- 1). Find good sticks. People like to use bamboo, but you can use any wood that will burn with the help of an accelerant and go out without the accelerant. If you cannot find bamboo in your area, look for any hardwood (not pine) available in thin sheets.
- 2). Split the wood into sticks about as thick as a matchstick and 6 to 18 inches long. Use a hammer and chisel to split the wood. You can split bamboo easily and it burns correctly--that is why it is traditionally used for joss sticks.
- 3). Make the glue that holds the scent and accelerant to the stick. Use gum tragacanth if you can find it and gum arabic otherwise. Hobby shops carry them, as do some large drugstores and any chemical supply store. Add one teaspoon of the gum to a glass of warm water and allow it to set over night. Add the accelerant and scent to the gum, and roll the stick in the mixture. Leave a few inches of stick bare on one end--the end you will put in the incense burner.
- 4). Get some potassium nitrate (also known as saltpeter) to use as an accelerant. This will help the joss stick burn evenly. You can buy it at most drug stores, but you may have to ask the pharmacist for it. You can also buy it at any chemical supply store. If you can't find any of these ingredients where you live, you can order most of them online.
- 5). Decide on the scent you want, then ground it into a fine powder. For some scents (like rose water), you can use a few drops of the liquid form. Mix the accelerant and scent with the gum and roll the sticks in the mixture. Put them on a rack (not touching each other) for one or two days, depending on the ingredients you used. Your joss sticks should then be ready to use.
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