Lab Equipments…

Laboratory Spagyrical Alchemic

First of all, you install your alchemy and spagyrics laboratory. You will need, to start, an
appropriate quiet place well ventilated and lighted for your work. In general, in an
apartment, it is not nearly as easy to get things done. It is important that all the matters and
utensils are out of children's reach, not only from the danger that can come when breaking
accidentally a glass vase, but also the dangerous handling of some toxic substances. Always
label the flasks of chemical products so you know its content and there will be no mistakes.
You will need a table or bench. The preference is wood with a cover of formica and you will
need some shelves to arrange the materials in. Place, also, an electrical current plug near
the table. The first thing that you will have to obtain is one or more sources of heat.
Without fire there is no matter transformation. The fire is the spirit transformer of alchemy.
Formerly, the masters used almost exclusively coal as a source of thermal energy. There
didn't exist, as today, other forms of energy more proper and easier to regulate. Imagine the
inconvenience there would be if you had in your house a stove of coal permanently burning.

IMG: 223-Becherglas, Meßkolben & Pipette

Eirenaeus Philalethes, in his book The Open Entrance to the Closed Palace of the King, he
describes with great detail the construction of an oven or Athanor fed with coal.

As it is neither practical nor proper to work with coal, many artists opted for gas, it is a
natural element extracted from the earth. It is more practical, cleaner and easier to regulate.

Another source of heat also actively used, is electrical energy. There is a great controversy
with relationship to the use of electricity in alchemic operations. Some affirm that it is an
artificial energy and that the results can be altered by it.

We are not of the same opinion. It’s true that an electrical energy applied to a metallic
resistance provokes an electromagnetic field that, probably, will have influence in chemical
reactions, but there is no certainty of that harming or altering the end product.

On the other hand, it is known that the electric energy although produced artificially, is
coming from natural phenomena. The current of the exciter produces the electromagnetic
field of a generator, this current is generated by the mechanical rotation and for the
remaining and natural magnetism of the stator poles.

Therefore, in our opinion, the electric energy has its origin in natural phenomena and it
won't be harmful, because an incandescent metal produces the heat.

Electricity has a great advantage over other sources of energy. The temperature can be
regulated with excellent precision and the ovens are generally relatively small and lighter
than the gas stoves and ovens.

Besides, electricity can be connected permanently without there being the concern of
running out of gas, or the mouth of the stove to fade for any reason. The gas being burned
could give place to an explosion with fateful consequences as well. For certain operations,
however, a small "camping", stove with gas with a porringer and a sand bath is good.

And the "camping" stove, it can also be used as a small portable stove of one or two mouths,
fed by a butane or propane gas container. However, in distillation's, digestions and
circulation's, we recommended an electric oven, it being easier to install, cleaner and, above
all, it can be connected for a long time.

There are digestions and circulation's that take up to one week or more to do and the oven
will have to be connected that whole time. Of course you can have an energy break and the
operation will be interrupted.

That would be serious, being particularly serious in the Third Work of the alchemic way,
because the work would be hopelessly lost. However, in most of the cases, it doesn't have
much importance, because the interrupted operation can continued as soon as the energy
is restored. Besides, the energy breaks are not very frequent.

Further ahead, we will explain to you the building of different electrical ovens, starting from
simple materials easy to find. It is evident that there are cases where you will have to use
exclusively, ovens with butane/propane gas. It is so in the case of the dry way. In this case,
the temperature of the oven will have to reach about a thousand degrees to operate and the
oven will have to be installed outside in an appropriate place.

Ovens for Stills of 2 Liters

In relation to the oven for a 2-litre alembic, we can use, with advantage, a smaller electric
frying cooker following the same norms of assembly as the oven for of 6-litre alembic.

When you acquire the electric frying cooker, take a 2-litre balloon or Erlenmeyer to verify
that it enters easily in the cooker.

