Wonderful incense and incense sticks at home. How to make an incense stick holder How to make incense sticks

After a hard day at work, you want to relax. And what can help in this matter better than incense? Our master class is dedicated to how to make incense sticks and other pleasantly smelling things for your home with your own hands.

If you want to make homemade incense in any shape - pressed cones, figurines or incense sticks - there are a few general rules to keep in mind:

Measure each ingredient carefully, use an electronic scale whenever possible.

In order to grind ingredients into powder (if they are not in liquid form), it is best to use a heavy pestle rather than a coffee grinder - you can control the size of the resulting granules and literally turn them into dust (this is especially important when making cones).
Never try to grind the resin with machinery - it will clog and break any blender or grinder very quickly.
Very soft and viscous resins such as frankincense and elemi gum are best done before crushing and freezing a little to make the job much easier.
If you add a little finely ground powder to the mixture (bark like cinnamon or some kind of spice), then the resin will not stick to the walls of the mortar.

If you are using sandalwood bark or cinnamon sticks, it can be very difficult to powder them with your hands. Replace them if possible.

Herbs, flowers, and petals are usually cut into small pieces in a blender, but many people like to wipe them in a mortar first, use a sharp knife, or combine the two. Try everything and find yours.

The peel of citrus fruits (lemon, orange, lime, any others) can first be dried and crushed with a pestle, or you can grate on a very fine grater and only then dry - this will drastically shorten the drying time.

Honey or a couple of drops of wine are often added to dried fruits, before being dried to brittleness and crushing them, which gives the smell a very pleasant subtle shade.

Combine flavors and ingredients to follow recipes, or create your own. For example, one of the popular incense combinations:

1 part palo santo bark;
1 part tolu balsam
1 part styrax resin;
a quarter of vanilla (powdered).

How to make incense sticks

Incense sticks are probably the hardest to make because they take a long time to soak and dry and take a special base. To make 20 incense sticks you will need:

20 pcs. thin sticks 28 cm long each (preferably special sticks-bases);
12 ml. oil base or dipropylene glycol;
6 ml. aromatic oils or mixtures of ingredients;
1 glass test tube 25x250 mm .;
2 pipettes;
test tube holder;
marker;
dryer (non-automatic, usual for linen).

Thoroughly wash and dry the tube and then pour the oil base into it using a pipette. Mark the liquid level in the tube with a marker.

Add aromatic oil. Here you get a 1: 2 ratio, but depending on the selected aroma and its intensity, you can change it (1: 1 or even 1: 3).

Shake the contents of the test tube by closing the neck with your finger.

Put the sticks in the test tube (thickened part down). The mixture will cover only a quarter of the length of the sticks, but during the standing time it will saturate the entire thickened part.
Leave the tube at room temperature for 3 days. Do not cover it!
After three days, take out the sticks and place them on the dryer. Do not place it in direct sunlight.

To check if the sticks are dry enough, blot them with a paper towel; if it is wet, wait a little longer.

On average, it may take another day.

After that, put the chopsticks in a bag or box where you will store them, or immediately put them on a stand and light them.

Recently, the East is in trend. Many began to take a great interest in oriental medicine, oriental motives can often be found in the interior. Yoga and various therapies, including aromatherapy, are popular. If you are fond of aromatherapy, then, for sure, you have used incense sticks. These sticks fill the room with pleasant smells, but smoldering, they crumble on the table or on the floor in the form of ash. To prevent this from happening, incense sticks are installed on a special stand that functions as an ashtray. You can buy a stand for incense sticks or make your own hands if you want the decor to be original. And in this article, we will show you how to make a holder for incense sticks from polymer or ordinary clay.

Materials:

clay
rolling pin
sheet metal (optional)
wooden skewer or wire
spray paint or varnish
knife or metal molds

Making a stand for incense sticks

Prepare polymer or ordinary clay so that it resembles plasticine in consistency.

