Candy Makers? Mold making for candy or cookies

[Mayo]

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried making molds for candy or cookies?

I've never done it before but here's what I've done so far.
(Please feel free to comment and voice opinions good or bad.)

I wanted to try and create a unique shape of chocolate so I cut the shape
into some 3/4 inch thick MDF. I realize MDF probably has adhesives and mildewcides and who knows what else in it, so I put three coats of shellac on the entire mold to seal it.

The reason for shellac is because once dry, shellac is basically considered non toxic and food safe.

The mold is 1/2 inch deep and I cut it with a flat bottom bit.
Although I intend to coat the mold with something like Pam vegetable spray, I'm wondering if the sharp edge inside the mold is going to be a problem. Maybe I should have used a ball nose bit?

Also because of the straight bit, the sides are 90 degrees, so the chocolate may not come out of the mold as easily as if the sides had a taper.

I was thinking of just melting the chocolate in a double boiler in a measuring cup with a spout, then just pour it into the mold. Then I was going to put the mold into the fridge or just let it air cool until it hardens. Then flip it over and hopefully out pops the chocolate in one (uniquely shaped) piece.

If the chocolate doesn't work, my other options were something like peanut brittle or cookie dough. With the cookie idea I would just flour the mold and press the dough into it. Then flip over onto a baking sheet and bake until done.

If the basic idea seems like it could work, I'll probably make the next mold from polyethylene cutting board material.

[steve_g]

Mayo:

It sounds like fun! Especially with holiday seasons just around the corner. I'll bet some "must have" molds can be developed! I think that the Poly mold idea will be accepted easier that MDF. I also think that the square sided recesses will not yield their product readily. Some V-carved patterns will result in pockets with tapered sides and interesting shapes.

Here's my first quick Idea, with others to follow...

Steve

[myxpykalix]

if it was me i think i'd rather make the molds out of wood and basically coat it with a food safe oil like they do for cutting boards.

maybe make them out of corian?:confused:

[Brady Watson]

Mayo,
I have a few concerns about using MDF around anything that remotely has food in it, on it or around it. In a word, formaldehyde...I like having you around, you seem like a nice guy. Please use something else!

Having machined or fabricated several different types of molds, including those for candies, car parts and other stuff, it is important to realize a few things. One, the bot is an excellent mold master creating machine. It excels at machining perfect masters to create molds from. The only types of molds that are usually ready for service right off the bot are ones that are for fiberglass, thermoforming and stamping.

Because the molds you'd machine have rigid sides, it is hard or impossible to get the casted part out of the mold. Sometimes you can get by with using HDPE to pour melted chocolate into and flip the mold over when cooled to get the goodies out...but sometimes they get locked in - especially if you have some machining lines on the mold.

If you want to be successful, here's how I would do it. Machine a positive/male mold master - aka a perfect object machined carefully with a tight stepover. Then sand it to perfection. Seal it with shellac and buff with wax. Then, create your mold using food safe platinum silicone, not tin silicone. This will give you a nice non-stick mold that will allow you to have straight sides (no draft) and allow stuff to be released from it easily. Plus, it can go into the oven if you decide to make cookies or something shaped, without any ill effects on the mold, or YOU!

If you are doing very, very shallow casting of chocolate, then you can get away with rigid molds under 3/16" thick. If you have a thermoformer, then you can do all sorts of neat stuff - I am sure you've seen these types of molds.

-B

[bill.young]

Russ Todd at Widgetworks has some very inexpensive vacuformers (http://www.widgetworksunlimited.com/12_x12_Hobby_Vacuum_Former_p/vf-12x12-vac_former.htm) that we've had a lot of fun with at Maker Faires. We cut plugs out of signfoam...Mustangs at the Ford museum in Detroit, skulls in New York...and then vacuformed sheets of styrene over them using a $29 electric hibachi from Walmart as a heat source.

I don't know anything about the food-safety of the various plastics, but I'm sure you can find that on the web or from a plastics supplier...Norva Plastics (http://www.norvaplastics.com/) in Norfolk Virginia is our favorite.

For less than $200 you can get setup.

[harold_weber]

I've made several molds for plaster castings and basically do what Brady says with one exception. I use tapered ball-nosed bits to make the male wood masters, either 1.5 or 2 degree taper per side. My local machine shop supply dealer gets me the bits from Conical Tools.

[upsman]

http://www.warmplastic.com/food.html Here is one a place were a you can get Clear Food Safe Plastic .030" (.76mm). You should shop around to find the best price.

Hope this helps

[hh_woodworking]

This is a project that I use to challenge my beginning students in a exploring technology class. You must have reliefs in the molds straight won't release the chocolate. We use corain or color core plastic for the molds. Picture of a first attempt

[garyb]

We create master chocolate & soap molds all the time, sometimes in aluminum for customers but mostly cut in mdf and send to our thermoformer.
we usually pull 4 plastic food safe molds off the master at a time.
put a draft angle on your master and you will find things will go a lot better.
you may also look at creating a silicon mold.
Gary

[paulkiecka]

I would make the shape out of wood then use food grade silicon to make a mold from that.

http://www.makeyourownmolds.com/silicone-plastique

[billp]

Paul,
Great link, thanks for posting it !!!

[Mayo]

Thank you everyone for the great responses!

Before checking back here I made a small mold using some scrap HDPE.
Thinking it would be slick enough to release the chocolate on it's own, I went ahead and tried it. My design was carved about 3/16 deep in total. I used a 1/8 inch ball nose bit for the entire design.

Melting the chocolate and spooning it into the mold was no problem. I tapped against the side of it to remove any trapped air bubbles. Then I put it in the fridge for about an hour and a half.

My assumption was incorrect and the HDPE did not release the chocolate.
I turned it over and banged it on a cutting board a few times and the chocolate cracked before it started to loosen up. I then had to remove the remaining chocolate with a butter knife. Based on this result, I won't be using the larger MDF mold I made.

All was not lost - I got to eat my failure anyways!
(Something I can't do with my wooden or foam projects)

I'm definitely going to make another original model from wood or HDPE and this time mold it in silicone. If possible I'll try and take photos during the process.

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions and advice!

[garyb]

Mayo, HDPE is not a good choice as a finished mold.
alum, polycarbonate or silicone are your best choices. We use petg
I presumed you used the correct chocolate and that you tempered ( approx 86° - 89° depending on chocolate).
You do not need a release agent, once placed in frig or freezer it will pop from the mold once the correct set temp is achieved. With Polycarbonate molds you just turn them over and they fall out, Silicone you give the mold a bit of a twisting motion to release, never poured in the Alum ones.
Gary

[dana_swift]

Mayo- if you want to use HDPE, you need to use an edible mold release agent..

With food its called "pam".

Try it.

D