How to Make an Incense Boat
Burning incense is a lovely way to add a nice fragrance to your home. When using loose incense, storage is an important factor. An incense boat, or navicula, is a shaped vessel intended for loose incense storage. In Catholic and Orthodox ceremonies, it is the sacred vessel, usually oblong-shaped and holds the incense before burning in the censer. Baking clay such as scupley, fimo or other brands are easy to use and allow you to make colorful projects with a few simple steps. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Creating your incense boat
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1
Roll out the clay in to a long, thick string. You may need several strings to create the boat and base.
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2
Loop the strings around in a circle, move out and upward, creating an oblong shape.
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3
Smooth the sides of the boat both inside and out. Keep the edges about 1/2- to 3/4-inches thick. Add more clay if you thin the sides too much while doing this.
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4
Loop the string from the base in the same method, but this time create a cone shape with a flat top.
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5
Smooth the clay on the outside of the base.
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6
Score the flat top of the base and the bottom of the boat where your would like to attach them. This will help the glue keep them together.
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7
Roll out a sheet of clay and cut it to fit over the boat. Take a rope of clay and attach it to the underside of the base to create a lip for the lid.
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8
Bake all the pieces according to the instructions on the clay package. Place the pieces on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
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9
Glue the base to the boat.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can carve designs into the base, add clay designs or even mix clay colors to get a marbling effect. After the clay is baked, you can paint and sand parts to get different decorative effects.
Do not burn incense on baking clay. The heat will cause the clay to give off fumes.
