They use these machines on the Barry Callebaut courses in Banbury - I attended one of the two day courses earlier in the year. 

The way we used them was to get the chocolate fully melted and then lower the temperature down to slightly less than tempering temperature. We then seeded the chocolate - you're right, most of the time it didn't quite melt all the chocolate - but then we used heat guns to gently warm the chocolate until the last of the seed had melted. We then used the heat gun every now and then to keep it in, or bring it back to, temper. We used the small hobby heat guns but you can get a quicker result with a proper DIY style one...

I've not done much since the course but am considering buying one of these machines myself so I would recommend them.

Hope that helps!

Cheers

Paul

I'm new to the forum, but have been working with chocolate since being made redundant in April. I've been tempering chocolate using the microwave and a bain maire (bowl over warm water(.

As I do several farmers markets and supply to a couple of shops I;m looking to increase my productivity. Hence I have just hired a KeyChoc CH08 melting tempering machine.  After several nights of trying to temp I'm about the throw the thing back into the box and never look at it again. Grrrr.....!

Does anyone have any tips on using this type of machine. I bought 2 1/4 Vats. But find it takes ages for the chocolate to come down to working temp, by which time its going goey. These work on the seed method.

The temp of the choc comes down to 32.7 and seems to stick at this point. There is no point in putting more seed in at this stage as it just won't melt.

Any tips most welcome.

Sue