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Alcohol

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Post  WCH Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:38 am

Alcohol. Do you distill your own or buy it? Where I live, the strongest commercially available liquors are 75% alcohol -- 151 proof rum and absinthe, for example. It should be possible to obtain purer alcohol from a chemistry store, but I haven't tried yet.

If I can't buy ethyl alcohol that's 96% or higher, I'm leaning toward distilling my own rather than using brandy, as I've heard some alchemists go with. Distilling is dangerous (risk of explosions and risk of poisoning myself) and potentially expensive, though, so I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the subject.

Is the spiritual purity created by being involved in an extra step of the process (similar to growing the plant you wish to make a tincture of) worth the extra hassle?
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Post  Salazius Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:44 am

Hello WCH,

I Take *red* wine, and I distill the alcohol with retorts, very slowly. I don't take what come first, it poison, methylic alcohol, then come ethanol. I distill the alcohol at last 6 times, until it gives 80%.

Wine alcohol have the best vibration of Mercury, "universal".
White wine is fermented without it's skin.

Regards,
Salazius Wink
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Post  BeautifulEvil Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:56 am

Blah, I had a decent reply typed out, but I accidentally navigated away from the page. Angry

I Take *red* wine, and I distill the alcohol with retorts, very slowly. I don't take what come first, it poison, methylic alcohol, then come ethanol. I distill the alcohol at last 6 times, until it gives 80%.
Yeah, that's a good method. You may use freshly calcined potassium carbonate to decrease the water content. If you're concerned about alchemical products, then you should use potassium carbonate from lightly calcined wood ashes (they may contain m-state materials if you subscribe to the m-state theory of alchemy).

If I can't buy ethyl alcohol that's 96% or higher, I'm leaning toward distilling my own rather than using brandy, as I've heard some alchemists go with. Distilling is dangerous (risk of explosions and risk of poisoning myself) and potentially expensive, though, so I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the subject.
Definitely go with distilling your own alcohol from wine. It's really the best for alchemy purposes as Salazius mentioned. You will not poison yourself if you follow the method outlined by Salazius, because keep in mind, wine will always contain some methanol, and if you drink the wine straight, you will receive small amounts of methanol. The methanol content can be reduced somewhat if you vary the fermentation method, but this is for the brewers, heh.

Is the spiritual purity created by being involved in an extra step of the process (similar to growing the plant you wish to make a tincture of) worth the extra hassle?
Yes, the more you distill alcohol, the more closely it will be linked to your personal energy signature. In the end, it will be more beneficial to you than just commercial alcohol. It is indeed worth the extra hassle!
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Post  WCH Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:47 pm

So all I need for this is a retort? More than one retort? Something else altogether?

Currently assembling a list of things I need to buy (for the specific purpose of making a few tinctures, seven ens and a spagyric stone)... crucible, tongs, mortar & pestle, retort, a couple flasks (Erlenmeyer, preferably), a couple glass stirrers and a dozen glass jars that seal tightly... what else will I need?

Keep in mind I'm operating on a student's budget here. Hoping to spend under, say, $600 total for everything, although really I have no idea what prices to expect as I don't currently own any chemistry equipment.
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Post  Salazius Fri Aug 29, 2008 2:28 am

Hi,

Retort is easy to use. Distillation apparatus is also good, maybe more expansive. Even more expansive an alembic pelican apparatus, but really great to use for big quantities.

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Post  BeautifulEvil Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:06 am

Currently assembling a list of things I need to buy (for the specific purpose of making a few tinctures, seven ens and a spagyric stone)... crucible, tongs, mortar & pestle, retort, a couple flasks (Erlenmeyer, preferably), a couple glass stirrers and a dozen glass jars that seal tightly... what else will I need?

That's a good list to start. I would buy a dozen test tubes (20mx150m is sufficient), and perhaps a few amber bottles for light sensitive solutions/tinctures. I believe you will need a steel/iron "crucible" or bowl for calcining plant ashes. The highly caustic potash will begin to leech the porcelain from the crucible and may possibly contaminate your product, but crucibles are good to have (buy two or three, they're easy to break if you buy cheap ones). A few others things I would buy: beakers, pipettes, and a three legged stand for your retort.

You may also want to buy a small heating unit (go to walmart and look for a single portable electric stove burner with variable temp). You will probably want a large heat resistant container to put on the stove, this will either be filled with a water bath or a sand "bath" (this is used for slow digestion/distillation and such).

Umm otherwise that's about it.
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Post  WCH Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:49 pm

Hmm, steel is a better crucible for plant-matter? I had no idea, I assumed porcelian was the way to go... thanks for the tip, good thing I haven't bought it yet (probably will some time this week, but possibly not for two weeks).
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Post  solomon levi Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:51 am

Don't forget a nice thermometer.
Methanol has the lower boiling point at 65, while alcohol boils at 78.

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Post  Salazius Thu Sep 04, 2008 1:34 am

Do not make it boil of course.
Yes use a thermometer if necessary, to control the T° and avoiding that.
Never biol when distilling. It's too violent. I always distill at a low T°, it works very nice.

Sloooower is better.

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