Roll out the clay on a hard, even surface, cut a rectangle out of the resulting layer using a knife. Smooth the surface of the clay.

Using a small mold, apply the pattern to the surface of the clay.

Use a wooden skewer or wire to pierce the incense stick hole.

From a strip of metal, make a template with which one edge of the clay rectangle can be bent and fixed until the clay dries. Let the clay dry for 24 hours.

Divide the stand into sectors using masking tape and paint. Cover the top with spray varnish.

When the coating is dry, the stand can be used as intended.

The original article is in English.

Smelling incense at home or in any other room is not only pleasant, but also relatively dangerous. After all, here you will be dealing with smoldering matter. To protect yourself and your home from a possible fire, it is recommended to use special ones. The use of such stands not only makes the burning process safe, but also aesthetically pleasing, such stands look attractive, and some of them are so beautifully made that they are a great decoration for any room in which they will be located, not just for the altar.
Based on what material is used in the manufacture of stands, they are divided into wood, stone, metal and ceramic. The most popular material for making coasters is wood. This material is very practical, coasters of various shapes are made of it, while you do not need to worry about the state of the accessory, it will not catch fire from ash and it is not so easy to damage it.
According to the types of incense the holders are designed for, they can be categorized into basic incense holders, base incense holders, and universal incense holders designed for both types. The main distinguishing feature of these accessories is the hole diameter: for the first type of incense, holes of a smaller diameter are needed than for the second.
Conventionally, incense holders can also be divided in shape: rectangular, round and free-form. Rectangular stands include accessories "ski", "boat" and chest. The former looks like skis, flat with one end raised, in which there is a stick hole. These stands have one or two grooves for sticks. It, in turn, is located at a slight angle to the surface of the stand, the stick smolders and all the ash falls on the stand.
The "boat" stand resembles the previous view, but bends from both sides at once and has a shape similar to a boat. These coasters are often made from ceramics. They reliably protect the surface from ash, they are easy to clean and they do not absorb the smell of incense.
The most original form is the chest-shaped stand. Often, it not only performs the function of collecting ashes and a holder of already burning incense, but also a place for storing incense sticks. At the bottom there is a pencil case where you can put sticks, and on the roof of the pencil case, which is also the bottom, stands are recesses for cone-shaped and baseless incense, in the side walls there are holes for sticks. The lid of the chest has holes for the passage of fragrant smoke, so after you set fire to the incense, you can close the lid and enjoy the unusual sight of the smoke coming out of the holes.
Round coasters are usually sold as a saucer or lotus flower. Such accessories are most often made from ceramic, stone or wood. In Buddhism, the lotus symbolizes primordial waters, spiritual opening, wisdom and nirvana. The lotus is dedicated to Buddha, the "Pearl of the Lotus", who emerged from the lotus in the form of a flame. This is the image of purity and perfection: growing out of the mud, he remains pure - just like a Buddha born into the world. The Buddha is considered the heart of the lotus, he sits on a throne in the form of a fully opened flower. Inside the stand, most often even in the flower itself, there are holes into which sticks are inserted. Unlike the first type of coasters, where the sticks are located almost parallel to the accessory, in flat and round coasters they are in an upright position. The grooves can also be of different diameters for different incense.
Authors' fantasies are not limited to rectangular or round stands; there are various accessories in the form of statues, for example, in the form of an elephant or Buddha. The most popular is the statue of Buddha holding a bundle of incense, its top has holes for the incense sticks themselves, there are also options for incense in the form of a spiral, they can be placed inside the stand, and the smoke will come out of special holes. And stands in the form of elephants or other animals have holes in the body itself.
A large selection of stands for incense allows you to choose not only a convenient accessory, but also a stylish piece of furniture.

People burn incense sticks for many reasons - for relaxation, for religious purposes, or simply because they like the smell of incense. It is important to know how to use them correctly.

