Incense found in stores is often hit or miss, with synthetic ingredients that just smell like burning oil when lit.
If you have access to fresh herbs and flowers though, making your own incense might be a solution.
Incense Base 1
6 parts ground Charcoal (not self-igniting)
1 part ground Benzoin
2 parts ground Sandalwood
1 part ground Orris root
6 drops Essential oil
2-4 parts Incense
Tragacanth Glue
Potassium nitrate (Saltpeter)
Incense Base 2
6 parts ground Sandalwood (or cedar, pine, or juniper)
2 parts powdered Benzoin
1 part ground Orris root
6 drops Essential oil
3-5 parts Incense
Tragacanth Glue
Potassium nitrate (Saltpeter)
Mix well, grinding to a fine texture. Weigh and add 10% potassium nitrate. Mix until thoroughly blended. Add tragacanth glue, 1 tsp at a time until all ingredients are wetted. On wax paper, shape the mixture into the basic cone shape, let dry for 2-7 days.
Tragacanth Glue
Mix 1 tsp of ground tragacanth in a glass of warm water. Mix thoroughly until all the particles are dispersed. Let the tragacanth absorb the water until it becomes a thick, bitter-smelling paste. Cover with a wet cloth and set aside. If it becomes too thick, add a bit of water and stir thoroughly. For stick incense, the glue should be relatively thin, while thicker is desired for blocks and cones.
Shapes -
Cones – For cone incense you need a very stiff, dough like texture. If it is too thick, it won’t properly form and will take forever to dry. On a piece of waxed paper, shape the mixture into basic cone shapes, like the ones purchased.
Blocks – Make 1/3-inch thick square of the stiff dough on wax paper. Cut with a knife into one-inch cubes. Separate slightly and let dry.
Sticks – Add tragacanth until the mixture is wet but still rather thick. Dip the sticks into the mixture; let them sit upright, then dip again. It takes several dippings. When they have accumulated a sufficient amount of incense, poke them into a slab of clay or some other substance so they stand upright. Allow them to dry.
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