolatiers use to warm up their spray guns and cocoa butter. At 7" tall, it will hold Chef Rubber cocoa butter bottles upright. You can place cocoa butter and airbrush in the melter the night before you work, and all will be ready in the morning.

The booth catches most of the backspray, but with colors containing a substantial amount of white, some escapes into the surrounding area. As I wrote previously, a fan aimed at the spray booth helps some with this issue. The amount of cocoa butter getting into the air is substantially less than when I was using just a big box with a filter in the back and a large fan behind it. I think a fan strong enough to suck up all the ambient cocoa butter would be something more akin to a jet engine. So I still wouldn't airbrush in my kitchen--that's what basements are for.

@SweetSymphonybyM, after you get used to your new system and if you really get into spraying molds (and how could you not after all this research and investment?), you might want to consider a heat source to keep cocoa butter flowing through the airbrush. There is a lot of info on that, and I think each of us might have his or her own favorite device. So if you find yourself becoming frustrated by how often you have to heat up the brush, get back in touch.

The California Air Tools compressor is slightly quieter, has slightly higher HP; the Dewalt has higher air capacity. I think you will be fine with either as both have adequate capacity. I might favor the quieter one. I have now used the CakeSafe some more and am still pleased. It's not perfect, but I have come to understand that spraying cocoa butter will always produce some cocoa butter in the air (and thus in one's nostrils). I don't see how any device could remove it all from the air because of the viscosity of the substance. The idea is to minimize that issue. I now use a small fan behind me blowing toward the spray booth and that helps direct the spray back toward the fan. The person at CakeSafe said she would recommend that to customers. But yes, I still wear a mask. Actually not just a mask (the kind everyone is wearing these days), but a respirator from 3M. "Respirator" sounds dramatic, but it's just a mask but is more tight-fitting and has filters. It isn't the most comfortable thing I have ever worn, but it helps. It is very obvious how much cocoa butter is being drawn toward the fan and away from me. The ultimate question: would I buy it again? The answer is definitely yes. And, alas, cleanup is required. But any cocoa butter not captured on the first filter (which ultimately is thrown away) lands on the two panels on each side. A little soap and hot water (and a big sink) make cleaning those fairly easy. I recommend the clear acrylic panels as they let in more light as you are working.

All I can tell you for sure is that mine has a capacity of 4.6 gallons, and it works but has to run frequently to keep up with the HVLP gun. I trust Teonzo's knowledge, so I think 13 gal. is sufficient. But if you can get a larger capacity for the same or less money, then I would probably go for that. My understanding is that when a compressor has to run a lot, it wears out faster. The ideal would be a 2 HP with 13 gal. capacity or more, but (again, just what I get from reading) 1 HP is sufficient.

In a quick search I couldn't find where I called for 13 gallons, but Teonzo recommended it. Certainly the more capacity, the better (within reason), but beware of noise levels (the decibel levels are usually provided).