essential oil distillation and collection

[hedgerowpete]

I want to try this year to collect some plant oils etc from some fairly simple plants, lavender and the like as a first trial, does anyone here do that or do you know where or which internet corner i can find some information and or tips, i have not brought or made any kit yet so any suggestions there will also help

 

[Toddy]

There are really two ways of doing this.
Proper distillation apparatus..........best home use stuff is coming from Portugal just now, we can find you links, but it's not cheap.
Or, an old fashioned pottery alembic.
The former will give commercial grade essential oil, the latter will give very useable oils and floral waters.

The alembic basically stews the plant material and then it condenses on the conical lid which has a spiral from the tip to a spigot that leads out and into a jug or bowl that catches the condensate. The oil usually separates out and floats, and needs strained like the fat off gravy.
Very good for lavender, mints, lemon balm, some roses, bog myrtle. Not good for iris.....for some weird reason that just smells of sewage

cheers,
Toddy

 

[redneck]

I like the sound of this,any tutorials or such like using the easiest (read less costly) method?

 

[Toddy]

I really don't know tbh; I can't be the only one who does this.

British Red might know .....he does this kind of thing and he compiles tutorials.

I use the latter method but I use an old pressure cooker (only because it seals really well and has a convenient wee hole where the pressure valve should be) and a bit of microbore copper pipe coming out where the valve should be. I bend the pipe so that it sits over the edge of the cooker and into a bottle sitting on the worktop.

I'm sure it can be much improved, the pottery alembic for instance, but it works well enough for what I want.
You need to add water and mash down the greenery in it, I steep it hot for a while, not cooked exactly, because it should really be steamed.
The distillation apparatus method steams the greenery under pressure and the steam carries off the oils and volatile components, and it's these that condense to give the essential oils and floral waters.

Citrus are a different kettle of fish entirely; the skins are squeezed using a sponge which absorbs the zest/oils and that sponge is wrung out or alcohol washed to collect the oils.


The floral waters made in the alembic or still are clean, and won't stain clothing or furnishings if used in the iron or spritzed into the air.

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. I'm not distilling alcohol, I don't want hassled over my ad hoc essential oil making.

 

[British Red]

There are many ways of distiliing - I haven't tried them all and haven't done tutorials because as still is a still...and people immediately think "alcohol". Then they do a half ar***d job of their homework and don't understand about discarding heads - or worse blow themselves up.

ETA - I doubt people here are that dumb - but all sorts read the net

Perfectly possible to knock up up a simple distillation kit from a couple of bowls an a lidded pan.

However for something like lavender oil, why not use a simple lavender infusion like this?

http://www.ehow.com/how_4473509_make-essential-oils.html

 

[hedgerowpete]

one of the problems i keep finding is that any form of still , and i do know my way around a still , is large and bulky and alcoholic,

i was shown a small tin one years ago that worked with a candle, which the lady used for plants , but i have never seen it close up and or inside to see how it worked, i will have to keep trying google, i have gome off the search words plant distallation as its not much use but seem to be getting occasional hits with herbalisam and witch craft sites

 

[Toddy]

Be interested in seeing the one run off a candle
(Edit, found it
http://www.highland-spirit.com/acatalog/Small_Distilling_Units.html

Anyway, this is the kind I meant
http://www.essentialoil.com/alembic5.html

or you can go more complicated and use one like this
http://www.essentialoil.com/distiller.html

or the most basic pottery one

http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=2008


cheers,
M

 

[hedgerowpete]

i think some of those are totaly passed my budget levels by a long way, ha ha ha

very on par with a friend of mine telling me that metal detecting was cheap to get into , yeah right £300 is CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i think i will have to try punting around the many witchcraft forums and the like to find the details i need, when i find some thing of use i will bring it back for everyone to read up on

 

[Toddy]

The pressure cooker is budget stuff especially if you find one at a car boot, and the pottery ones are pretty straightforward if you have clay and can dry it out well and then fire it in a campfire. It's not beyond mortal wit or anyone's pocket; it just takes time and effort.

cheers,
Toddy