Jim D.

See the post from @pastrygirl a few posts above yours for her method. I leave the cocoa butter in the airbrush and melt it out the next time. You should definitely not use soap or solvent to clean it. I'm not sure what good would come from the use of oil.

You could stop using Himalayan salt and see if the taste improves. I once sprinkled pink Himalayan salt on some caramels dipped in chocolate, and it came close to ruining them--overwhelming salty taste.

@RobertM answered your questions. I would just add that most people do not temper cocoa butter--at least not in any traditional way (the way I see most often is partially melting the bottle contents, then shaking the bottle and assuming the c.b. is in temper)--but obviously Bob tempers his and I do as well. If I overheat it in the melting process, I use a dab of cocoa butter silk from the EZtemper. I always test the c.b. for temper. This may seem extreme, but I figure that if I do all I can and the c.b. still sticks in the mold, then at least it isn't because I skipped a step that I could have easily taken. As to your question about "being sure," oh that certainty were a possibility. Yesterday I unmolded 21 pieces decorated with red and gold c.b.: 20 chocolates fell out of the inverted mold with no effort whatever; after considerable banging on the counter, the 21st came out, leaving bits of red and gold c.b. behind. It does seem to me that certain shapes can sometimes be more difficult, such as domes, but that may be my imagination. All sorts of theories have been proposed as to the cause of sticking c.b. (you didn't notice but you touched the mold with a warm finger in a certain place and the chocolate in that spot stuck, or c.b. in the airbrush got too warm), but I think all of us know of cases that disprove such theories. My "solution": Always make more bonbons than you need and try to relax about the failures. Another actual solution: Use magnetic molds with transfer sheets--which never stick. But where's the challenge with that?

Bought the Martha Stewart tape, cut a strip of the 1/4", and placed it in a demisphere mold (I can't imagine doing this in one that is more "enclosed," such as a dome). The first time I added colored cocoa butter with a finger. It got under the tape everywhere, total mess. Second time: On the second try I pressed the tape as firmly against the polycarbonate as I could, pressed it again, then sprayed with airbrush. It's the closest I have ever come to success with striping, but obviously, not good enough. The cocoa butter seems to bond together so much that it comes off in chunks (as paint does sometimes). Perhaps the tape should be removed when the c.b. is still a bit wet? If it weren't obvious already, I am not Melissa Coppel.

@Rajala, I am very pleased with my compressor and the Grex airbrush with the 0.7mm nozzle. It's not perfect, but it's better than my previous setup. I would love to have the Fuji spray gun system, but I saw it in action last year and it would be overkill for my production. Do I think I might someday want something more? No, I don't. If I ever changed my mind, it would be to get the Fuji (don't look at their website--you'll end up moving to a larger apartment to make room for it). If I were doing velveting, I would probably buy an inexpensive paint sprayer. Compressors fill with air with the maximum noise (the California Air Tool one I have is not loud at all, especially after you get used to it), then shut off while you continue to use the air until the pressure drops to a preset point, then the motor switches on again and compresses more air. The 2010 compressor motor, with its smaller tank, would have to run more often. I would estimate in my setup the compressor maintains usable PSI for several minutes (not just a few seconds) before the motor kicks in again--but during the whole process there is always a supply of compressed air for the airbrush and I never have to wait for it to get back up to usable PSI. I have uploaded the diagram (note that it was provided by Grex and so uses their part numbers) to my website: http://www.jamesdutton.net/chocolates/airbrush_setup_diagram.pdf

@Rajala, I looked up the specs on 3 California Air Tools compressors and took the prices from Amazon: The 4620, the one I actually got: 2HP maximum PSI of 125 holds 4.6 gal. 2 tanks runs at 70 decibels costs $280.60 The 4610, the one I originally ordered: 1HP maximum PSI of 120 holds 4.6 gal. 2 tanks runs at 60 decibels costs $197.50 The 2010 that you mentioned: 1HP maximum PSI of 90 holds 2 gal. 1 tank runs at 60 decibels costs $165 I was told that the advantage of two air tanks is that any moisture drains from the top one to the bottom, dissipating on the way down to where the release value is located. With an added moisture trap, I don't think that is a big issue (just my opinion). As you would be seeking max pressure of around 60 PSI, any of the three will easily accomplish that. I think the 2010 is less expensive because it has only one tank, reaches a lower PSI than the others, and holds 2 gal. (meaning it would take longer to fill each time the pressure diminishes). The 4620 is a bit louder. If space is a major consideration, then the 2010, with only one tank, would be less tall, though I think it occupies the same floor space as the others. Yes, I did the research, but I knew absolutely nothing about air compressors when I started and got all this information from the web, eGullet, and Grex support staff. I am "mechanically challenged," to put it gently and would be embarrassed if anyone saw the length of the email chain between me and Grex. Please feel to ask any more questions, and I will answer if I can.

