Hi,

I can hopefully help you with your first question, I asked the same question of the owner of my local new-age shop. Here's what she told me:

They need to be DRY and packs should be rolled in cling film to keep 'em dry once opened.
You can't use anything except a cigarette lighter to light them - matches are no good as they don't stay lit long enough and the disc can puff out the flame and then you have to start all over again - and they don't get hot enough anyway to get the disc going.
Hold the disc with thumb and forefinger almost touching above and below one one side of the disc - NOT across its diameter - that way you have maximum 'edge' to put the lighter flame around. Keep the flame moving around the edge of the disc (beginning from farthest away from your fingers, of course!) until the thing starts to spark and sputter (this is the saltpetre burning off, which helps to get it alight) and then gently blow on it to help it along. You should see a red glow when you blow.
Once the sparkles start moving across the surface of the disc, then put it in a sand-filled container and WAIT until it's all silently glowing, as putting incense on before then is pointless as it just 'spits' it off everywhere!
If you're not sure if it's caught properly or not, leave it five minutes and come back - either it will be glowing hot and you will feel it with your hand a few inches above the disc - or it will have all gone cold and you'll need to start again!
When you know it's hot and a fine grey layer of ash is forming around the edge, you know you're good to go. Then put a few grains of incense on top and away you go!
If you're using powders, you need one additional step: get some tin foil and cut off a long thin edge-strip about an inch wide. Cut it into smaller pieces - about three inches long. Fold them over two or three times, making it small, and curl the folded piece round the edges so it fits nicely on your charcoal tablet, like a little foil bowl. I know this looks deeply suspicious but it's the only way to burn powder incense! This way, putting the powder in the little foil-cup slows down the burning of the fine powder, as opposed to putting it directly on the charcoal which would make it just 'toast' itself in a second, and usually smelling like burnt toast too. Slowing down the burning makes a more fragrant scent.


hope she's been some help to you

BB

**)O(**

-Howler

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Bright Blessings!

**)O(**

-Howler