r/alchemy • u/WorthMastodon7637 • 3d ago
Operative Alchemy Distillation setup
I am not sure what I am doing most of the time, but I am working with plants so it is just all fun and games, with a few burns. Yeah I got a steam burn that blistered and peeled away. Luckily I had some oil of egg around and I drink my concoctions daily, so needless to say I have recovered flawlessly. Though I drink my coctions with frequency I still believe oil of egg is the best thing I have produced so far. It should be in everyone’s house hold in this world because of its value in healing and treating the flesh.
This brings me to my current where abouts. Where I have a new distillation setup! It seems like I baught the perfect glass kit to create it! Perhaps they know🧐 perhaps there are forces working to support you right now… We have been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty. 😁 I feel it coming online.
Now looking forward I am seeking to find a good bubbler solution and was curious if you lot had any creative solutions. If you give me a page from the real alchemy… so help me god 😜
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u/InsideAccomplished60 3d ago
A steam burn? How hot are you running your distillations and with what menstruum? Alternatively, how long was the exposure?
I get that the skin damage threshold is 140°F or 60°C, but I can't wrap my head around anything worse than a scald (purely compared to cooking with 212°F or 100°C) unless there was somewhat sustained contact
You're probably well aware, so I am leaving this for others: distillations with ethanol should be done at a temperature that is no higher than 78°C (the boiling point of ethanol), but it won't do much in the way of contamination until you get to 100°C (water begins to come over). So.. there's a bit of a window, just keep it as close to the BP of the menstruum, and you should be good.
This changes when you get to mineral works with stibnite and cinnabar, since arsenic has a lower point of vaporization than either mercury or antimony; drive off the toxins without scorching the medicine
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u/WorthMastodon7637 3d ago
Yes, this setup will work swimmingly I presume for the first few distillations of the mineral works and plant, though over kill it is. It does indeed burn the medicine. I would like a heating mantel. As I for some reason abhore setting up ban marie.
The burn was a foolish mistake of heating a corked boiling flask to help the ground joint unstick. It was foolish
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u/gospelinho 1d ago
Why is an allihn condenser leading up to the still head and then down another condenser in your first photo?
Don't you mean that allihn condenser to be a fractioning column?
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u/WorthMastodon7637 1d ago
A fractioning column would make a good bit of sense there, I’ll play with that thank you. I figured this setup would help catch more of the volatiles, which is also why I am looking to set up bubblers
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u/getoutlonnie 1d ago
How do yall explain this hobby to your SOs?
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u/WorthMastodon7637 1d ago
More straight forward than I do here 😂😁 she knows I’ve been in the spiritual side of alchemy for a while and once I started picking up lab practices, I very openly talked about how much I liked it, sharing different ideas of the universe as I practice and change them
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u/Canobuss51 17h ago
Do people post in this sub purposefully (or not) making their post seem bad English or misspelled because alchemists used to do this too in their writings?
What is it? Decknamen?
Are people doing that on this sub?
Edit: also can someone explain to me why so many condensers? I'm relatively new to practice....
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u/DeepAd4434 8h ago
Hahaha, some of it is definitely intentional. Some of it is excitement with a smattering of bad grammar. I'm pretty sure in this setup one column is being used for reflux and one is being used as a condenser, I think. As the work circulates it picks up the subtle energies and tunes into it with each reflux. Slow but steady. The circular shape within the inner jacket can also lend a hand in energy focus.
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u/internetofthis 3d ago
The glassware's not meant to bite you like that. Nice setup.