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Originally posted by Autenrieth Road:
Oh my! . Just goes to show that even if only the priest can cense certain things, it's still the acolytes & vergers who know all about how to do it.

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Originally posted by Scott Knitter:

3. At cleanup time, assume everything is either hot or dirty or both; use tongs to handle everything.

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Originally posted by The Silent Acolyte:
Small censers can indeed be gotten from Orthodox bookstores.

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Originally posted by churchgeek:
A question to those to whom it applies:

How do you clean your thurible?

Ours is silver, and it never gets cleaned. I've been trying to clean it whenever I can since last summer, but it's always a day-long task, it seems.

When I need to get burnt-on crud off my pans at home, I boil water in them. Is it safe to boil a silver thurible (as opposed to just soaking it in hot tap water)?

I think what I'm looking for is a way to soften all the creosote (is that the right word?) so it can be safely scrubbed off without scratching the silver. Most of the crud is inside the thurible, of course, but some gets on the outside as well.

Any ideas would be appreciated! But please say what kind of metal yours is, since I assume some cleaning methods would be harmful to some metals even if safe on others.

Thanks!

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Originally posted by Saint Bertelin:
We had a rather entertaining thread about this some time ago where somebody boiled it for hours and kept reporting back to let us know about the progress made. I have used ethanol and a toothbrush in the past.

The key, once it has been cleaned, is to give it a good clean after every use. Also, do not leave it closed while the charcoal dies inside it. Rather, remove the charcoal and place it in a sealable tin, and stifle it. Then dispose of it on clean ground. and clean your thurible.

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Originally posted by churchgeek:

quote:

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Originally posted by Saint Bertelin:
We had a rather entertaining thread about this some time ago where somebody boiled it for hours and kept reporting back to let us know about the progress made. I have used ethanol and a toothbrush in the past.

The key, once it has been cleaned, is to give it a good clean after every use. Also, do not leave it closed while the charcoal dies inside it. Rather, remove the charcoal and place it in a sealable tin, and stifle it. Then dispose of it on clean ground. and clean your thurible.

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What did the experiment conclude? Was any progress made?

I'd love to clean the thurible after every use, but I can't. I usually only am at the cathedral on Saturdays and Sundays, and am usually quite busy both days. I'm also not a thurifer, so I can't do much about how they handle the thurible, although I believe the practice is to leave the thurible open outdoors while the charcoal cools, and then dispose of the charcoal in the dirt. Although they might actually just put the hot charcoal into the soil, too.

Here's a dumb question: Is the gunk mostly from the charcoal, the incense, or both?

[ETA:]
Is ethanol safe for silver? Does it seem to help?

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Originally posted by Saint Bertelin:

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Originally posted by churchgeek:
What did the experiment conclude? Was any progress made?

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This was a thurible that hadn't been cleaned in years and so had a thick layer of gunk. If memory serves correctly some good headway was made.

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I'd love to clean the thurible after every use, but I can't. I usually only am at the cathedral on Saturdays and Sundays, and am usually quite busy both days. I'm also not a thurifer, so I can't do much about how they handle the thurible...

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That's a pity. It's good when somebody like you takes the initiative to do this because, IME, so many people are in a rush to dash off and things just don't get done.

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Here's a dumb question: Is the gunk mostly from the charcoal, the incense, or both?

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Not dumb at all. I think it's predominantly incense resin.

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Is ethanol safe for silver? Does it seem to help?

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It worked a treat on our brass thurible. I used it outside, of course. As for whether it's safe for silver, I'm not sure. My then parish priest's first degree was in metallurgy and it was he who suggested (and supplied) it but I couldn alwayws ask for you.

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Originally posted by Comper's Child:
As I recollect St Percy suggests "sweet-oil" which is I think a term for olive oil. I've tried it and found it useless with any build-up of resins. We use "mineral spirits" allowing the thurible to soak for a half hour or so. I would, however carefully clean off any residue from the spirits as they might spoil the silver if left on for a long time. If it's cleaned after each use (and this case olive oil can work) there will be far less maintenance.

nb. If the thurible is large it can be submerged one side or one half at a time in a container of spirits.

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Originally posted by Scott Knitter:
Don't take my advice if it's bad, but in a previous parish I used EZ-Off oven cleaner, the kind that doesn't require heating up the oven, on the non-silver-plated inside surfaces only. I put the thurible with this stuff on it in the oven overnight purely to contain the fumes somewhat. It was a low-fume lemon-scented formula.

