Chocolate tray suggestions

[Westy]

I am trying to figure out how to make a chocolate tray to hold Chocolate puzzle pieces that fit together but don’t lock tight to each other. For packaging purposes they need a base to keep them together, so my idea is a tray. I’ve trolled the internet for solutions and came up empty. The 4x4 x .75 inches is approximate finished size. Suggestions welcome. 

Thanks.

[teonzo]

If you google <<acetate box 4" x 4">>:

https://www.google.com/search?q=acetate+box+4"+x+4"

you get plenty of results. Many boxes are too high, many producers will be based in another country, but you should be able to find something suitable for you.

 

Those puzzles look great!

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Westy]

Thanks Teonzo. I really was thinking of serving it up in a chocolate tray. Maybe overkill. 

[Pastrypastmidnight]

You want to make a tray out of chocolate—so you need a mold that size? Or you want the chocolate pieces in a plastic tray within the box?

[pastrygirl]

Something like this?  They have too big or too small ...

https://www.aspecialtybox.com/9099

https://www.aspecialtybox.com/9098

 

[teonzo]

11 hours ago, Westy said:

Thanks Teonzo. I really was thinking of serving it up in a chocolate tray. Maybe overkill. 

 

Wops, my bad, I misunderstood.

 

So you want to make a tray made of chocolate, so you can lay the puzzle on this chocolate tray? The problem here is that if you use a simple mold with a rectangular cavity then you get the shiny surface on the bottom of the chocolate tray and not on top, not what you want I suppose. So you need an unpside down mold, never seen anything similar for sale by any chocolate mold producer.

 

Only two solutions I can think of are:

- make a custom mold, which is pretty expensive since if you make it by yourself then you need many molds (it's not cost effective to use only one mold), if you order them from a producer then price skyrockets;

- confide in your luck and go on the hunt for something that you can use as a mold but its native use was something completely different. Ashtrays come to mind for this. Maybe you can find a rectangular ashtray with the correct dimensions and that is hollow on the base (you would pour the chocolate on the bottom side, not the one you use for ash). Try looking at 1 dollar stores, supermarkets and so on, hoping luck is on your side!

 

 

 

Teo

 

[JeanneCake]

One possible option, if you don't mind the quality of the container,  is to make your own tray from modeling (plastique) chocolate or chocolate (rolled) fondant.  You would roll out the fondant or plastique, cut it to your dimensions, place the puzzle then cut a thin strip to go all around the outside edge.  It's too tedious for volume work but until you find a mold or something (from a hardware store, it's amazing what you can repurpose from there, even a very thick block of wood or glass) to use it might work.  I also want to say that PCB might have something but you've probably already looked there....

[Westy]

11 hours ago, Pastrypastmidnight said:

You want to make a tray out of chocolate—so you need a mold that size? Or you want the chocolate pieces in a plastic tray within the box? Your correct, make a tray out of  chocolate. Thanks 

 

[Westy]

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone. I’ll continue my search for the right dimensions. The ASB trays 8oz too big and 3 oz too small. However that is the right idea. 

[pastrygirl]

You could skip the tray and use a box like this, https://glerup.com/shop-now-candy-packaging/clear-candy-containers/rectangle-square-truffle-candy-boxes/clear-md-clear-square-4-1-2-x-4-1-2-x-1.html

 

this would be a tighter fit but too tall, i guess you could add a base or filler https://glerup.com/shop-now-candy-packaging/clear-candy-containers/rectangle-square-truffle-candy-boxes/clear-4pc-large-truffle-box-4-1-4-x-4-1-4x1-5-8.html

 

How many of these do you plan to make?  What if you didn't assemble the puzzle, but packed the pieces as normal for people to put together themselves?  Either in a tray or just random in a box?  https://www.aspecialtybox.com/893

 

 

 

[teonzo]

I'm still pretty confused: are you looking for a mold that gives you a chocolate tray (a molded tray made of chocolate where to lay the puzzles), or are you simply looking for a box of the right dimensions?

If it's the second, then you find a boatload of sites selling every kind of boxes of your required dimensions, just click on the google search I wrote in my first answer.

This is just one:

https://www.rmboxes.com/pastries/cookiegiftbox.html

there are hundreds more.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Westy]

17 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

You could skip the tray and use a box like this, https://glerup.com/shop-now-candy-packaging/clear-candy-containers/rectangle-square-truffle-candy-boxes/clear-md-clear-square-4-1-2-x-4-1-2-x-1.html

 

this would be a tighter fit but too tall, i guess you could add a base or filler https://glerup.com/shop-now-candy-packaging/clear-candy-containers/rectangle-square-truffle-candy-boxes/clear-4pc-large-truffle-box-4-1-4-x-4-1-4x1-5-8.html

 

How many of these do you plan to make?  What if you didn't assemble the puzzle, but packed the pieces as normal for people to put together themselves?  Either in a tray or just random in a box?  https://www.aspecialtybox.com/893

 

 

 

thanks for the resources. I’ll check them out. I won’t make a lot of these and prefer to sell them as a puzzle put together already for a more interesting presentation. If I don’t have to make a chocolate tray, that may be more efficient. 

[Westy]

8 hours ago, teonzo said:

I'm still pretty confused: are you looking for a mold that gives you a chocolate tray (a molded tray made of chocolate where to lay the puzzles), or are you simply looking for a box of the right dimensions?

If it's the second, then you find a boatload of sites selling every kind of boxes of your required dimensions, just click on the google search I wrote in my first answer.

This is just one:

https://www.rmboxes.com/pastries/cookiegiftbox.html

there are hundreds more.

 

 

 

Teo

 

Thanks for the resource Teo. I’ll scour the site and see if there is a match for the size needed. 

[teonzo]

You asked for a 4" x 4" x 0.75" box, the last link I gave points to various boxes which sizes are 4" x 4" x 1". You just need to open the link and see that those boxes are made with the measures you requested.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Westy]

1 hour ago, teonzo said:

You asked for a 4" x 4" x 0.75" box, the last link I gave points to various boxes which sizes are 4" x 4" x 1". You just need to open the link and see that those boxes are made with the measures you requested.

 

 

 

Teo

 

Yes that is the right size. I appreciate this information Teo. 

[Westy]

On 3/11/2019 at 11:33 PM, pastrygirl said:

You could skip the tray and use a box like this, https://glerup.com/shop-now-candy-packaging/clear-candy-containers/rectangle-square-truffle-candy-boxes/clear-md-clear-square-4-1-2-x-4-1-2-x-1.html

 

this would be a tighter fit but too tall, i guess you could add a base or filler https://glerup.com/shop-now-candy-packaging/clear-candy-containers/rectangle-square-truffle-candy-boxes/clear-4pc-large-truffle-box-4-1-4-x-4-1-4x1-5-8.html

 

How many of these do you plan to make?  What if you didn't assemble the puzzle, but packed the pieces as normal for people to put together themselves?  Either in a tray or just random in a box?  https://www.aspecialtybox.com/893

 

 

 

Thanks again. I think the first one will work for me, if I can find an insert or something to take up the extra 1/2”.