QUAERITUR: How to clean a messy thurible

Not long ago, I had a question from a reader about a good way to clean an encrusted thurible (the thing in which we burn incense and then swing around, from the Latin word “thus… incense”).

At the site of Romanitas Press, Louis Tofari has a useful article on this sometimes sticky problem.

He recommends using carburetor cleaner to get a really tough stuff off the metal.  I have it on good authority that, once clean, giving it a dip in kerosine works wonders.

NOTA BENE: Some metal thuribles have a lacquer coating.  These need special handling.

BTW… when I took over a church in Italy, which had been close for many years, I found that all the hardware was in truly appalling condition.  I took everything apart and soaked it in buckets of Cola Cola, which stripped the petrified goo right off.  They could then be cleaned and maintained normally.

And, just because I haven’t written it in a while, Benedict XVI is the Pope of Christian Unity.