How do they do that? (the bonbon thread)

[gfron1]

12 hours ago, Sweet Impact Mama said:

I was wondering about that. It would seem to be terribly time consuming if you have to do it one at a time. Tho, since they aren't particularly thin, they might have a silicone mold that does it, with the blister transfers that PastryGirl mentioned above.

 

What if...they fill the cap and as it firms up but is still wet, set it on the mold which would make it adhere and then easier to remove the cap from the chocolate.

[Madsandersen]

Now I tried the white in the back, and it is wonderful! My new concern is that when I spray my molds with the colored cocoa butter, it will not be smooth. The appearance is spotted, how can I avoid that? It is alright that the colors I apply like yellow, red and green is spotted, but when I have to coat the colors with white, the white is also spotted, and the problem is that when I fill with chocolate the white cocoa butter forms a pattern with the chocolate, which is undesired! Do you understand my question?  

Thanks! (I know that they look poisonous! I was just playing around with the colors 😂)

[gfron1]

It just looks like you need to give it a second coat and also hit the mold from all directions. It is possible that you need a more saturated color, but if it is a purchased white (v. mixed yourself) then I assume the saturation is good for back coating.

[Madsandersen]

What do you mean by hit the mold? When applying the colored cocoa butter with airbrush it wouldn't help to hit the mold, cause it is so thin layer? Or am I wrong?  

[Jim D.]

 

1 hour ago, Madsandersen said:

Now I tried the white in the back, and it is wonderful! My new concern is that when I spray my molds with the colored cocoa butter, it will not be smooth. The appearance is spotted, how can I avoid that? It is alright that the colors I apply like yellow, red and green is spotted, but when I have to coat the colors with white, the white is also spotted, and the problem is that when I fill with chocolate the white cocoa butter forms a pattern with the chocolate, which is undesired! Do you understand my question?  

 

My guess is that it is your airbrushing technique causing the spotting. It is ironic that many of us try to achieve this splattering effect with an airbrush (as a decorative technique) without success, and you have done it without even trying! What airbrush are you using and what is your setup? What size is the nozzle? Do you use a compressor? Do you keep your cocoa butter flowing by using a heat gun frequently? You might want to check Youtube for help avoiding splattering when using an airbrush (since it is considered a defect in normal airbrushing). In some of your pieces you have the "orange peel" look, and there is a lot online about avoiding that. You need to avoid being very close to the mold when airbrushing and make several passes rather than try for saturation all at once. When I am airbrushing a half-sphere of around 35mm diameter, it takes me about 4 passes to get full coverage. Some people try to do in one pass, but in layers. There is a long thread on airbrushing technique here on eGullet, and if you haven't read through that, you should. Glad that including a white layer worked as it should.

[Sweet Impact Mama]

10 hours ago, gfron1 said:

What if...they fill the cap and as it firms up but is still wet, set it on the mold which would make it adhere and then easier to remove the cap from the chocolate.

I think that would work... but then do they cut out a custom transfer sheet, to lay in each cap, to get the logo of each beer?

[DeanTheBaker]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOR7OKF4q7

 

these look more like jewelry than chocolate.. 😱😱

[Sweet Impact Mama]

1 hour ago, Madsandersen said:

Now I tried the white in the back, and it is wonderful! My new concern is that when I spray my molds with the colored cocoa butter, it will not be smooth. The appearance is spotted, how can I avoid that? It is alright that the colors I apply like yellow, red and green is spotted, but when I have to coat the colors with white, the white is also spotted, and the problem is that when I fill with chocolate the white cocoa butter forms a pattern with the chocolate, which is undesired! Do you understand my question?  

Thanks! (I know that they look poisonous! I was just playing around with the colors 😂)

 

 

Being rather new to the airbrushing world, myself, I still get impatient and end up getting too close to the blasted mold and get that splattered coverage. I like the swirl effect you got on the far right one, middle row! Might try to come up with that sort of look for my peppermint ones, this winter. Your colors are really popping now!

