I have a large collection of books on wine making and also on distilling. I have read each one 4 to 5 times.

I usually buy used books so i can afford to own many.

I would be interested in some leads to books that you already own on this forums main subject.

The PITA stainless mash tun is almost done and i want to set up the glass lab still in the place the tun project occupys now and try and learn /make some scents or essences.

ok will do---thanks

Depends on what your after in your extracts, Scotty. If you're just after scents/essences, steam distillation will produce the hydrosols you're after. Hint: if you have a three necked boiling flask, hook up two condensers, and let it rock. If a specific medicinal use is needed and you need to pull out all ingredients or fractionate, you would use a solvent or combination of solvents. Refluxing/soxhleting works great for this. A quick wash gives a more concentrated product...depends on what you're after. Organic Chemistry Lab Survival Manual by James Zubrick, Organic Chemistry by Nick Greeves are two of my basic favorites. Hope this helps...

That book is a must for beginning organic alchemists, takes you into more advanced techniques as well. Tip: search Amazon for used college organic chemisrty books. Mine cost $1.00 + $3.99 s/h.

amazing what all you can find in this age. internet used book stores, amazon...craigslist. no use paying full price for new college texts with these resources. great score, there, scotty!

Hi Scotty, The only book I have that addresses this subject directly is "Secrets of the Still" by Grace Firth. It is a fun read with lots of little stories mixed in with quite a bit of useful info on boiling points and ways different things are distilled for best results. If you are looking for a technical manual this is not it.
The author gives some informatin on " Food Fermentation", "Still History", "Fragrances" , "Cosmetics", Medicinal" , and touches on Alcohol and Fuel production. Her main interest is in scents and cosmetics.

"The Essential Oils" Vol 1 by Ernest Guenther. I think there are two volumes. I only have the first one and it covers most things relating to production and purification of EO's. It's very detailed and what I would consider a must read if you're working with EO's. Some parts are chemically oriented while other sections are completely devoted to in depth descriptions of a steam still. Also has a section on solvent extraction. I would say it's damn near comprehensive, but then again, he wrote a second volume (which I haven't read).