Bushman's Essential Oil Still Build

[Bushman]

My plans for making a pot still for steam distillation:

I am using a 5 gallon milker

For my steamer I have taken a stainless steel steamer and filed down the lip at the bottom of the short legs. I then added stainless steel 1/8" tubing cut to the length I needed and I am holding them in with stainless set screws.

[Bushman]

I have a 7-1/2" opening on the milker so I used the CNC machine to cut the lid with a 1" opening for the column.

Adding the cutting codes for milling

Cutting the lid on the CNC machine


Thank you HDNB for the 1/16" copper plate.

[Bushman]

The Column is 18" high and I wanted to stiffin the lid to hold the load of the Liebig so I kurfed the bottom and flared it, then soldered to the lid.

Here is the column soldered to the lid looking from the bottom up.

[yakattack]

More. Give us more

[Bushman]

I finished the Liebig, and am a little concerned with the length creating a lot of torch on the lid so I am thinking about supporting it toward the product end with a floor jack. Below is my Liebig build.

[The Baker]

Hi,
A jack seems a bit extreme?
Fix it to the wall?
Hang it on a couple of pieces of wire from the rafters?
Geoff

[Bushman]

Hi,
A jack seems a bit extreme?
Fix it to the wall?
Hang it on a couple of pieces of wire from the rafters?
Geoff

I am sure as with this design it will change as the build is complete. My outbuilding is tall thus hanging it is not the best option but the jack will be temporary as I will likely build a stand for it.

[cuginosgrizzo]

my liebig is 40" and I support it on the product end with a sawhorse

[Bushman]

Finished soldering up the still, need to clean it up and check for leaks but it seems to stand on it's own with out support but will still probably build a stand for added support.

Essential oil still completed

[The Baker]

Finished soldering up the still, need to clean it up and check for leaks but it seems to stand on it's own with out support but will still probably build a stand for added support.

image.jpeg

Looks nice. And almost the same as my little still, four and a half litres fillable space. Made it from a stainless pressure cooker, with the idea of using it for gin one day. Maybe essential oils too?
Geoff

[Bushman]

If your using a small still like the one I just built it is recommended to include a steamer basket like mine. This allows the material your distilling to be inside the steam chamber and for the steam to carry the oil along with it. This is what makes it possible to create and produce higher quality essential oils with a smaller still. One statement I recently read by an author/chemist stated that "stills in which the material being distilled are in the boiling water are not really suitable for making aromatic oils."

[Odin]

Looking good, Bushman! Now go and make some gin. I know Barbs loves that drink!

Regards, Odin.

[Bushman]

Looking good, Bushman! Now go and make some gin. I know Barbs loves that drink!

Regards, Odin.

Thanks I am currently at our condo on Hood Canal as we had all my wife's Norwegian cousins over and made Norwegian cookies for the holidays. It is suppose to drop down into the 20's F/ -6.6C here this week so it might be a week or two before I get my cleaning run in. I have enough fients to clean it up, and currently have some birdwatchers that should be ready to distill to make liqueurs for the holiday. Our group in the PNW just ordered another large shipment of Panela from Sugar Daddy so I should be pretty busy. It might be fun to run both stills side by side

[Bushman]

Did my first cleaning run, all went well, no leaks, and the everlasting gasket worked great!

[Odin]

Congrats!

Odin.

[Bushman]

Congrats!

Odin.

Thanks it's the easiest still I have ever built but it was fun getting back into it. It has also been fun researching essential oils. When you were visiting I did not take you to our plot in a community garden but this spring I am dedicating one of the 4' X 8' boxes just for plants I can make oils from.