 

[Sweet Impact Mama]

Just now, DeanTheBaker said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOR7OKF4q7

 

these look more like jewelry than chocolate.. 😱😱

I know, right?!? These are just exquisite. I want to know what gold they are using to get that really full, burnished look.

[gfron1]

1 hour ago, Madsandersen said:

What do you mean by hit the mold? When applying the colored cocoa butter with airbrush it wouldn't help to hit the mold, cause it is so thin layer? Or am I wrong?  

Sorry, challenges with the English language.

 

By hit, I mean spray the mold a second time or maybe even a third. I generally do straight down, then angled for the four sides. That gives a consistent coating of cocoa butter.

[YetiChocolates]

1 hour ago, DeanTheBaker said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOR7OKF4q7

 

these look more like jewelry than chocolate.. 😱😱

 

These are pretty darn impressive. When people say my chocolates say they look like jewelry I should show them these!

[Madsandersen]

2 hours ago, Jim D. said:

 

My guess is that it is your airbrushing technique causing the spotting. It is ironic that many of us try to achieve this splattering effect with an airbrush (as a decorative technique) without success, and you have done it without even trying! What airbrush are you using and what is your setup? What size is the nozzle? Do you use a compressor? Do you keep your cocoa butter flowing by using a heat gun frequently? You might want to check Youtube for help avoiding splattering when using an airbrush (since it is considered a defect in normal airbrushing). In some of your pieces you have the "orange peel" look, and there is a lot online about avoiding that. You need to avoid being very close to the mold when airbrushing and make several passes rather than try for saturation all at once. When I am airbrushing a half-sphere of around 35mm diameter, it takes me about 4 passes to get full coverage. Some people try to do in one pass, but in layers. There is a long thread on airbrushing technique here on eGullet, and if you haven't read through that, you should. Glad that including a white layer worked as it should.

 

Thank you for the reply!

I am using the cheapest I could find (120USD, bought in Denmark) it is called PME airbrush & compressor kit. The nozzle diameter is 0,3 mm and the max pressure is 25 PSI. I am using a hairdryer frequently to keep the cocoa butter at around 32 degrees celcius. 

I would try to check Youtube and read the thread here on eGullet!  

[Madsandersen]

2 hours ago, gfron1 said:

Sorry, challenges with the English language.

 

By hit, I mean spray the mold a second time or maybe even a third. I generally do straight down, then angled for the four sides. That gives a consistent coating of cocoa butter.

 

Alright! I would try to do that  

I just think that the amount of cocoa butter coming out from my airbrush is very little? But I will try!

[Madsandersen]

2 hours ago, Sweet Impact Mama said:

Being rather new to the airbrushing world, myself, I still get impatient and end up getting too close to the blasted mold and get that splattered coverage. I like the swirl effect you got on the far right one, middle row! Might try to come up with that sort of look for my peppermint ones, this winter. Your colors are really popping now!

 

That might be the problem, I will try avoiding that  

[Rajala]

There's also the possibility that the pressure is too low, which create particles that are too big.

 

I'm not sure what the intent was with the one pictured, with the mould, but that clearly needs way more color to get a solid look.

[pastrygirl]

54 minutes ago, Madsandersen said:

 it is called PME airbrush & compressor kit. The nozzle diameter is 0,3 mm and the max pressure is 25 PSI. I am using a hairdryer frequently to keep the cocoa butter at around 32 degrees celcius. 

 

 

I think you'd get much better coverage with higher PSI, and ideally a larger nozzle too.  I use 0.5 mm nozzle and usually spray around 60 PSI.  Cacao butter is thicker than airbrush inks or food colors, so you need more pressure to push it through the gun, especially to push it through the smaller nozzle.  So for now, just keep going with more layers of color until you get the saturation you want.  I initially bought an airbrush with a 0.3 nozzle and it was slow going so I bought the large nozzle and now it is much easier.

 

But even if you didn't get the smooth color you were hoping for, they still look great!

