The following is a primer meant for those who are not familiar with the burning of incense with charcoal.

Notes on burning incense with charcoal

First, some precautions... I'm sure you know this, but I'm writing it anyway...

Lit charcoal is hot! A burning piece of charcoal burns really hot, up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Now that's a hot chunk.

Always be aware of your in-use incense burner. Do not leave unattended.

Keep your incense burner away from curtains, lamps, furniture and other flammable objects.

Keep your burner away from drafty areas where embers could scatter.

Keep away from pets and children.

Use your burner in a well-ventilated area. Get some fresh air. If the room gets too smoky, open an outside door and let the room air out a bit.

If you have health issues, respiratory problems or are pregnant, check with your doctor before using incense.

Not for consumption!

I'm sure there's more, but that's all for now. And now the fun stuff.

Your Incense Burner

 I've used many different types of incense burners. Homemade and store bought. My favorites are made of cast iron. I have a brass swinging censer that I am pretty fond of too.

I have used large rocks, metal pie pans, ceramic bowls, an old kitchen pot with a handle, terra cotta flower pots and bottoms, my fireplace, a outdoor fire pit and assorted fire-resistant objects. As a general rule, I don't use glass. You can, if it's insulated enough, but I am not fond of shattering glass.

I would suggest adding a couple/three inches of dry sand, gravel or dirt to your incense burner for insulation. I don't add insulation material to my cast iron. It's my personal preference. I know how my cast iron reacts to heat. And it gets really, really hot.

Lighting your charcoal

 I use Swift-Lite. If you notice, the charcoal has a rounded side and a concave, bowl-like side. Once you light your piece of charcoal, place the charcoal in your burner concave side up. The reason for this is simple: the concave side acts like a little bowl for your incense blends to lay in. If you used the other side, your incense might just slide off. Especially if you are using resin incense.

I light my charcoal with matches and a pair of small metal tongs. You could really burn yourself by holding onto the charcoal while lighting it. Hence the metal tongs. Of course, sometimes I am in a hurry. And I do end up lighting up without using the tongs. And yeah, I've burned myself. Not get-me-to-the-emergency-room bad, but enough to think maybe I should be using tongs.

If you don't have tongs, place the charcoal in your incense burner on it's side. You can support it with a metal spoon if it tries to fall over. Light it and gently flick it down, concave side up. Invariably, you'll flick it and it will turn and land round side up. And then you will get all panicky and try to turn it around... and ouch...

Get some metal tongs...    I use chopsticks too. Chopsticks good...

Adding the Incense

You will notice that your charcoal is starting to sputter and smoke. That is perfectly normal. If you see nothing, re-light the piece. If it gets really smoky, get some fresh air! Soon your piece of charcoal will glow a bit red and you'll see some grey ash. Give it a few minutes, maybe five or more. Take your time. That one piece of charcoal can last for 45 minutes or so. 

Once your piece of charcoal quits the sputter and gathers a bit of grey ash, you can add a pinch or two of incense. Powdered, resin or herb. Add a very small amount. You don't want to smother your charcoal. Your house might get smoky. Just let some air in, if it gets to be too much.

I like my very sturdy cast iron pot caldron. It's got a good, strong handle. If my house gets too smoky, I grab my burner by the handle and move it outside. Or, I walk around the house with it. I don't have small children to worry about, so I feel safe doing this. But I do have animals. One in particular, Thumper - the wunderdog, likes to get underfoot. So I remain mindful of my footsteps.

You will notice that the smoke is starting to clear in your incense burner. If you want, add a pinch or two of incense. Repeat when necessary.

Stone Cold Incense Burner

When you are finished, you can push your charcoal down into the sand. If you used sand. If not, take it outside, dump the contents and pour a bit of water on it. If that is not feasible, get some water and pour directly in the burner. And if that is not possible, let the charcoal fully extinguish on it's own. The important thing is to not get rid of your leavings until your burner is stone cold.  You certainly don't want to dispose the contents of your burner in the trash can, which could be quite a fire hazard. So make sure your burner is completely stone cold.

I'm just trying to keep you safe even though I sound like my Mother...

We have a small area in our backyard where we keep our spent leavings. Our animals leave it alone, but I can't speak for yours and we don't have small children to worry about.

Offset Burning

If you would like a more gentle burning of your incense, you can lay your incense next to your charcoal instead of on top of the charcoal.

You can also lay a small piece of foil on top of your charcoal - loose. And place your incense on top of the foil. Or make a little foil cup. When you add resin to your little foil crucible, you will have molten incense lava. Hot! HOT!!!