3 Chamber still - How do they work? How do I build one?

[Foreshot]

As the title suggests I want to build a 3 chamber still. We were visiting one of the other local places and they mentioned wanting to build one. I said I would help. I know a tiny bit about them. Anyone here up on how they work/design? I know Leopold has one, but that's all I know of currently working systems. I've seen some images but nothing with usable info like how the feeds work or info like that. 

[Tom Lenerz]

There is about a page worth of information, including a diagram for "Charge Still" in Fundamentals of Distillery Practices. Also you could call Vendome and ask them to build you one.

 

[Southernhighlander]

I can build you one for less than 1/3rd the cost of a Vendome.  It's an Archaic design but it works.  

[Foreshot]

1 hour ago, Tom Lenerz said:

There is about a page worth of information, including a diagram for "Charge Still" in Fundamentals of Distillery Practices.

I forgot about that - I'll look it up. Thanks! 

54 minutes ago, Southernhighlander said:

I can build you one for less than 1/3rd the cost of a Vendome.  It's an Archaic design but it works.  

I want to build a small version first to figure out how to make it better. I'll hit you up for the full scale version and how to automate it a bit. Like you said it's an old design. I'm reading all the stuff @bostonapothecary is writing about beta-Damascenone, esters and other aromatic compounds. I want to figure out how to max out the yield of those. 

[Foreshot]

Paul - have you built one before? Do you understand the plumbing and stuff? 

[Southernhighlander]

I have not built one before but I have looked at multiple drawings and I do understand the plumbing and how they work.  If you had me build one, the first thing that I would do is build a small prototype and run it to make sure that it works and make changes over several days and or even weeks to improve functionality over the original designs.  I do that with all new designs.  I have a very good equipment testing lab for that purpose and i have an employee in there running equipment 40 hrs per week every week.