Grex recommends a 1HP compressor for use with its airbrush with a 0.5 or 0.7mm nozzle (0.7 is the largest they make). When I ordered my setup, they were out of the 1HP and so I got a 2HP for the same price. The compressor was a California Air Tools compressor (model 4620), rebranded by Grex. I don't know where you are located, so don't know what is available to you. This compressor is advertised as unusually quiet (the company has a video demonstrating its sound level). It's not huge, but it is considerably larger than my earlier compressor. If you do go with a larger compressor, then yes, you should probably add a moisture trap (these are very inexpensive), especially if you are in a climate that has high humidity. If you get to that point, I have a very helpful diagram that the support person at Grex sent me showing how the whole system fits together and what to buy to make it work. But on reading your restated numbers (two molds at a time) and considering your space and noise limitations, I think you may have to settle for something on a smaller scale. As for using one device for both applications (bon bon decorating and velvet spraying), unless you really thin out chocolate with a lot of cocoa butter, I think chocolate is more viscous than cocoa butter by itself, so I doubt that an airbrush would do the velvet spray you want, but I have never tried that. Every video I have seen shows a sprayer type machine in use (such as one of the Krea sprayers or a regular paint gun). High-volume chocolatiers use a sprayer for decorating their molds, but the reservoirs on those hold a lot of cocoa butter, so you could use a sprayer for both applications, but, for chocolates, you would need a (probably prohibitively) large amount of cocoa butter.

From my experience with the Grex airbrush (detailed in the airbrush thread) I think you would be happier with 60PSI. I got by for a few years with a small compressor providing less air, but the difference is dramatic. The compressor to which you linked is not inexpensive, but with a few more dollars (pounds), you can get more. I would think a primary consideration for you is whether you think you will ever increase your production beyond the 15 molds you mention (I also began this as a hobby). Lower PSI = slower production (sometimes maddeningly slower). No matter which setup you have, you will have to stop from time to time to heat up the cocoa butter; with a higher PSI, you will not need to do this as often and the maddening factor is diminished. Although some airbrush/cocoa butter experts say only a higher PSI can produce the desirable shine, I did not have noticeable difficulty with getting a shine with my previous compressor. So my advice would be that if you think (even dimly now) that you may do this as more than a hobby with 15 molds at a time, spend more money now for a good airbrush and higher PSI compressor and avoid my waste of money (not to mention having to decide how to get rid of the earlier compressor).

I plan to give that a try as well. If you do, it would be great to have photos or a description of what you did. The video moves so fast that it is difficult to decipher exactly how it was done. If I seem a little obsessed about achieving splatter, it's because I am. When I bought the Grex airbrush, I was told it could do splatter and indeed saw successful samples, but it turns out that works only for paint, not cocoa butter. I was planning to get a Fuji until I saw it in action in Las Vegas--it's just overkill for me. The spraying of cocoa butter dripped from a bottle is very erratic in its success, though I suppose, like everything else, one gets better with practice.

All it requires is a trip to a slightly expensive restaurant in Las Vegas or, in the case of the some of the techniques I recognized, to Savour school in Australia!

If that's the case, we definitely have to get @Kerry Beal to get us a supply!

Just came across this fairly new Youtube compilation of bonbon decorating techniques. It has some techniques already posted on eGullet, others I have not seen before. It shows making a stripe and (interesting to those of us who use Grex airbrushes) an adaptation added to the airbrush (I can't quite figure out what it is--looks like part of a ballpoint pen) to allow it to do splattering. Caution: envy will be stirred up!

That tape looks promising, even advertises "Prevents run under of paint." Having seen Melissa in action last year, I can easily picture her sticking that tape into mold cavities, piece by piece.

The biggest problem I have had is with cocoa butter seeping under the tape. The weaker the adhesive, the more the seepage. Did this tape prevent that? There appear to be a few small places along the edge of the stripe where the underlying color comes through, but that may be just the photo.

After the countless threads on making stripes on shells--with no clear winner--is this the holy grail of striping?

Very attractive. What did you use for the masking for the stripe?

I know what you mean. I am on his list to be notified about developments but have heard nothing lately. It did sound good. He is a very confident man. Supposedly he used it exclusively in his shop during the 2017 Christmas season.

