Silk screening

Have just secured a contract for some custom chocolates and am in the process of getting a silk-screened transfer made fo this job. As far as I know only PCB crations (France) can do this. Problem is, I'm getting the old French run-around and delayed delivery times.

If this contract goes out on time, I should be able to secure similar ones, and rather than rely on PCB I'd like to explore other options.

Does anyone know of other facilities (preferably in N. America) that can make custom chocolate transfers?

Is it possible to make my own transfers? I don't mind investing in silk-screen materials or technology, but don't have the slightest idea of how to go about it.

Regards
Edward

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on July 28, 2008 at 1:45pm

Edward:

In order to make your own transfers it really is necessary to use a food-grade photosensitive resist to make the screens. To the best of my knowledge there is no commercially available one though a very careful search with Google, et all, will reveal some home recipes for same.

One non-obvious source for transfers is Chef Rubber in Las Vegas. They'll do pretty much any size and colors you want and they use colored cocoa butters not hydrogenated fats as some other services do (or at least I have been told that they do).

You send them your digital file, they create a proof, you sign off and the transfers are produced and shipped.

Normal turnaround is a week though they can do it as fast as overnight if you are willing to pay.

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Permalink Reply by Edward on July 29, 2008 at 9:54pm

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Am doing my "homework" right now!

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Permalink Reply by Kerry on August 3, 2008 at 11:02pm

American Chocolate Designs can make custom for you.

I've been making my own transfer sheets by silk screening - click herefor a link to the discussion about it.

I'm new on this site, so I'm not sure if I'll add the link correctly, so bear with me.

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Permalink Reply by Edward on August 4, 2008 at 12:48am

Thanks for that link. Right now I'm exploring possibilities to print directly from an inkjet printer on to overhead transparancies. A lot of Cake decorating and rice paper technology out there, so it shouldn't be that work something out.

Right now I'm working on making my own magnetic molds from plexiglass. I've made some rolling cutters from pizza wheels and redi-rod (turned my own handles on a wood lathe) and scored a wire cookie log cutter that enables me to slice logs of ganache into perfect 3/8" thick slices.

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Permalink Reply by Kerry on August 4, 2008 at 6:55am

You sound like my kind of chocolatier. Can't wait to see your magnetic mold results!

The one issue I have with the inkjet printing is lack of intensity of colour. Not sure how well your image will show against dark chocolate.