Basic Chocolate Mold Painting Instructions

By Bob Sherman

This article shows the procedure for basic single layer chocolate mold painting.

Many of the items you may need can be ordered directly from this page for your convenience.

PLEASE NOTE!! - Although chocolate making is relatively safe for the entire family to participate, adult supervision is required.

Chocolate
I prefer to use chocolate wafers designed for home molding chocolate. My preferred brand is Merckens which works well with all chocolate molding projects and tastes great. Although illustrated with milk chocolate, white chocolate also looks very good on these.

Thinning Chocolate
Generally milk and dark chocolate will flow smoothly when melted. Colors (and sometimes white) are often thicker when melted and should be thinned with paramount crystals to make them flow better.

Melting Chocolate
For a small project like this either melting method may be used.

Double Boiler / Fondue Pot.

1. Place chocolate in the pot.
2. Heat until creamy.
3. Check to make sure the temperature is no higher than 160 degrees F. before pouring. Pouring chocolate molds hotter than this will destroy the mold.

A microwave may also be used but care must be taken not to overheat the chocolate.

1. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Heat for 30 seconds.
3. Remove and stir.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the chocolate is creamy.
5. Check to make sure the temperature is no higher than 160 degrees F. before pouring. Pouring chocolate molds hotter than this will destroy the mold. Do not place the thermometer in the microwave!

1. No modifications to the mold is needed.	2. Melt a couple white chocolate wafers. Using a paintbrush, a thin layer is applied. At this stage we just need to be careful to avoid any air bubbles and to stay within the outline of what is being painted (a bow in this case).
3. Next, go over all the areas again using a dabbing motion with the brush to leave a thicker layer of chocolate. Note: a rough surface on the inside does not matter since it will be hidden.	4. After the painted areas have cooled, turn the mold over and inspect for trapped air bubbles.
5.Hold the mold up to a light. If you see any thin spots in the painted area touch them up and allow to cool before proceeding.	6. Fill the molds with a contrasting color. The depth of this mold greatly increases the chances of trapped air. This can be reduced by pouring the chocolate into one corner and allow it it to flow across, however several hard raps against the counter should also be done. It is very important that these be as level as possible for best appearance so I allow the surface to harden before moving the mold to the freezer.
7. The finished box. With a bit of patience, nice neat painting can be done by anyone.	NOTE: This mold also has some engagement rings on it - these are so small that they are difficult to fill and once done so fragile they break very easily. I do not recommend using the ring portion of this mold.

Chocolate Making Supplies And Materials

The following chocolate making supplies and other materials were used to make this project. Clicking on the item name will bring you to that item's page with a full description and ordering information.

Support Free Projects
You can help ensure the continued availabilty and production of free chocolate projects by telling your friends about them. The more popular they are the more we can produce so tell your friends, mention them on message boards, link to them from your web site, etc... More information is available here.

Disclaimer: The information presented here is accurate to the best of my knowledge and common chocolate molding practices as of the time of this writing - December 2005. The author and the publisher accept no liability for the use or misuse of any of the information presented in this article. This articles is presented for informational purposes and is used at your own risk.

Author: Bob Sherman

Publisher: Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc.

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