You can also opt for the following solution. Acquire a pot of thick aluminium with an inner
diameter of 17 cm and 15 cm of height. Acquire, also in a store, a 1 kW small portable
electric stove without temperature selector, that is, in preference of the old model, with leg
support. The round metallic box where the refractory ceramic mould is installed with the
resistance should not have more than 13 cm of diameter.

In this stove model, after the upper metallic part that contains the refractory ceramic mould
with the resistance has been dismounted, it is separated from the metallic support that is
the base of the stove. The referred boxes are fastened together by a screw and nut.

Before dismounting it, disconnect the resistance wires from the connection terminal,
marking its position.

With an electric drill, bore a hole in the bottom centre of the pot with enough diameters to
allow the screw to pass loose.

Then, place the metallic box in the pot, introducing the screw in the suitable hole and mark
the place where the wires will go through the metallic box that contains the resistance and
there, make two holes in the pot so that those two wires can pass through.

Again, place the box in the pot, in order to introduce the screw in the central hole and in
the metallic support, then take care of passing the resistance wires through the opened
holes in the pot.

Holding with one hand the metallic box with the refractory and the resistance, place a
washer on the screw and tighten the screw to the suitable nut. Be sure to verify if the wires
of the resistance are in position to be tighten to the screw of the connection plate.

Tighten the nut in that position. Check that the wires coming out of the metallic box are
well insulated, that is, that the insulation covers the wires completely and have not been
damaged.

Wrap the wire’s end to the suitable screws as they were previously and tighten the nuts.
Verify

that the wires are not leaning against the support or the pot. Verify, also, if the electric cable
that came with the stove is connected in the same place as it was previously.

Place the lower cover on the metallic support and tighten the fixation screw. The oven will
be ready to work.

IMG: 226-Oven

Pay attention that none of the wires make any accidental contact with the pot or with the
metallic support, because if that happens, you can get an electric shock from it when you
connect the oven.

If you can get only the ceramic mould with the suitable resistance in a store of the specialty,
it will be so much better because it will be cheaper for you, but that implies also that you
have the suitable knowledge to install it in the pot.

In the image you have an oven of that type where one can see the refractory ceramic plate
with the resistance.
In this case, as the resistance is without the metallic protection as in the ovens, it will be
necessary you to use a Ceran Shott 135 x 135 mm plate which you will have the corners cut at
a glass master so that it can enter the pot and be applied over the ceramic mould. This plate
will protect the cucurbit of the direct contact with the incandescent metal of the
resistance.

In these ovens the bathing of sand won't be allowed because it would deteriorate the
resistance.

This oven cannot be connected directly to the 110 or 220V power supply, but through an
electronic regulator as it was already referred to.

Those that don't want to do this work can buy an electrical "blanket" used by the chemistry
laboratory, which will allow regulating the temperature in each case.

The alembic to use with this oven, for the distillations and rectification’s of acid spirits, can
be constituted by two cucurbits: one made of good Pyrex glass plane bottom, and the other
will be a conic (Erlenmeyer) of 2 litres, with a IN45mm female joint. The helm can be of 1 or
1,5 litre, with a male IN19mm joint at the beak. The recipient can be a 2 litre spherical
balloon with capillary air hole in the belly and a IN29mm female joint. Just as previously,
the adapter of the recipient for the helm will be a reducer of IN19mm female to a IN29mm
male joint with leak.

To make the circulation, a blind helm should be used, made with a 1 or 1,5 litre spherical
balloon of 1 or 1,5 litres, with a IN45mm male joint and with a capillary air hole in the top.

We recommended to always covering the exposed part of the cucurbit that is standing out
of the oven with aluminium foil, not only to improve the distillation, but also to avoid the
fact that cool air could break it. Also, it will be always convenient to apply silicon on all
joints every time that you use the alembic.

Two or Three Litre Alembic

The alembic is the glassware that is most important in either the spagyrical or alchemical
works. Without this apparel, you cannot make the spirits that are so important in our Art.
Today, it is not easy to find a master glassmaker that can make an alembic just as the ones
used by our old Masters.

