Incense Making 101 Powdering Herbs, Resin, and Wood (Incense Magick Ep 006) 

Hands down the most informative and concise videos on the subject AVAILABLE. Why people feel the need to include their entire life's journey in an instructional video is beyond me.

What a great video, just what I was looking for. Thanks a lot!

I got an Indian high powered grinder (used for grinding beans) and it is working brilliantly for my powders. I made a few cups of lavender powder this past week and I cannot wait to get started making incense. Thank you so much for all the amazing information on getting started. The right tool makes all the difference.

Good info..and the 70's morning TV show theme music was cute.

I'm commenting this about halfway through the video so I don't know if you're going to mention it, but something I've actually used quite often in a lot of different processes is actually one of those little herb grinders that people typically use for weed. if you flip them upside down you can often get a very fine powder on very dry leaves and Woody materials, as well if there are heavy fibers within you can get all of the Woody material off while retaining the fibers that won't have any aromatic compounds in them. A lot of them also have a screen or even multiple screens of different sizes and some even have replaceable screens that you'd be able to put your own particular size in, and catch whatever size particle you want. As well if you have any materials that have fine aromatic compounds on the outside of the leaves or trichomes or anything of the sort such as cannabis does, you could use the screen area to capture those and reincorporate them back into your incense. This would be a great way to powder very dry resins as well and for any materials that are very precious as with a old toothbrush you can retrieve everything that you put in.

Oh my god your "power tools UGH" bit was great. Cue Tim the Toolman Taylor grunts.

As well as for blenders, I highly recommend getting a Ninja blender for stuff like this as the multiple spinning blades that are flat have a great powdering ability, as well as reduce the burden of one single set of blades. I have one specifically designated to making my own organic nutrients for the garden and have multiple sets of blades, one in particular I use for grinding oyster shell and similar things. It would be a great tool

Wonderful video! Thanks Carl!

I would remove the blade assembly and sharpen the blades carefully by hand - very often. That improves the efficiency of the whole process. Doing it often will significantly extend the life of the motor. I can make a typical Goodwill or Yard Sale blender last a long time that way. Natural wood incense powders are the only thing I like to use. To make powders I set up my table saw with a bag underneath and use a coarse ripping blade to make a whole lot of close cuts against the end/edge of the heart wood of a section of log. It works out to be something like shaving it into fairly fine sawdust. It can then be put directly in a blender and further ground/powdered until it becomes a very very fine powder which can then be sifted if necessary. I find that sifting is often unnecessary doing it that way. Hardwoods sometimes need to be sifted and processed longer than softer woods. I've thought of mixing the wood powder with distilled water in the blender to make the particles more mobile and then almost liquefy the wood into a thin paste or super wet flour. That would definitely make for the finest possible particles but removing the water requires dehydration. I fear that the dehydration process, even if it was done with no or very little external heat will not only remove the water, but would also cause significant evaporation and/or breakdown of the oils and cellulose structure of the wood that is responsible for the scent. Perhaps a food or herb dehydrator would work well. That might retain the highest percentage of oils and other chemistry since it is based on constant air circulation and no heat source. Have not tried that one yet.

100% great video and most info I have found yet.

Very informative, thank you for sharing!

Wow, I appreciate your videos

Many thanks for your Very informative and useful tips , it’s greatly appreciated God Bless you

Subbed 👍 Great videos on incense making, I've watched quite a few!

Love your videos and structured instructions. Could you please make a video on making Arabian incense also known as Bakhoor?

Heyyy that intro music is smooth 🎶🙂 Thank you

nice!

Hey! How would you powder small pieces of cedar wood?

Man, I love the intro

What size micron sifters do you use? Thanks!

Incense Dragon!^^ I love your videos and I look forward to try out your tips soon. I was watching and listening to your suggestions and words of caution about powdering resins and I thought i'd offer a tip that might be helpful. As an avid baker, I challenged myself to make 'burnt caramel shortbread cookies'. But, much like resins, it is hard to mix a sticky hard mass into a powder, and a cookie dough that should end up being tender and buttery. So I let the burnt caramel harden fully, (like a resin) and then I put just 1/2 a teaspoon of cornstarch into the blender. before adding the caramel peices and blending. I only needed to make tiny additions of the starch, and it totally stopped the caramel from caking, and it made a beautiful burnt caramel powder. *I am curious if you have tried this? And would the tiny additions of cornstarch noticibly change the scent of the incense? It seems like it might be helpful for making shelf stable resin powders. ^^

love your videos! question - I live in a area that is full of balsm firs and I want to powder the wood to use as a base for my insence. ive read that balsm is difficult to dry, is it possible to shave the wood, dry it that way, and than powder it?

You should consider buying a Vitamix with the dry ingredients jar. the ingredients fall on them selves for a perfect blend.. Try it. It might costs you some but will serve you like no other blender you are currently using. :)

How would u go about powdering Mugwort. Every time I try to have a powder I get a fluffy result that clings to each other in little fluff balls that don't blend well.

How does one ferment incense?

Thank you for this video. What about grinders? Like coffee grinders. For spices, of course. Should I understand that those are not OK or you were referring to cheap options?

Thanks for the video...do you not use makko as a combustible agent?

Hey Carl. Do you know whats a good mortar and pestle to grind woods into a powder such as sandalwood, palo santo, etc....???

Or can I rasp down cedar balls? Also, can i use coconut oil as an essential oil?

Have you ever used alcohol in place of the water when mixing your solution before rolling into a ball? Wondering if it being alcohol would allow it to evaporate more quickly in the drying stages and also make it burn more evenly. Maybe use some Gin? Lol Thanks for the awesome upload yet again.

Can I grind up the wood chips used for hamster cages? Great video. ☺🤗

What’s the best way to powered palo santo?

@ 2:35 What was that noise?

I keep breaking my coffee grinders please send help :( thanks.

Can inhaling smoke from incense be harmful to your health?

can you give me names of resins when i look it i just get crafting resins like for fake crystals

Can I replace the wood with oatmeal flour?

I've been scared to put resins in my electric coffee grinder because I've heard that it can be really hard to clean, and can stick to the blades. Is this true?

Do you have a website to purchase your incense?

how to make frank incense