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off the loose powder, which is immediately swept into the pile with the ends of the sticks acting as a brush. This step is repeated several times until all the sticks are well covered with incense." The handful of joss sticks is then spread out horizontally on the work bench and any sticking together are separated.
The processed joss sticks are then put, handles downwards, into a wooden bucket placed beside the worker on the work bench. The bucket is made of a hard wood, such as the kind of wood used for railway sleepers, and is designed to suit the length of the joss sticks. When the bucket is almost full, it will be rolled back and forth on two pieces of wood to make the powder compact. The right hand of the worker is, at the same time, continuously slapping the joss sticks to prevent them from slipping out of the bucket. After five to eight minutes of rolling, the joss stick worker slides the whole bucketful of sticks into a box with its top and front removed. The sticks are then left to dry while the worker continues with the other sticks. After two to three such boxes are prepared, the joss stick worker will go back to the first, and repeat the process, until sufficient coats of incense have been put onto the bamboo core.
Each joss stick is made up of layers of many coatings. For joss sticks with lengths of 6 ts'un 8 fên and 8 ts'un 8 fên, only three coats of incense powder are needed. The innermost layer is made up entirely of shang shih and the middle and outer layers vary with the fragrance. For joss sticks of such lengths, however, only two types of fragrances are produced. The first type is Tan-hsiang with the outer layer having a higher proportion of sandalwood. The second type is called Hsi-ts'ang hsiang (14) which is produced with a mixture of cypress powder and a strong perfume.
For joss sticks of 7 ts'un, 9 ts'un, 1 ch'ih 4 ts'un, 1 ch'ih 5 ts'un and 1 ch'ih 6 ts'un, five coats of incense are required. The innermost layer, commonly called ta-tai (fundamental coat, T), is invariably made up of shih fên and the ratio of shih-ch'ing to shang-shih varies with the proposed price of the final products. The three middle coats, called t'ou-kou (first coat,), êrh-kuo (second coat, —¡§) and san-kuo (third coat,) respectively, are usually made up of increasing proportions of fragrant incense powder, the grade of which in turn gets higher outwards from the bamboo core. The outermost layer, kuang-p'i (outer coat, :), is a mixture of the most odoriferous incense powder
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off the loose powder, which is immediately swept into the pile with the ends of the sticks acting as a brush. This step is repeated several times until all the sticks are well covered with incense." The handful of joss sticks is then spread out horizontally on the work bench and any sticking together are separated.
The processed joss sticks are then put, handles downwards, into a wooden bucket placed beside the worker on the work bench. The bucket is made of a hard wood, such as the kind of wood used for railway sleepers, and is designed to suit the length of the joss sticks. When the bucket is almost full, it will be rolled back and forth on two pieces of wood to make the powder compact. The right hand of the worker is, at the same time, continuously slapping the joss sticks to prevent them from slipping out of the bucket. After five to eight minutes of rolling, the joss stick worker slides the whole bucketful of sticks into a box with its top and front removed. The sticks are then left to dry while the worker continues with the other sticks. After two to three such boxes are prepared, the joss stick worker will go back to the first, and repeat the process, until sufficient coats of incense have been put onto the bamboo
core.
Each joss stick is made up of layers of many coatings. For joss sticks with lengths of 6 is 'un 8 fên and 8 rs'un 8 fên, only three coats of incense powder are needed. The innermost layer is made up entirely of shang shih and the middle and outer layers vary with the fragrance. For joss sticks of such lengths, however, only two types of fragrances are produced. The first type is Tan-hsiang with the outer layer having a higher proportion of sandalwood. The second type is called Hsi-ts'ang hsiang (14) which is produced with a mixture of cypress powder and a strong perfume.
For joss sticks of 7 is'un, 9 ts 'un, 1 ch'ih 4 ts'un, I ch'ih 5 is'un and 1 ch'ih 6 ts'un, five coats of incense are required. The innermost layer, commonly called ta-tai (fundamental coat, T), is invariably made up of shih fên and the ratio of shih-ch'ing to shang-shih varies with the proposed price of the final products. The three middle coats, called t'ou-kou (first coat, ), êrh-kuo (second coat, —¡§) and san- kuo (third coat,) respectively, are usually made up of increasing proportions of fragrant incense powder, the grade of which in turn gets higher outwards from the bamboo core. The outermost layer, kuang-p'i (outer coat, :), is a mixture of the most odoriferous incense powder
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