[Rajala]

Oh, I didn't notice the PSI and nozzle there.

 

As pastrygirl write, what's recommended is 60 PSI. But for someone's sake, don't do 60 PSI just on your countertop in your kitchen without covering half your kitchen in plastic, because that will get you color everywhere - at least while using a HVLP gun. Based on what you write, it sounds like you have a regular airbrush. I usually use an 0,8mm nozzle and 30-40 PSI and that works out fine for me. 

[pastrygirl]

4 hours ago, Sweet Impact Mama said:

I think that would work... but then do they cut out a custom transfer sheet, to lay in each cap, to get the logo of each beer?

 

See, that's why I think it's a custom, pre-printed blister in the shape of a bottle cap.  I don't think you could get those uniformly scalloped bottle cap edges with a transfer sheet in there, especially the  yellow one that is full color.  Moonstruck is good sized (I mean, they're no Hershey's, but pretty big for a local/artisan operation), they still do a lot of hand work but cutting circles of transfer sheets to lay in individual bottle caps sounds way too tedious for more than the first couple dozen.  Production-wise, if you had a sheet of blisters and could pipe a bit of chocolate into each then press in the molded part, that would go quickly.

Edited September 1, 2018 by pastrygirl (log)

[gfron1]

1 hour ago, Madsandersen said:

 

Alright! I would try to do that  

I just think that the amount of cocoa butter coming out from my airbrush is very little? But I will try!

Pull your needle back to create greater air flow.

[gfron1]

5 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

 

See, that's why I think it's a custom, pre-printed blister in the shape of a bottle cap.  I don't think you could get those uniformly scalloped bottle cap edges with a transfer sheet in there, especially the  yellow one that is full color.  Moonstruck is good sized (I mean, they're no Hershey's, but pretty big for a local/artisan operation), they still do a lot of hand work but cutting circles of transfer sheets to lay in individual bottle caps sounds way too tedious for more than the first couple dozen.  Production-wise, if you had a sheet of blisters and could pipe a bit of chocolate into each then press in the molded part, that would go quickly.

 

I looked again and because you can see that its white chocolate with yellow coloring only on the surface I'm more confident that they made a custom mold.

[Madsandersen]

2 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

 

I think you'd get much better coverage with higher PSI, and ideally a larger nozzle too.  I use 0.5 mm nozzle and usually spray around 60 PSI.  Cacao butter is thicker than airbrush inks or food colors, so you need more pressure to push it through the gun, especially to push it through the smaller nozzle.  So for now, just keep going with more layers of color until you get the saturation you want.  I initially bought an airbrush with a 0.3 nozzle and it was slow going so I bought the large nozzle and now it is much easier.

 

But even if you didn't get the smooth color you were hoping for, they still look great!

 

I will try applying more color in more layers! Maybe buy a better airbrush one day  

[Madsandersen]

2 hours ago, gfron1 said:

Pull your needle back to create greater air flow.

It is already all the way back! But thanks!

[Madsandersen]

Which chocolate percentage would you recommend for chocolate art? (strong chocolate, if that is a term 😂), I have an idea that white and milk chocolate is more soft than darker chocolate, but is there a percentage that is the best? If I need "strong" chocolate for chocolate art/sculptures?  

[Madsandersen]

16 minutes ago, Madsandersen said:

Which chocolate percentage would you recommend for chocolate art? (strong chocolate, if that is a term 😂), I have an idea that white and milk chocolate is more soft than darker chocolate, but is there a percentage that is the best? If I need "strong" chocolate for chocolate art/sculptures?  

 

And which fluidity would you recommend? (fx Callebaut)

[curls]

Here is another link to those moonstruck chocolates https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/news/pass-fail-moonstruck-chocolates-beer-truffles/  definitely a mold of some sort for the bottle cap - they all look the same and have the crimping. Wonder if it is a two piece chocolate or one piece. I have found images where it looks like people were able to remove it from the chocolate.