Equipment for Making Own Essential Oils and Hydrosols

[Guest guest]

check here for home distillation kits.

 

Juana

 

 

_http://www.av-at.com/stovestill2.html_

(http://www.av-at.com/stovestill2.html)

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hello, All!

I am looking for equipment (if any) to make essential oils. Does

anyone know of any such equipment?

 

I am a baby at creating my own laboratory and need advice on getting

started. I have a chemistry background and am a naturalist that

would like to create healthier products for my family and beyond.

Because I am familiar with the chemistry lab, I am wanting to use

equipment sort of similar to the good ol' fashion distillation kit.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks very much for your help

Tia

[Guest guest]

You're welcome

 

Juana Serrano

True Essence Bath & Body

 

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift...

 

....that is why it's called the " present. "

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Tia wrote:

 

>

>Hello, All!

>I am looking for equipment (if any) to make essential oils. Does

>anyone know of any such equipment?

>

>I am a baby at creating my own laboratory and need advice on getting

>started. I have a chemistry background and am a naturalist that

>would like to create healthier products for my family and beyond.

>Because I am familiar with the chemistry lab, I am wanting to use

>equipment sort of similar to the good ol' fashion distillation kit.

>

>Any suggestions?

>

>Thanks very much for your help

>Tia

>

>

>

>

Hi Tia,

 

here are two links towards my web pages :

 

First a simple history of distillation and the basic techniques of steam

distillation:

(details of different stills and the cooling system)

 

http://www.nature-helps.com/Distillation/essentie/production/EN/distileng.html

 

Here a closer look of home distillation with a glass still:

 

http://www.nature-helps.com/Agora2000/homedistillation.htm

 

It should be easy with your chemistry background to understand the

principles.

However, I have met several people with such a background, they

sometimes tend to use techniques used in for instance the petrol

industry and try to apply it to our essential oils.

 

Remember the different important facts to understand:

-harvest of herbs : origin, organic, wild or conventionnel culture...

moment of harvest, dried or fresh, cutted material or not...

-steam producing unit

-the alembic, the vessel containing the " bio-mass " , stainless steel or

not, copper or glass... interaction possible with the essential oils...

-the cooling system: rapid cooling is necessary!

-separation of oil and hydrolate: a small adaption of a lab glas is

sufficient to enable a good separation

 

I do not like medieval techniques where the herbs are soaking in water,

but in " the real thing " , that is a separate

vessel (in Pyrex glass or if possible in stainless steel ) for the

herbs, a separate steam producing unit, with the possibility to adapt

the volume and the quality of the steam, a separate cooling system and

some simple lab " Florentines " to separate the hydrolate and

the essential oil.

Its easy to create some simple old fashioned distillation units, they

will give you some essential oils, but the risk are high to have

a burning smell, bad hydrolates and a insufficient yield of essential

oil. Different friends of me have tried it and failed.

 

Just find a Pyrex glass maker ( a lab that works for instance for

universities and different laboratories, able to adapt Pyrex glass)

and show them the images of my home distillation unit. They will be able

to adapt standard Pyrex glass without a problem.

All the other small pieces are standard laboratory items.

For home use the size of the " alembic " should be minimum around 5

liters, larger is possible, but difficult to produce with standard pyrex

tubes.

A size of 10 liters would give you a long tube, difficult to remove the

plants after the distillation.

 

Just a last important detail: my former cooling systems was a bit to

small, the cooling system should have the same volume as the

" alembic " , containing the herbs. This will prevent insufficient cooling

of the steam. I use my system a lot during workshops, I use a fountain pump

and a big water vessel when I have no direct acces to water, but it did

not cooled enough that way, I could just demonstrate it during maximum

30 minutes in the summer period.

 

You will then be able to produce sufficient essential oils for home use

but also very nice hydrolates! Glass distillation units also give you

the opportunity

to see all the details of the distillation.

 

Just some thoughts,

 

Michel Vanhove

[Guest guest]

Great. Thanks so much

 

, dadsjuana@a... wrote:

> check here for home distillation kits.

>

> Juana

>

>

> _http://www.av-at.com/stovestill2.html_

> (http://www.av-at.com/stovestill2.html)

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, Michel Vanhove <michel@n...>

wrote:

 

> here are two links towards my web pages :

> First a simple history of distillation and the basic techniques of

steam distillation:

(details of different stills and the cooling system)

http://www.nature

helps.com/Distillation/essentie/production/EN/distileng.html

Here a closer look of home distillation with a glass still:

http://www.nature-helps.com/Agora2000/homedistillation.htm

 

What a great resource! I've been researching home distillation for

some time, and this is some of the best stuff I've seen. If only I

could find some classes/demos in Minnesota. I'm not ready to strike

out on my own.

Catherine

[Guest guest]

Hi Catherine:

I can't get that first link to work, even typing it in. Is there another way to

view it ?

Jenn

-

catherine

Sunday, March 20, 2005 7:49 AM

Re: Equipment for Making Own Essential Oils and

Hydrosols

 

 

 

 

, Michel Vanhove <michel@n...>

wrote:

 

> here are two links towards my web pages :

> First a simple history of distillation and the basic techniques of

steam distillation:

(details of different stills and the cooling system)

http://www.nature

helps.com/Distillation/essentie/production/EN/distileng.html

Here a closer look of home distillation with a glass still:

http://www.nature-helps.com/Agora2000/homedistillation.htm

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, " jenn "

<jennsbellamiaskin@c...> wrote:

> Hi Catherine:

> I can't get that first link to work, even typing it in. Is there

another way to view it ?

> Jenn

 

> , Michel Vanhove

<michel@n...>

> wrote:

> > here are two links towards my web pages :

> > First a simple history of distillation and the basic

techniques of

> steam distillation:

> (details of different stills and the cooling system)

> http://www.nature

> helps.com/Distillation/essentie/production/EN/distileng.html

> Here a closer look of home distillation with a glass still:

> http://www.nature-helps.com/Agora2000/homedistillation.htm

>

Jenn,

Try going to the second link (immediately above). This will take you

to an article by Michel Vanhove. At the bottom of the screen, you

will see: This page is hosted by Michel Vanhove, with an icon.

Click the icon. That should take you to Michel's home page and

should give you access to all Michel's articles. It's worth it.

Catherine

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for sending this. It's really helping me out a lot. I really

want to get this kit they have on the site! It looks great.

Tia

 

catherine <catborden wrote:

 

, " jenn "

<jennsbellamiaskin@c...> wrote:

> Hi Catherine:

> I can't get that first link to work, even typing it in. Is there

another way to view it ?

> Jenn

 

> , Michel Vanhove

<michel@n...>

> wrote:

> > here are two links towards my web pages :

> > First a simple history of distillation and the basic

techniques of

> steam distillation:

> (details of different stills and the cooling system)

> http://www.nature

> helps.com/Distillation/essentie/production/EN/distileng.html

> Here a closer look of home distillation with a glass still:

> http://www.nature-helps.com/Agora2000/homedistillation.htm

>

Jenn,

Try going to the second link (immediately above). This will take you

to an article by Michel Vanhove. At the bottom of the screen, you

will see: This page is hosted by Michel Vanhove, with an icon.

Click the icon. That should take you to Michel's home page and

should give you access to all Michel's articles. It's worth it.

Catherine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step By Step Instructions On Making Rose Petal Preserves:

http://www.av-at.com/stuff/rosejam.html

 

To adjust your group settings (i.e. go no mail) see the following link:

/join