@Anonymous, I agree with most of what you initially wrote about learning to make chocolates. I also think using attractive packaging goes a long way toward getting one's product accepted and even valued. I noticed the difference once I bought custom packaging, developed a logo and started using it all the time. At least in the U.S. decorating chocolates has become the norm. "Too pretty to eat" is what one hears all the time. I myself think colored cocoa butter (especially white) has an offputting odor and taste, but so far not a single customer has ever mentioned it. I gather you are in the UK, so I am a bit surprised that you mention decorating. From anecdotal and video evidence, I had thought that in Europe decorating was unusual. I too think the Keylink videos are very helpful--and they are rarely mentioned in people's lists of how to learn the trade. In those videos the man who does the teaching (with the wonderful accent) does decorate chocolates, but they are rather subtle decorations compared, for example, to those done by someone like Salvatore Martone in Las Vegas or Norman Love in Florida (allegedly the one who started decorating chocolates). Like you, I have a Chocovision Rev2 machine, which I use for dipping chocolates and for very small batches, but upgrading to the Delta machine made all the difference in the world. I can get so many other things done while it is tempering away. There is a new tempering machine supposedly coming out this year from Choklat in Canada that will be more programmable and will not have the style of baffle other machines use (and therefore molds can be emptied into it without making a mess).

@Lisa Shock, Thanks for those tips. I do have the dough well chilled before placing it in the oven, and any time it softens during the whole process, I stop and refrigerate it. And, of course (!), I use scales to measure ingredients. The CI recipe for crust using vodka is quite moist; do you find that works for my issue? I do make a crust that goes a bit beyond being crumbly because I find the frustration of having a crust crack, develop holes, etc. when rolling it out to be too much to stand. The recipe (for a single crust) calls for 4 oz. AP flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2.5 oz. chilled butter, .5 oz. chilled shortening, and a maximum of 1/4 cup ice water. Since I almost always prebake crusts to help with the soggy bottom problem, the oven is at 425F when the crust goes in (Rose Levy Beranbaum's recommendation). I have the fat in small pieces in the freezer a short time before starting, mix the fat and flour in the food processor, then take the crumbs out and add the water with a fork in a large mixing bowl so that I can see how moist the dough is getting (it's amazing how the amount of water differs from one time to another).

@gulfporter, Don't know how I missed both of those products, but they look very promising. I guess plastic has come a long way. Thanks for the information.

I can make a pie crust with a decent taste and flakiness (a Julia Child recipe), but I have never been able to make any sort of decorative edge on it. I can flute it beautifully, but once it gets in that oven, it loses all definition. Unlike the person who started this thread, I would very much like to have suggestions.

My current method is to melt the chocolate in the microwave, then pour it into the Chocovision Delta tempering machine I use for large amounts. That pre-melting speeds things up a huge amount. A thin lip is definitely an asset for the bowl--a pouring rim would be another improvement; when I pour from the Corningware, the chocolate inevitably rolls down the outside of the bowl. I also melt additional chocolate overnight in a bread proofer at a temp where it is definitely not in temper to deal with the issue of over-crystallization as time goes on. For that, I use a gigantic SS bowl. Ladles are another issue I was going to post about at some point. I found that a metal one causes the chocolate to solidify on it much too fast, so I switched to a large plastic one, but the ones I have found are rather thick plastic and so make precise pouring quite difficult. So far I have not located a large, thin plastic ladle.

There is a lot of discussion of this issue on the internet. The consensus seems to be that rounded items (such as bowls) are safe, but things with edges (such as foil) are not. Moving forward with that assumption is more than I am willing to risk. There are some SS bowls with outer plastic coating that are advertised as microwave-safe, but the plastic would make them unsuitable for placing on a hot surface and the ones I saw are too small for my purposes. I did some more checking online and did manage to come across a set of large plastic bowls that would fit in my microwave and would, I think, be perfect for melting chocolate. Needless to say, they don't fit the criteria I gave earlier, but they will make melting chocolate much easier (a 2.5-quart Corningware bowl with 3 kilos of chocolate in it presents quite a challenge in getting it from a microwave located on a shelf at eye level to a counter without a huge mess).

Thanks for the Corelle idea. It would be great but would need to be larger than they seem to make.

In my chocolate work I often microwave chocolate to get it started melting, then place it on a heat source to continue the melting (I have a stainless steel slab placed on top of a pot of hot water--this eliminates the condensation occurring when using a normal double boiler). Since the microwave eliminates using stainless steel, I use some Corningware baking dishes, but they are quite heavy when filled with chocolate and thus not ideal--their thick edges are also terrible for pouring chocolate, which runs down the outside. The perfect solution would be a large lightweight bowl that is microwave safe but could also be placed on the heated SS slab. This might sound like a hopeless search, but recently I saw such a microwave-safe metal bowl. I asked the person who brought it to a potluck dinner where he got it, and he did not remember, and there were no identifying markings on it. Is anyone familiar with what I am describing?