Steps

Part 1

Choice of sticks and incense burners

Consider purchasing a cored incense stick. These sticks consist of a thin wooden rod (usually bamboo) covered (except for 2–3 centimeters below) with an aromatic substance. The fragrance can be smooth and smooth or grainy in appearance. The aroma obtained during combustion is usually quite intense, consisting of the smell of the aroma itself and a burning wood core.

Consider purchasing solid incense sticks. These sticks are composed entirely of aroma and do not contain a core. They have a softer scent, so they work well in small spaces like a bedroom or office. Since these sticks do not have a core, their aroma is uniform, without admixture of the smell of burning wood.

Find a suitable chopstick holder. These stands, also called incense burners, come in many different shapes and sizes. The type of stand will depend on which sticks you use, with or without a core. You can purchase an incense burner that fits the sticks you are using, or you can make one yourself using the tools you have at hand.

Consider making your own incense burner. You can make your own clay stick holder, or use a cup by pouring something crumbly and incombustible into it. Here are some options:

Sculpt a curly clay censer. Take a lump of natural self-hardening modeling clay and roll it into a flat sheet. Then cut out the desired shape using a craft knife or dough knife. You can leave the cutout shape flat, or fold the edges to make it a vase. Take an incense stick and stick it into the clay, making a depression in it. Take out the stick and wait for the clay to harden before using it as a stand.
Make a censer from a bowl or cup. Take a jar large enough to hold the ashes falling from the burning incense stick. Fill it with grain, rice, salt, or sand.

Light the tip of the incense stick. This can be done with a match or lighter. Bring the flame to the stick and wait until it lights up.

Let the stick burn for about 10 seconds. The flame will go out by itself. When this happens, take a look at the tip of the incense stick. If you see a glowing glowing light on it, the wand burns properly. If the glow is not visible and the tip is covered with ash, you need to light the stick again.

Fan the fire gently. Fan the fire so that you can see a smoldering light with a thin column of smoke rising from it; however, you should not see the flame. After about 30 seconds, you will smell the aroma coming from the stick. These signs indicate that the stick is burning properly. If you cannot see anything and the tip does not glow, having an ash-like appearance, this means that the wand is completely extinguished. If so, light it up again. This time, cover the tip with your palm, gently fanning the flame.

Place the incense stick in the holder. If you are using a core stick, place a non-scented wooden tip in the stand. If you have a wand without a core, it doesn't matter which end you attach it to in the holder. Most incense burners attach the sticks vertically or at a slight angle. If the stick is at a slight angle, make sure that the burning tip is above the stand. If the top tip protrudes from the stand, cut the stick or place the incense burner on a wider fireproof stand.
- If you are using a bowl or cup of grain, rice, salt, or sand as a stand, gently stick the tip of the stick into the bulk material so that it stands on its own when you release it. You can stick the stick vertically or tilt it slightly. In the latter case, the tip of the stick should not protrude beyond the stand, so that the ash from it falls on the stand, and not on the table or on the floor.
Wait for the stick to burn out to the end. Most incense sticks burn for 20-30 minutes, depending on the length and thickness.

Take precautions. As with other burning objects, do not leave a lit stick unattended. If you need to go away, extinguish the wand by immersing the burning tip in water or pressing it against a fireproof surface. Place the incense burner on a heat-resistant surface, away from curtains, curtains, children and pets.

Part 3

When you can and when you can't burn incense sticks

Use incense while meditating. Their aroma will allow you not only to relax and distract from other thoughts, but also help you focus on the subject of meditation.

Many began to take a great interest in oriental medicine, oriental motives can often be found in the interior. Yoga and various therapies, including aromatherapy, are popular. If you are fond of aromatherapy, then, for sure, you have used incense sticks. These sticks fill the room with pleasant smells, but smoldering, they crumble on the table or on the floor in the form of ash. To prevent this from happening, incense sticks are installed on a special stand that functions as an ashtray. You can buy a stand for incense sticks or make your own hands if you want the decor to be original.