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

[@derknizotts9162]

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.

[@treemarie3080]

Agreed!!!

[@JenSpice]

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.

[@brightantwerp]

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

[@Epiphalactic]

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.

[@om4444]

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

[@gopalmistry6806]

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

[@andersonevencio2460]

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

[@tabithablalock]

Wonderful video! Thanks Carl!

[@widgie161]

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

[@Nicholask85]

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

[@Epiphalactic]

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

[@katherinebuchanan9350]

I was about to ask if the Nutribullet and Ninja style blenders are appropriate for small scale incense making

[@rajmfh]

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

[@pa_maj.MARTINI-van-MAN]

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

[@MrIHADANACCOUNT]

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.

[@IncenseDragon]

That is awesome advice! I'm going to give blade sharpening a try. As much as I have used mine over the years I'm sure they could use it. You can also buy replacements that have additional blades. Thanks for the ideas!!

[@Vicolegargoyle]

you can dehydrate without heat in most (all?) refrigerators (the evaporators dehydrate), so put what you want to dehydrate on a wicker plate (or paper towel) in the back of the refrigerator and check in a few weeks. wood might take longer. I've dried herbs this way and they dry beautifully - retaining the scent and color.

[@couch1121]

What size micron sifters do you use? Thanks!

[@justinpollard9706]

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. ^^

[@treemarie3080]

Heyyy that intro music is smooth 🎶🙂 Thank you

[@djMLE-207]

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?

[@IncenseDragon]

Several types of wood are difficult to dry. Palo santo is something of a nightmare in that regard. I would suggest shaving it as thin as possible and allowing it to dry for quite some time (keep it out of light - especially sunlight). Then powder it and let it sit for a long time again, shaking or stirring it occasionally. It would be best to dry it on a screen if you have one fine enough that the material won't fall through. I think I would then powder it a second time and see if it is manageable. If not, keep repeating the process until it is. Good luck!!

[@netneedingsystems2318]

Very informative, thank you for sharing!

[@CaptainThisShip]

Man, I love the intro

[@IncenseDragon]

It's like a flashback to 1985.

[@traianivanescu24]

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?

[@IncenseDragon]

I use grinders all the time. Just be sure to use the type the spinning blades (like a mini-blender). I would avoid "burr" grinders.

[@CerberusBindeweed]

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.

[@IncenseDragon]

Mugwort is a tough one. It does tend to get fluffy. Try blending it with a little bit of wood powder before you powder it.

[@AssTroll]

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.

[@janeferraz413]

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

[@IncenseDragon]

Absolutely!

[@jerrywhidby5259]

@ 2:35 What was that noise?

[@IncenseDragon]

Lol. That was a Tim Allen "Tooltime" grunt after saying "power tool".

[@okkhmjoe]

Wow, I appreciate your videos

[@mrpipestache2423]

Do you have a website to purchase your incense?

[@IncenseDragon]

www.TheIncenseDragon.com

[@cuisined]

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. :)

[@gissel3524]

What’s the best way to powered palo santo?

[@IncenseDragon]

Palo Santo is tricky to powder because good quality wood contains a lot of resin. The best thing is to buy it already powdered, but if that isn't an option you will need to grind it a little bit and then allow it dry for several days and then grind a little more. It will take a while to get it fine enough to use for incense making, but it can be done.

[@janeferraz413]

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

[@IncenseDragon]

Coconut oil is not an essential oil. You can use it, but it won't smell anything like a coconut. It should certainly make your incense burn faster!

[@CerberusBindeweed]

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

[@IncenseDragon]

I don't recommend using a M&P for wood. Power tools are really the only realistic way to go. If you want to do it by hand you might want to use a sharp knife to whittle to wood into shavings before putting in an M&P.

[@CerberusBindeweed]

I tried using a blender and in 1 hour of processing the sandalwood chips I have, all I got was 1tsp of powdered and sifted sandalwood.

[@IncenseDragon]

Sandalwood is very difficult to powder. It is one wood that I recommend buying powdered when practical. Although it might seem like the blender is slow, a M&P is vastly slower. I powder it occasionally, usually when I've come across a really special piece (the last time I did that was when I made "Blend 29"). For the most part I have bought sandalwood already powdered. That presents its own challenges, though, since there is so much fraudulent sandalwood powder out there.

[@williamlee6839]

@@IncenseDragon do you think a coffe grinder are more effective than a blender?

[@ericaragusa9418]

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

[@IncenseDragon]

Thank you. No, the whole concept of using makko as a "burning agent" is a different philosophy than the methods that I use. Makko is simply a base and a binder combined. 95% of all the incense I've ever made did not include makko. I use it in some recipes because it works well in them, but it really isn't any more special than any other wood binder. I like sassafras more than makko, although it's not quite as strong.

[@Vicolegargoyle]

@@IncenseDragon hi, Question: you like sassafras more as a combustible agent or as a binding agent? Thanks for the information (both in the video and here). vicky

[@faustharder4093]

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

[@IncenseDragon]

Greetings! I would need more details. What are you powdering in your grinders when they break?

[@happycustomer3448]

Can I replace the wood with oatmeal flour?

[@IncenseDragon]

That is something I've never tried. If you try it, please let me know your results!

[@eqlzr2]

Can inhaling smoke from incense be harmful to your health?

[@javierespinoza686]

nice!

[@the_stray_cat]

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

[@IncenseDragon]

There are many, many resins you can use. Frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, copal, and many more. Get a good herbal or incense making book for a more complete list.

[@the_stray_cat]

IncenseDragon thank you for the info

[@marissafranz5412]

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?

[@mertboratetin4418]

I mean he says the exact same thing in the vid..

[@devrajsherpa2381]

how to make frank incense

[@IncenseDragon]

I'm not sure what you mean. Frankincense incense is made from frankincense resin.