In certain cases you can use a copper alembic, but when it is necessary to make a distillation
of acid spirits, the alembic will have to be of good Pyrex glass.

The 2 or 3 litre retorts are very voluminous and more difficult to find.
Therefore you will have to seek a master glassmaker that can manufacture you a glass
alembic.

IMG: 227-Cucurbit with Alembic

A cucurbit is a balloon of round or conic bottom known as an Erlenmeyer of 2 or 3 litres

with short lap. The helm is a little more difficult to do. The master glassmaker uses a Pyrex
glass spherical balloon and heats it near the lap and pushes it inside creating like this, a
concavity where the condensed liquids are deposited. For a 3-litre cucurbit, the balloon of
the helm should be 1,5 litre.

Then he will adapt a conic tube (horn) of 25 cm of length in the concavity of the helm so
that the condensed liquids deposited in that concavity can be drained to the exterior. At the
tip of that conic tube he makes an IN19-mm polished male.

At the lap or neck of the helm, an IN45-mm polish male joint is adapted and in the cucurbit
a female joint also of IN45-mm. If the cucurbit goes of a larger capacity, the polish joint
should be of IN70-mm. Most of the times it is here that the difficulty arises. Because it is
necessary to have an appropriate machine to do these polishing and some artists don't have
it.

The receiving vase will be made of a 2 litre spherical balloon with a short lap and a female
polish joint of IN29-mm. Since the beak of the conic tube (horn) of the helm is a 19-mm
joint, an adapter has to be made that allows the connection among the two. This adapter
has a 19-mm female polish on one end and a 29-mm male polish on the other end.

The receiving balloon will have in its belly an air hole, without which the alembic would
explode because of the excess pressure inside.

There are some who say that we are too conservative in our use of apparels similar to our
ancestors, but the truth is that we have not found yet appropriate substitutes that can make
the same work in the necessary amounts.

He who makes it with conventional apparels is welcome to tell us the process and the
equipment used, because if it is viable it will save us a lot of money.

The same happens with the circulators or incubators, which at present are constituted by
two vases.

The inferior vase can be 1 litre glass Pyrex balloon with round bottom or an Erlenmeyer with
female polish of IN29-mm. The superior vase usually has the half of the capacity of the
inferior or 500-ml with high lap and a polish male of IN29-mm.

The superior vase will have in its top a capillary air hole to avoid that, with the interior
pressure, the superior vase jumps and breaks. A circulation takes days and sometimes
months to do and because of that, it is convenient to have two or three circulators
available.

Also a 500-ml retort with tubulure (horn) will be indispensable for us to make certain
metallic tinctures and the vegetable First Being that cannot be done in another vase.

Usually in the retort, the beak of the tubular (horn) doesn't have a male polished end. It is
convenient to order one of IN19-mm and later to use an adapter for the receiving vase that,
in this case, can be a 500-ml spherical balloon with short lap and with a female polished
end of IN29-mm with a small air hole in its belly.

As a source of heat, there are two alternatives. The more economical ones would be an
electric oven or heating plate with a temperature regulator as used in the chemistry
laboratories.

A small gas stove can also be used. In this case you will have to use an iron pot, enamelled,
for a sand bath. Choose a pot sufficiently large, but not in excess, and put in sifted fine sand
and well washed.

Place a layer of sand first in the bottom of the pot. Then you place the cucurbit in it and
after that, you will put the remaining sand so that it reaches the height of two or three
centimetres above the bottom of the cucurbit.

Also it is convenient to place aluminium foil around the part of the cucurbit that stands out
of the pot. This is to prevent the glass from breaking due to the temperature difference and
also to avoid the condensation of liquids on the walls of the cucurbit and to conduct
directly to the helm, all of the vapour that emanates from the matter.

You will need, also, an appropriate support for the receiving balloon of the still as used in
the chemistry laboratories.

This way, you will have a complete alembic that will allow you to distil the spirits that will
be needed in your works.

The ideal would be that you also have an identical 6-litre alembic because to distil 50 litres
of wine spirit, vinegar or essential oils of a plant in a 3-litre alembic is not very practical.

