Moumoute, what's a typical recipe for the extracts you're talking about? Maybe that will help determine if distilling is the way to go. My first thought is that a full-on still would be overkill for your project, maybe something more simple that just concentrates your "brew" (like reducing in cooking) would do the trick?
Lord preserve and protect us, we've been drinkin' whiskey 'fore breakfast.
I've distilled essential oils a few times. To produce visible amounts you need a huge amount of starting material - lavender for example a couple of kilos of flowers will give you a few ml of oil ( and you'll never be able to use the still for anything else ).
Your best bet would be to soak the fragrance material in 50% alcohol and distill off from the mixture solid materials and all. This will give you what's basicaly a perfume - a scented alcohol suitable for spraying. I've used it for chamomile and rose where the oil yield is miniscule.
A basic pot still made from a 1 litre metal container or possibly even a wok still would do the trick.
chamomile's bright blue when it first comes across
I tried heaps of pine needles in a pot on the stove once to make a cover scent for deer hunting. That was a mess and a half an my kitchen privelages were revoked by the wife for a long time afterwards.
Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Now, now Moumoute. Don't take offense at our light-hearted banter.
The world is far too serious nowadays, and your thread just happened to be the one to get a bit of humour going. It's a welcome break from monotony.
As to your original question...sure, distillation would work. But I wouldn't go to the trouble or expense of building reflux columns or potstills. Just a simple saucepan, bit of mash in it, brick and collection cup inside, wok full of ice or snow on top of it all. Then macerate your ermm..."ingredients" in what you collect from the mash. Job done.
saucepan still is great for small batch experimental recipees.
I used to use concentrated fish guts+parts for coon , put in jar and leave in sun till it is pasty, and dont bring it inside unless you want troubble from the people you live with.
Prior to the Dean deciding for me that my undergraduate GPA was more conducive to engineering school rather than medical school, I spent three years as pre-med...Biology major with chemistry minor. The school I was attending had an excellent wildlife collection preserved. People all around the area were always bringing in specimens they found.
One day a gentleman brought in a fresh road killed skunk for the department. The professor asked his graduate assistant to please not attempt to remove the scent glands until he returned from giving a lecture. Apparently it must be a very delicate operation. Well the grad assistant must have had a hearing impediment.... I can vouch from personal experience that ruptured skunk glands, once in the HVAC of a university building, will immediately empty the building and cancel classes in that building for the remainder of the day.
Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
theholymackerel wrote:Back when I was livin' in Lake Charles, LA I had a girlfriend that would get almost uncontrollably horney when she would smell skunk on the wind. Needless to say we did alot of latenight drives on country roads.
Heh.
I dawn say nu-ting 'bout no coon-ass cheries--too many roun', no?
Maybe you could try aniseed. The old timers used to use it on their Murray cod baits and I know the dingo trappers use it as well.
You could always distill the next beaver you catch and use it as a deoderant but don't go near any bars. You know what blokes are like when they smell a fresh "beaver".
Cheers
Mal T
Sorry gentelemen, duds is right, Yank no speak Australian.
Re:aniseed -- I have used oil of aniseed on my catfishing endevors. They (catfish) are a bit ugly (and I love them for it) but they taste great fried, and they fight great for a freshwater fish.
