Making Your Own Incense

There are basically two forms of incense: combustible and
noncombustible.
I'll tackle the latter first, since it's by far the easiest method and
requires little explanation. Noncombustible incense is achieved by
simply sprinkling a few pinches of dried plant material, or a blend of
materials, on a smoldering charcoal block. That's a charcoal block, not a
charcoal briquette used for the barbecue! Briquettes are of different
composition, and give off toxic amounts of carbon monoxide. Don't use
them to burn incense! Instead, occult supply stores, and many novelty
shops carry a supply of raw charcoal blocks for this purpose. While we're
in a cautious mode, let it be said that you should always burn incense
in some type of censor. It could be a censor purchased just for this
purpose, or a ceramic dish laid with a few inches of sand or salt.
Sometimes the sweet aroma of dried plant material can change dramatically when
burned! You'll need to experiment with blends you may already have in
mind, or to discover new ones. And, by using the noncombustible method,
your mistakes, if any, will be short lived. I would also advise that
you sample mixtures on smoldering charcoal before proceeding to making
them into combustible incense. The plant material to be used should be
finely ground in a food processor, blender, hand held coffee grinder, or
an old fashioned mortar and pestle.

Combustible incense is made in the form of sticks (sometimes called
joss-sticks), bricks, or cones. Whatever the volume and shape, combustible
incense is always made with potassium nitrate, better known as salt
peter. This helps the incense to burn well, and evenly. You can find
potassium nitrate in nearly any drug store, although you may have to ask the
pharmacist for it. You will need thin wooden splints or skewers, such
as thin, straight twigs, or cocktail skewers. Each stick is dipped into
the incense base until covered. They are then allowed to dry standing
on end, perhaps by poking them into a slab of clay, or a pot of dirt or
sand. This process is repeated until a satisfactory amount of layers
have built up on each stick. Block incense is made by rolling out the
final mixture on wax paper to a 1/4 inch thickness - much like cookie
dough. Then cut into 1 inch squares and allow to dry thoroughly. And there
you have it! Not so tough, although you will get good use from a
kitchen
apron while working the mixtures together! Now, on to some recommended
blends, the first of which is an ancient blend indeed.

Notes:

Be sure all herbs, spices, peels, and flowers are completely dry. All
dry ingredients must be ground into a fine powder. Mix all ingredients
in a small glass container with a clean stick or your fingers. Let the
incense stand over night to dry. Store any unused incense in a tightly
capped glass jar, away from light. These incenses need self-igniting
charcoal. Or, in a pinch, you might try to smolder some in a small, heavy
pan on top of your stove.

Incense Cones and Sticks

Combustible incense (in the form of cones, blocks and sticks) is fairly
complex in its composition, but many feel the results are worth the
extra work. To be blunt, this aspect of incense composition isn't easy.
Some of the ingredients are difficult to obtain, the procedure tends to
be messy and frustrating. Persevere and you'll be rewarded with the
satisfaction of lighting incense cones you've made yourself.

Gum tragacanth glue or mucilage is the basic ingredient of all molded
incenses. Gum tragacanth is available at some herb stores; at one time
in the past every drugstore carried it. It is rather expensive, but a
little will last for months.(You can try guar gum rather than tragacanth.
Both work fine, but guar gum is cheaper and often easier to find - per
Mother's Hearth)

To make tragacanth glue, place a teaspoon of the ground herb in a glass
of warm water. Mix thoroughly until all particles are dispersed. To
facilitate this, place in a bowl and whisk or beat with an egg beater.
This will cause foam to rise, but it can be easily skimmed off or allowed
to disperse. The gum tragacanth has enormous absorption qualities; an
ounce will absorb up to one gallon of water in a week. Let the
tragacanth absorb the water until it becomes a thick bitter-smelling paste. The
consistency of the mixture depends on the form of incense desired. For
sticks (the most difficult kind to make) the mixture should be
relatively thin. For blocks and cones a thicker mucilage should be made. This
is where practice comes in handy after a session or two you will
automatically know when the mucilage is at the correct consistency.If you
can't find tragacanth, try using gum arabic in its place. This, too,
absorbs water. I haven't tried using it for incense yet, but all reports say
it
works as well as tragacanth.

