Arontius of Bygelswade

.....I'm not sure it is a real word, but we'll go with it for the moment. :-)

.....I had the chance for a hand's on look at the still Gwen had constructed for me. It looks fantastic! She's posted pictures of it on her own LJ. I'll have to post a link when I have a chance to go back and find them.

.....I have a folder on recipes for frangrances that I've had stored away for a while now. Leafing through there I've come to the obvious conclusion that I pretty much waited really late to get some really good frangrances, but I might still be able to find a resource for rose petals through a local florist or other. I'll make you a bet I can find them on line as well. Also have recipes that include cinnamon, eucalyptus and mint. These are items you can pretty much get at any time of the year, so I'll not have to wait before trying it out.

.....It's been a while since my last attempts at Rose Water. As I was digging through my notes I started noticing all the differences between the still as in period and the apparatus I used. One being the bent copper tubing versus the straight clay tube. The distance traveled during condensation might have a bearing. We'll have to play with this some. It might be mitigated by the area within the still though and the amount of room for expansion. Which might in itself be slightly defeated due to the lack of sealage. Although the still should seal pretty good. I may have to be ready with some grease or lard to use as a seal between the top and bowl.

.....I'm also curious as to the heat. When I did this process last it was in a bubbling pot of water on the stove top. I'm curious to see how difficult it will be to generate a consistent heat underneath the still with sterno or candle (or equivalent). Or if it even makes a difference once you reach a certain temperature.

.....I need to hit up Isketol sometime soon. He's already done a lot of experimentation on his own still. I kept meaning to ask him about it, but every time I see him there are ten million other things to ask him about. :-)

.....I was reminded of rose hips though from this and this is my own reminder that I need to stop by the WAL-MART down the street and raid their rose bushes. They are covered with rose hips. Which do not necessary make good fragrance, but make an excellent wine! Finally, a useful and productive purpose for a Wal-Mart other than perpetuating the slavery of Guatemalan children. Or something like that.

.....Taking four days off from work is tough when trying to get your brain going back into a work direction. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.