Has anyone out there had any experience with still-building? No, not for home brew, but i guess it would be the same. I'm interested in still-building for plant materials, maybe lavender and bee balm for their essential oils. thanks for any/all answers.

-- jeannie (mmp@theofficenet.com), April 06, 2001

Answers

Are you sure this is possible? I always thought a still was to extract lighter molecules. Perhaps what you need is a press of some kind. Maybe Earthmama would know, why don't you try emailing her.

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), April 06, 2001.

Sorry, no help here. I have made lots of infusions, but never delved into actually making essential oils. I am quite certain that depending on the herb/plant involved, on-farm steam extraction is possible. This is mentioned briefly in THE POTENTIAL OF HERBS AS A CASH CROP, by Richard Miller

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), April 06, 2001.

wont a still,, take the iffusion,, and purify it,, make it stronger??, could just boil it down I guess

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), April 06, 2001.

There is a great book by Grace Firth called Secrets of the Still. I believe she discusses distilling essential oils from herbs. Also many other interesting information about stills.

-- BB (mhjaj@mailcity.com), April 06, 2001.

I'm not too sure about distilation of essential oils (but now you've got me thinking, it's something I'll look into). I developed a simple still for manufacturing Ethanol as part of my bio-diesel process. I put the plans up on my web site for some folks at Backwoods Home Magazine forum (before I found this place).

Help yourself to the plans if you want, it's a downloadable PDF file that you can print out. Use it to distill whatever you like - and if you can't figure how to do the essential oils, make some 'shine' and add some annise oil and market it as hunter's after shave (the annise oil masks the human scent).

Still plans from household materials

Hope this helps,



-- Eric J Methven (e_methven@btinternet.com), April 06, 2001.

I have seen this done with lavender in a demo by an apothecary with his own home-made still. The materials are gently heated in a glass container and condensed through copper coils in a cool water bath.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), April 06, 2001.

Commercial suppliers of EOs use vacuum distillation that requires expensive equipment. Many oils are damaged by the heat needed to do the distillation at normal pressure. Most also have wipers to wipe the recondensed oils off of the distillation chamber--you just don't get enough oil from most plants for a cooling coil to work. ==>paul

-- paul (p@ledgewood-consulting.com), April 06, 2001.

julie, was it an oil or fragrance infusion being distilled?

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), April 07, 2001.

I am going to assume that the final product was an essential oil, as that seemed to be what they sold. I didn't see anything that looked like a fragrance infusion in their stock, it was all essential oils of various types -- sweet orange, lavender, lilac, etc. The stuff I bought from him was very potent, quality oil. The lilac was especially good. Obviously it was not for a medicinal use, but I have never encountered any other lilac oils or other products that had the true scent as his did. The orange was also great for cooking.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), April 07, 2001.

Hi, there is an organization called the Aromatic Plant Project--they may have info on home distillation. I don't have a URL for them but a search may find it. As for distilling bee balm, I don't think this is possible as I have yet to see an oil extracted from this plant. The reality is there may not be enough volatile oil in this plant to extract an essential oil. Peppermint may be an easy plant to distill because it is rich in volatile oil that is easy to extract.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), April 07, 2001.

Julie, There is no lilac essential oil. i've been told that distillation of this plant doesn't yield an oil that isn't anything like lilac's aroma. You may have come across a fragrance (synthetic oil)for this aroma

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), April 07, 2001.

jeannie, I thought I too would give distilling a try....until I read where it takes 250 lbs of rose petals to make one ounce of essential rose oil. Also, where I live owning a still is illegal. :( tang

-- tang (tang@mtaonline.net), April 08, 2001.

Well I can't swear in court that the man didn't make the lilac oil by a different perfumery method, since I didn't see that one produced, however, I've smelled a lot of lilac preparations over the years, and I've got to say that this is the only one I ever purchased. Perhaps he used the old French perfumer's cold oil diffusion method (had a book on that too that I can't find anymore), because I can usually tell the difference between synthetics and naturals. The two times I saw his set up he was doing lavender and orange.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), April 08, 2001.

Julie, Maybe it was solvent extracted, which doesn't involve distillation? I've never come across a non-synthetic lilac oil but would sure love to find something natural that smells as lovely as lilacs! Can you explain the cold oil infusion method? I've never heard of it.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), April 08, 2001.

Take a look at Eric's answer - he always saves the day for me!!

How many acres do you have??? The reason I ask is that in general it takes hundreds of gallons of herbs to make an ounce of pure essential oil.

You can do other things, which will not bring in the same money, but will give just as effective a product.

Infusing in oil, alcohol or water works just as well, but does not deliver a 'pure' product. However, if used for medicinal, fragrant or similar purposes, works just as well. Depending, it will be an aromatherapy grade product.

For small stills, use a chemistry set. Check American Science and Surplus from Chicago - they should have all the parts, and maybe even directions for set up. I know they have a web site, but have never gone to it... Always went in person.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 09, 2001.

To answer you Amy, I only have a vague memory of reading about it in that book I've lost. I've moved 4 times in the last 10 years, and a lot of things seem to have wandered off on their own.

What I recall about it was that it took LOTS of the actual flowers, like pounds and pounds, and that they were put into vats with some kind of a neutral oil, but I can't even remember what they were using for that, and the scent infused and then there was some additional processing. But I can't remember amounts, nor the oil used, nor whether they were macerated or left intact, and whether you had to add more flowers later to concentrate it or not. I only recall the details sketchily, but they needed so many pounds of blossoms, I didn't pay strict attention because I never thought I'd have enough to make it possible. Sorry.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), April 09, 2001.

Julie, I'd bet, from your description, it was solvent extracted. Many flowers lose their fragrance when distilled, e.g., Jasmine, Tuberose, and must be solvent extracted (called an absolute). Even so, I've never come across a Lilac absolute. I adore that aroma but being the purist I am wouldn't touch a synthetic aroma with a 10 foot pole! I'd most welcome an absolute of this flower. I've been using essential oils for a long time and treasure the flower oils more than anything (e.g, Rose otto, Jasmine absolute), then the wood oils (e.g. Sandalwood, Cedarwood). My third favorite oils are the citrus oils, which are generally cold pressed (except for Lime which is sometimes distilled). This thread has gotten me thinking that perhaps some day I will buy a small still and try to extract some peppermint oil!

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), April 10, 2001.

The still pictured is great for whatit is intended. Please don't make shine with inless the canner is stainless steel. Aluminum as in most canners is baaad stuff. My info came from a couple of people that lived through prohibition also frofited by it and enjoyed it. Shine is ileagal where I live to but those old timers made some smooth satisfying potables. Jack

-- jack (jsweeney@northnet.org), April 12, 2001.

if anyone has any more info on homade stills for the extractions of essential oils please forward me some info...i've been reasearching for about one year with numerous expirements and i'm also willing to share/trade information...all responses are appreciated!!!

-- jean-francois patenaude (greenleaf@netidea.com), April 10, 2002.