The thurible came out spectacularly clean (once it was wiped with a damp cloth, easily removing the liquified crud).

Again, this is something that worked, but if you ask a sacristan or parish priest about doing this and s/he says not to, don't do it. I did it because it needed doing and nobody knew nor cared about the thurible where I was, other than that it would be used at a particular service and needed to be as non-irritating as possible. Make sure to get all the EZ-Off out of it if you do this.

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Originally posted by Comper's Child:

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Originally posted by Scott Knitter:
Don't take my advice if it's bad, but in a previous parish I used EZ-Off oven cleaner,

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Don't use this if the silver is plated on... otherwise it's okay, but again watch out for residue and clean it thoroughly after the "cleansing".

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Originally posted by TonyK:
I've never been quite sure what 'ethanol' is, but found that turpentine (but not turps. subsitute - i.e.white spirit) did a good job on a brass thurible that we have on extended loan.

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Originally posted by TonyK:
I've never been quite sure what 'ethanol' is, but found that turpentine (but not turps. subsitute - i.e.white spirit) did a good job on a brass thurible that we have on extended loan.

I left it to soak for a couple of hours, then found that I could clean it with a plastic scourer, finishing off with hot water and 'washing-up liquid' to remove the oily residue. Only one particularly difficult area required a repeat procedure!

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Ethanol is a type of alcohol, but not the kind you'd drink (unless, I suppose, you were really desperate).

ETA: Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it derives from corn? Anyway, it's often added to auto fuel, but I have to confess I'm not sure if that's to reduce pollution, or enhance performance, or what. Maybe to make the engine shine like a silver thurible!

[ 12. June 2007, 00:02: Message edited by: churchgeek ]

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I reserve the right to change my mind.

My article on the Virgin of Vladimir

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Originally posted by basso:
Ethanol is exactly the same alcohol that's in the spirits you drink - but probably more concentrated. It may also be labeled grain alcohol.

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Thanks, shows what I know.

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I reserve the right to change my mind.

My article on the Virgin of Vladimir

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Originally posted by Quam Dilecta:
In most churches which are modern enough to delay the consecration until after the Sanctus and Benedictus, but still traditional enough to pay some attention to Ritual Notes and/or Fortescue, extra incense is added during the chanting of the Preface. The thurifer, who is kneeling at the epistle side of the altar, gently swings the thurible to keep the coals hot during the singing of the Sanctus and Benedictus. At the Elevation of each species, the bell is rung three times, accompanied by a threefold censing. A further censing, but no ringing, accompanies the doxology at the conclusion of the Canon. The thurifer and torchbearers depart either during the Our Father or after the Ecce Agnus Dei.

When the Sactus and Benedictus "cover" the Canon, there are two possibilities: either the music is timed so that the Elevations occur during a break between sections, or the music is interrupted arbitrarily when the Elevations occur.

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Originally posted by churchgeek:

quote:

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Originally posted by basso:
Ethanol is exactly the same alcohol that's in the spirits you drink - but probably more concentrated. It may also be labeled grain alcohol.

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Thanks, shows what I know.

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Originally posted by Saint Bertelin:

quote:

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Originally posted by churchgeek:

quote:

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Originally posted by basso:
Ethanol is exactly the same alcohol that's in the spirits you drink - but probably more concentrated. It may also be labeled grain alcohol.

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Thanks, shows what I know.

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If anybody manages to acquire and use some, do not, do not, do not store it in the part of the sacristy where you keep the incense-related things, or anything to do with fire, or in any hot place. It really doesn't take much to get it to combust, so you really want to wash and polish the thurible properly after you've used the ethanol.

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Originally posted by Carys:
I remember from reading the thread in the past acetone being suggested but we've been unable to get hold of any.

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Originally posted by Hennah:

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Originally posted by Carys:
I remember from reading the thread in the past acetone being suggested but we've been unable to get hold of any.

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Acetone is a solvent which sold here as plain old nail varnish remover.
Not sure what it'd do to your thurible, though...

Hen x

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Originally posted by Tiffer:
I heard leaving it to soak in vegetable for a long time is a good idea. Also if you line your thurible with thick foil the need for cleaning is lessened

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Originally posted by Choirboy:
I've just taken a propane torch and heated the inside of the thurible. The gunk melts and is scraped out easily.

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