I'm having a tidy up, and I find this pack of sandalwood sticks I got from China a little while ago. I've never burned sandalwood sticks, so I had to search on the internet for what to do. There's a good looking video of a stick being inserted into ash along with some sandalwood powder, which is ignited, and then covered in ash so the stick slowly smoulders. I don't have the set up for that, so I followed other advice. At first I was using bits of sandalwood that were too big. So I cut them down into small slivers and chips. My mesh was uncovered, so the wood caught, resulting in a scorched wood smell. I liked the suggestion in this video, so I then put a thin piece of tin foil over the mesh, and adjusted the height up and down, trying to find the sweet spot where the wood warms up such that the oil inside is released. Either I don't have the patience to find that sweet spot, or the wood I have is old or of poor quality, as at no point did I ever get close to the scent of sandalwood.
My experience here has not encouraged me to try again. My research indicates that it is a fiddly thing, and that even with good results there isn't exactly a strong scent of sandalwood given off. I might try sandalwood powder - that appears to be easier to use, and with better results. I'll not score this, as I'm unsure of why I failed, and I suspect it may be my fault.
Date: Oct 2023 Score: N/A
My experience here has not encouraged me to try again. My research indicates that it is a fiddly thing, and that even with good results there isn't exactly a strong scent of sandalwood given off. I might try sandalwood powder - that appears to be easier to use, and with better results. I'll not score this, as I'm unsure of why I failed, and I suspect it may be my fault.
Date: Oct 2023 Score: N/A
Genuine decent quality sandalwood should be quite fragrant even when warmed in the hand. It also holds onto it's fragrance well over time. I suspect what you have is not sandalwood Steve. Australia is producing substantial quantities of renewable sandalwood these days, I've bought from newmountain.com.au and been happy with the quality (No connection, just a customer).
ReplyDeleteYou've been ripping through your backlog lately Steve, many thanks. :)
I've been out of the room doing other things for a while, and on returning there is a sandalwood scent, quite bright and attractive, though not heavenly, and rather ghostly pale. I don't have a record of when I got the sticks, though it may have been a while ago, and there was a small opening at the top of the bag. I did a look on the internet for stale sandalwood, and was reassured that it remains fragrant for years (and I have incense older that still smells gorgeous), though I wonder if a) it's bad quality sandalwood (a long way from the heartwood), and/or b) it's stale.
DeleteOoh, that's a tempting site, Chris. I really like the look of this: AGARWOOD INCENSE DIY PACK
DeleteGood value for £15, but it'll be another tenner for shipping and around 25 days for delivery. Additionally, check with your better half, you're gonna make a mess in the kitchen :))
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