When you have made the trag glue, cover with a wet cloth and set aside.
It will continue to thicken as it sits, so if it becomes to thick add a
bit of water and stir thoroughly. Next, make up the incense base. Not
all formulas can be used for combustible incense; in fact, most of them
were designed to be used as noncombustible incenses. Fortunately, by
adding the incense to a base it should work well. Here's one standard
formula for an incense base:


CONE INCENSE BASE

   6 parts ground Charcoal (not self-igniting)
   1 part ground Benzoin
   2 parts ground Sandalwood
   1 part ground Orris root (this "fixes" the scent)
   6 drops essential oil (use the oil form of one of the ingredients in
the incense)
   2 to 4 parts mixed, empowered incense

Mix the first four ingredients until all are well blended. Add the
drops of essential oil and mix again with your hands. The goal is to create
a powdered mixture with a fine texture. If you wish, run the mixture
through a grinder or the mortar again until it is satisfactory. Add two
to four parts of the completed and empowered incense mixture (created
according to the instructions for noncombustible incense above ). Combine
this well with your hands.
Then using a small kitchen scale, weigh the completed incense and add
ten percent potassium nitrate. If you've made ten ounces of incense, add
one ounce potassium nitrate. Mix this until the white powder is
thoroughly blended.Saltpeter should constitute no more than ten percent of the
completed bulk of the incense. If any more is added, it will burn too
fast; less and it might not burn at all.Potassium nitrate isn't
difficult to obtain. I buy mine at drug stores, so check these (it isn't
usually on the shelf; ask for it at the pharmacy). If you have no luck, try
chemical supply stores.Next, add the tragacanth glue. Do this a teaspoon
at a time, mixing with your hands in a large bowl until all ingredients
are wetted. For cone incense you'll need a very stiff, dough-like
texture. If it is too thick it won't properly form into cones and will take
forever to dry. The mixture should mold easily and hold its shape.
On a piece of waxed paper, shape the mixture into basic cone shapes'
exactly like the ones you've probably bought. If this form isn't used,
the incense might not properly burn. When you've made up your cone
incense, let it dry for two to seven days in a warm place. Your incense is
finished. For block incense make a 1/3 inch-thick square of the stiff
dough on waxed paper. Cut with a knife into one-inch cubes as if you were
cutting small brownies. Separately slightly and let dry. Stick incense
can be attempted as well. Add more tragacanth glue to the mixed incense
and base until the mixture is wet but still rather thick. The trick
here is in determining the proper thickness of the incense/tragacanth
mixture and in finding appropriate materials to use. Professional incense
manufacturers use thin bamboo splints, which aren't available. So try
homemade wooden or bamboo splints,
broom straws, very thin twigs, or those long wooden cocktail skewers
that are available at some grocery and oriental food stores. Dip the
sticks into the mixture, let them sit upright and then dip again. Several
dippings are usually necessary, this is a most
difficult process.When the sticks have accumulated a sufficient amount
of the incense, poke them into a slab of clay or some other substance
so that they stand upright. Allow them to dry.One variation on stick
incense making uses a stiffer incense dough. Pat down the dough on waxed
paper until it is very thin. Place the stick on the dough. Roll a thin
coating of dough around the stick. The incense shouldn't be more than
twice the thickness of the stick. Squeeze or press it onto the stick so
that it will stay put, let dry.Personally, I find the inclusion of
charcoal in this recipe to be distasteful and unnecessary. It makes it
imperative that you wash your hands numerous times throughout this process.
Although
traditional, charcoal also lends a peculiar odor to the incense. So
here's another recipe I've used with good results:

CONE INCENSE BASE #2

   6 parts powdered Sandalwood (or Cedar, Pine, Juniper)
   2 parts powdered Benzoin (or Frankincense, Myrrh, etc.)
   l part ground Orris root
   6 drops essential oil (use the oil form of one of the incense
ingredients)
   3 to 5 parts empowered incense mixture

In this recipe, powdered wood is used in place of the charcoal. Use
sandalwood if it's included in the incense recipe. If not, use cedar, pine
or juniper, depending on the type of incense to be made. Try to match
the wood base of this incense to the incense's recipe. If you can't,
simply use sandalwood.Mix the first three ingredients until combined. Add
the oil and mix again. Then add three to five parts of the completed
incense to this. Again, this should be a powder. Weigh and add ten
percent potassium nitrate. Mix, add the gum tragacanth glue, combine again
and mold in the methods described above.