A water powered tilt-hammer incense mill

Further to Dan Waters article “A Joss-stick Mill in Tsuen Wan” published August 26 2013

Here is a photograph of a water powered tilt-hammer used in crushing the production of incense. It is taken from a 1952 book “Hong Kong” by Harold Ingrams published by her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London in 1952.

The book contains a chapter on Hong Kong’s trade and industry and mentions incense manufacturing stating, “One of the oldest factories is the last surviving water mill just outside Kowloon. The two wheels have been revolving  for a hundred years. They give power to a great wooden pedestal which pounds up the herbs and sandalwood used for making joss sticks”

Thanks very much to IDJ  for both the image and the information.

This article was first published on 17th November 2013.

Related Indhhk articles:

1. Incense, Export of ‘kuan-hsiang’ 莞香 incense from Hong Kong Ts’un, Aberdeen Harbour – Ming Dynasty
   
2. Incense tree Plantation, HK
   
3. Incense Trees in Hong Kong – a vanishing species
4. The origins of the name Hong Kong – the export of incense
5. Lamma Island incense timber theft arrests
6. Wi-Fi ‘Guard’ device to protect incense trees – SCMP article