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Incense


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#1 alany

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Posted 02 January 2005 - 09:34 AM

Not strictly pyro, but I've been experimenting with making Incense:

16 Charcoal (airfloat)
6 Wood Meal
1 Dextrin

+3 drops of scent oil per 10 g (or so)
+10% Potassium Nitrate

I used some random wood meal (skylighter), but a fragrant timber like Sandalwood would be better. In fact if you can't find a good timber I'd suggest leaving out the wood meal, it improves the smell enormously. I used white musk oil from The Body Shop.

I prepared the dry parts of the composition in the ball mill, then moisted it with 25% alcohol until it just stuck together when pressed (much the same as making stars). Then I added the oil and kneaded it well, forcing it through a 20 mesh sieve a few times. Finallly I pumped 8 mm diameter slugs about 16-20 mm long. A conical mold would be more traditional and would probably work better too.

After a few days of drying I sealed them up in a PP jar tightly to stop loss of the volatiles. They take about 10-15 minutes to burn releasing the white musk oil scent quite strongly.

A similar composition might be useful for making punks, dip coated onto thin slivers of bamboo or rushes. You can increase the Potassium Nitrate addition if you want it to burn faster, much less than +10% and it won't sustain combustion so reducing it doesn't work to slow it down.

You can probably use any other aqueous binder that you wish.

#2 lord_dranack

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Posted 04 January 2005 - 11:02 AM

This sounds like a realy interesting idea!

You could try using some powdered spices instead of the oil, so you get a dry powder.

I will try using something cinnamon and frankincense, to see if they work like the oils.
I suppose any resinous wood would create a good smell- some household fragrences use pine. You could try the resin, the wood or the needles. I have some of this strange mexican wood that is about 40% resin and is very pleasant smelling (its used as a waterproff kindling or tinder for fires)

Keep us posted on further developments!




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