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Making CombustibleIncense

What the heck is combustible incense, you ask? It's incense that does not need to be smouldered on charcoal. Common forms include sticks and cones, but blocks are also available. If you have a particular incense blend that you want to use, but can't find it in stores, you're going to have to make it yourself. Some prefer the combustible type because you just light it and forget it. Unfortunately, it seems to be a rather complicated and messy procedure. If you'd like to try it, find an incense recipe from the previous page that you'd like to use. It will be part of the combustible incense compound. Just a few words on the ingredients:

Each ingredient must be finely ground before it can be used. A mortar and pestle is ideal for this task.

Sometimes recipes call for essential oils. Make absolutely certain that they are not synthetic, or else the resulting smell when you burn it will be rather unpleasant (think burning plastic). If you have enough dry ingredients, you can substitute the oil form of one of the herbs if you don't have it.

Gum tragacanth glue is the basic ingredient of all molded incenses. The herb itself, gum tragacanth, is available at some herb stores, but can be rather expensive. To make the glue, place a teaspoon of the ground herb into a glass of warm water. Mix until all particles are dispersed. Let the tragacanth absorb the water until it becomes a thick, bitter smelling paste. If you're making stick incense, this glue should be relatively thin. For cones and blocks, it should be thicker.

If you can't find gum tragacanth, try gum arabic. Some say it works just as well.

Potassium nitrate (a.k.a. saltpeter) is the stuff which makes combustible incense, well, combustible. It should never constitute more than ten percent of the mixture.

Resins (i.e., frankincense, copal, myrrh) and woods (sandalwood, cedar, juniper) should be kept in proper proportion to each other. There should be at least twice as much powdered woods as resins, or the mixture won't burn.

Some mixtures call for powdered gemstones. To do this, take a small stone of the required type and smash it with a hammer on a hard surface (put it in a sock to prevent it from flying all over). A workbench is ideal because it's used to being smashed with hammers. When you can't smash it any more, grind it into powder with a mortar and pestle. Add the tiniest pinch to the mixture.

Lastly, it's a good idea to have your magical goal in mind when compounding the mixture. It's not a good idea to be thinking "this damn herb is making a mess!" because that will interfere with the energies you're putting into it.

With that, here are two recipes you can use to make combustible incense. You can use it to make cones, blocks, and sticks of incense. Remember, the consistency for sticks must be thinner than for blocks or cones.

Cone Incense Base

6 parts ground charcoal (not self-igniting
1 part ground benzoin
2 parts ground sandalwood
1 part ground orris root(to "fix" the scent)
6 drops essential oil (oil form of one of the ingredients in the incense)
2 to 4 parts mixed, empowered incense
Saltpeter (potassium nitrate)
Tragacanth glue
Waxed paper
Kitchen scale

Mix the first four ingredients until all are well blended. Add the 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 incense mixture and combine well with your hands.
Use a small kitchen scale and weigh the completed mixture, then add ten percent saltpeter (i.e., 10 ounces of base, 1 ounce of saltpeter).
Next, add the tragacanth glue. Do this a teaspoon at a time, mixing well with your hands in a large bowl until all ingredients are wetted.
For cone incense, the texture should be stiff and dough-like. It should mold easily and hold its shape. On waxed paper, shape into basic cone shapes. Let dry for two to seven days in a warm place.
For block incense, make a 1/3 inch thick square of the mixture on waxed paper. Cut with a knife into one-inch cubes. Separate slightly and let dry.
For stick incense, the process is a little different. Add more tragacanth glue to the incense base until it is wet but still pretty thick. For the sticks, try wooden splints, broom straws, very thin twigs, or cocktail skewers. Dip the sticks into the mixture, let them sit upright, and then dip again. Several dippings are usually necessary. When the sticks are sufficiently covered with incense, place them in something that allows them to stand upright and allow to dry.

Another recipe follows:

Cone Incense Base #2

6 parts powdered Sandalwood (or Cedar, Pine, Juniper)
2 parts powdered Benzoin (or Frankincese, Myrrh, etc.)
1 part ground Orris Root
6 drops essential oil
3 to 5 parts empowered incense mixture.

Mix the first three ingredients until combined. Add the oil and mix again. Then add three to five parts of the incense. Weigh and add the saltpeter (ten percent). Mix, add the tragacanth glue, and mix again. Mold as directed above.

Using Combustible Incense

This is pretty much a no-brainer: Place the incense in the censer (burner), light the incense, wait for the tip to start glowing like an ember, blow out the flame, and enjoy!

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