How to Light Charcoal for Burning Incense Resins

This is a thorough step-by-step guide on how to light a charcoal disk and prepare it to be used for burning incense resins. 

When lighting a charcoal disk to use for burning resin incense, there are some things to keep in mind.  Charcoal can get hot and will quickly burn anything it comes into contact with if dropped. Charcoal is inherently burnable; “quicklight” charcoals are rarely needed.

Step 1

Find a good location to light the charcoal.  

1. The floor should not be carpet, wood, or vinyl in case the disk should somehow fall while being lit. 
2. When first lit, charcoal disks will give off an odor that usually takes a few minutes to burn off.  The area should be well-ventilated. Somewhere outside is best.
3. There should be a slight breeze. This helps the charcoal light and burn evenly.
4. If it must be done indoors, consider doing it over the kitchen sink in order to avoid any damage if the disk falls.

Step 2

Using a pair of tongs, pick up the charcoal disk and make sure you have a good grip on it. Then hold it over an area that cannot be damaged if it falls.  Do not put too much pressure on the disk; burning it can affect its integrity in places and may cause it to crumble where it is being held.  (In the image, you can see the tongs positioned under the lip of the disk; almost no direct pressure is being placed on it.)

Step 3

Hold the disk vertically to the ground and light the bottom of the disk; wait until you hear the disk start to crackle or see small sparks coming from it, then remove the lighter. 

Step 4 

With most disks, a glowing line will appear near the bottom where the flame was being applied and work its way up the disk. During this process, the disk will crackle and lightly sparkle. Hold the disk in position until the crackling stops and the glowing line reaches the top of the disk.

Step 5 

Carefully place the disk on the burner with the indented side facing upward. Screen burners allow air to reach the disk on all sides, including the bottom, which helps the disk to burn evenly. When using sand, you can shape it to a point and place the disk in the middle (as pictured) to allow more air to reach the disk.

Step 6

Let the charcoal sit on the burner until the odors burn off and it turns a light gray color. Depending on the charcoal, this takes between 3 and 5 minutes. A slight breeze will decrease the time and help the disk burn thoroughly and evenly.

Step 7 

Carefully move the burner to the location you intend to burn your incense (if it is not there already) and enjoy some natural fragrance.

Helpful Tips:

• Charcoal burns hot; placing resin directly on it will burn it, causing excessive smoke and ruining the resin. Research methods of buffering the heat. Some popular options are tinfoil, salt, ash, and mica. Resins like dragon’s blood and amber will melt and seep right through loose buffers like salt and ash. 
• Make sure a burning charcoal disk is placed on a sturdy surface and kept away from children and pets. 
• Charcoal can burn for a long time; to be safe, consider disposing of it in the sink and running water over it to ensure it has been extinguished.