Without this apparel, you cannot make the spirits that are so important in our Art. Today, it
is not easy to find a master glassmaker can an alembic just as ones used by old Masters.

Oven And 6 Liter Alembic

Consecutively, we will explain to you how to built three different kinds of electric ovens. The
first and larger one is for the cucurbit (balloons) of 6 litres, the second one for a 2 or 3 litres
and the other smaller, for a matrass and 500ml retorts.

The first oven is made with a 1 or 2 kW electric frying cooker that will be very easy to order
at a suitable supplier. It is destined to do the distillations of essential oils, the wine and the
vinegar. This oven is indispensable, because these distillations cannot be made in a cucurbit
of a smaller capacity.

Before buying the electric frying cooker, acquire a good quality 6-litre Pyrex glass balloon,
with plane bottom. Only then, should you buy the frying cooker, so that you may verify
that the cucurbit (balloon) enters and fits well into it.

Pay attention! You should never connect your oven directly to the power supply outlet in the
wall. The thermostat installed in the frying cooker is not suitable to regulate properly the
necessary temperature for the distillations.

You will need to install, between the oven and the outlet, a 1 kW electronic voltage
regulator. This regulator can be acquired at a suitable supplier or made by an expert
electronic technician.

The referred regulator will allow you to regulate the voltage of the electric current between
0 and 220V (110V in USA), in a way that you will obtain the suitable temperature in the oven
for each case. In this way, you can regulate and make the distillation of the essential oils, the
wine and of the vinegar.

With relationship to the other oven for 2 and 3 litre cucurbit, we suggest that you, in the
beginning, make it for a 2-litre cucurbit. Later, you can build another one for a 3 litre, if you
have a need for it.

The first oven will be used for an alembic composed of a 6-litre cucurbit, 2-litre helm and a
2-litre recipient. In the 6 litres balloon with plane bottom (cucurbit), that you have
acquired already, you had ordered also to the master glass blower, a wheelwork female, IN70
mm. You had also ordered to place along the side of the cucurbit in the upper part of the
belly, a small glass tube that is either screwed in or part of the glass, to place in a 0-150º C
thermometer.

You will have to order the making of a helm with the capacity of 2 litre with wheelwork
male IN70, with a throat of 30 cm of length, finishing in a curved point or beak, with a IN19
male, just as you can observe it in the picture.

IMG: 230-Oven And 6 Liter Alembic

A glass balloon Pirex of plane bottom will constitute the recipient or receiving matrass, with
a capacity of 2 litres with IN29 female end. To adapt the recipient to the helm, you will use a
reducer of IN29mm female at one end and a IN29mm male at the other end, with a small
breather placed in the body of the adapter, between the two wheelworks.

The breather is absolutely necessary. Pay a lot of attention! One should never distil in a
recipient without a breather, because when the pressure builds up inside the alembic and
increase, it needs to have an escape to leave slowly, otherwise the glass will explode.

With precaution, have a plate of asbestos of 1,5 mm in thickness, cut with a strong scissors
two strips of 50 cm of length by 5 cm of width and nail them in the centre in a cross or “X”
shape, with a metal staple. Place the "cross" at the bottom of the oven, so that the ribbons
continue in a vertical position, up the lateral wall.

Seat also, in the bottom of the oven, on top of the ribbons in a cross shape, a slice of
asbestos, of the diameter of the bottom of the frying cooker. This way, the cucurbit will be
isolated from the walls of the oven and will maintain an air space all around it, bottom and
sides, avoiding, like this, that the glass be in direct contact with the metal.

After having placed the cucurbit inside of the oven, make a cone of asbestos or of fine
aluminium to cover it, but take care of leaving in place two openings for the neck of the
cucúrbita and the other, for the thermometer opening. Only, then will you install the helm
along with the recipient, and take care of applying silicon on all the joints.

For the circulations, we recommended a blind helm, made of a spherical balloon of 2 litres,
with IN70 male end and a capillary air hole in the top.