Rice cooker (analog, because the power goes out here in Panama every once in awhile) connected to a Dorkfood sous vide temperature controller set at 93F. Cocoa butter in small glass jars in baggies. Probe from the controller into the rice cooker, held down with the lid. Water in rice cooker up the side of the jars about half way. Total equipment cost about $125. I've been using this for several months now and it works like a charm. Perfectly tempered chocolate in minutes. The water really isn't an issue, but I'm careful to pat the jar dry when I pull it out of the baggie and before I unscrew the top.
A tall, plastic drinking glass that is a few inches shorter than the bag; drape the top over the edge of the glass. Fill the bag, scrape along the edge if you like and then pull it up and out and proceed to pipe. Been doing it this way for years. The reason you get blank stares is that most pastry professionals are accustomed to holding it in one hand and filling with the other...I never could master that.
Clay, I'm a former Los Angelino now living in Panama (and making chocolate in the Chiriqui Highlands). I will be visiting family in Los Angeles in mid-May and would LOVE to find Solbeso. Will be available for purchase by then? The company website says they are not yet launched in CA.
Depending on how warm it gets without air conditioning, you might be able to do what I have done. I have a farmer's market table and my faux chocolates survived pretty well this summer, as long as they were not getting any direct sunlight. Imelt compound chocolate (I used the Wilton dark chocolate candy melts (they also have a lighter "milk chocolate" color) with soy wax, and pour the melted combination into my molds. I use magnetic molds, so it's pretty easy to get the chocolate out, even though it doesn't crystallize and shrink like real chocolate. The compound chocolate has a higher melting point than regular and the wax is even higher, so together they hold up pretty well and I can display the transfer sheet design in a way I couldn't do with styrofoam, clay, etc.If you do enrobed chocolates, you could use some other substance (e.g. modeling clay) for the shape and dip it in the same mixture to get the real couverture appearance. Just be sure the display is out of reach of direct sunlight from windows and doors.
Nat,
You might want to try something like this:melt compound chocolate (which appears to have a melting temp of 110 or so) and soy wax together and mold. I tried this with some bon bons and they survived just fine for a few hours in the low to mid 80's, out of direct sunlight. They got soft but did not appear visibly melted and re-gained their shape when cooled. And, they look just like chocolate: 
Andal,
Where would we find information on your ECGC-12 SS melanger? I do not see it on the Cocoatown website.
