Please feel free to bag me and tell meto take my novice ideas away, I will not be offended. You can move or delete this if it is in the wrong spot
I was thinking today of using 4x4 Stainless steel post for a plated column, with 5 pigeon holes cut out of the front panel(leaving 30mm strips in-between each hole to weld to and act as an alcohol pond) and then sealed with a sheet of tempered glass.
The holes would allow you access to enable welding of the 5 perforation plates thus giving you a totally waterproof seal for each plate and to make adjustments to plates in pipe.
You could leave un-cut pipe at the top and bottom for the product condenser and the bottom plate catchment. You would only need 9 x 4x4 steel sheets to make it completely.
5 x perforated plates , 2 x top and bottom with holes cut out for connectors, and the last two for the plate to make dephleg , just need to drill out 2 holes at the top of the pipe to run the hose lines in etc.
Then using high temp silicone oven adhesive to attach the glass panel to seal up the front, you could even pretty it up by then putting a metal face plate with holes cut out to match the viewing holes.
I thought it might be an easier way to make one, ( not for me- no welding skills) but maybe not that much to get a place to make one up for me.
What do the stainless guys think, how hard would it be to weld in the plates?
Please excuse my poor attempt at drawing up my idea.