Frit-Happens !

Lampwork => Lampworking Tip n Tricks => Topic started by: Ilona on October 18, 2014, 02:49:34 PM

Title: Cremation beads
Post by: Ilona on October 18, 2014, 02:49:34 PM
My best friend passed away just under a year ago, and I have been given some of her ashes to make some cremation beads. The ashes are not just ash, there are also what look like wood. What I want to know is, do I need to sieve the ashes, or do I just use it as it is and hopefully any wood grains should burn off? I have not wanted to use them, in case I make a mess.  Thanks in advance for any help.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Jellybean on October 18, 2014, 04:53:44 PM
I don't make them - I'm sure some one else can help - but I think you'd need to sieve the big bits out.
It's highly unlikely to be wood. Big hugs to you, you're doing a wonderful thing xx
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: tish on October 18, 2014, 05:01:42 PM
yes defo sieve the ashes then pound in a mortar and pestle then sieve again just to be sure i have a nylon and plastic tea strainer i use for ashes
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Irene on October 18, 2014, 10:09:25 PM
Sorry I don't have an answer for you. But I am intrigued, Never heard of this before so if you could tell what cremation beads are? Understand it involves the Ashes from a deceased person, but how do you use the Ashes in the bead and what is the bead for?
Sorry for the loss of Your good friend.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Ilona on October 19, 2014, 12:53:56 AM
Thanks for the replies. I better get myself a sieve!

Irene, cremation beads are made by encasing cremated remains in your beads. I thought it was lovely to be given some of my friends ashes to be preserved in glass. My friend loved my beads and I know she would have thought it was a good idea. Many people have pets ashes made into beads as a keep sake and to remember there beloved pet. I have another friend that also wants me to make some cremation beads for her too. My friends sister gave me some of her ashes, and I think I will make her a special pendant, she doesn't know i am going to do this yet. My friends have bought heart mobiles that you hang up, and want me to add a heart cremation bead to the centre as a way to remember and keep alive a memory of a special person. I will probably make a heart pendant in her favourite colour - Green. We are all going out for a meal on the first anniversary of her passing, and i will give them there beads then. Whatever I make it is a way of keeping her close to me, and will be a way of remembering a special lady taken from us too soon.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Pat from Canvey on October 19, 2014, 06:48:37 AM
You might get some ideas from this Company local to me, http://www.ashesintoglass.co.uk/
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Trudi on October 19, 2014, 11:50:59 AM
When you make them Iona, you will find that some gasses will escape leaving small bubbles .. this is normal!

x
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: babyshoes on October 20, 2014, 01:34:34 PM
Blimey, I think I'd be a bit nervous - can you get some normal ash to practice with beforehand?
I know it won't be quite the same in terms of texture etc, but should help to give you a better idea what to expect when you use the real ashes, such as how much to use, bubbles etc...

I also recall reading a thread before with lots of useful advice for these beads, maybe try searching for 'cremains' or similar in past threads.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: petrahergarden on October 20, 2014, 02:02:16 PM
i practised with some burned to ashes chickenbones. I burned the bones in a little enamel-kiln
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: ruth on October 20, 2014, 04:57:58 PM
I think Red Hot Sal specialises in memorial beads. It's so important it might be worth commissioning her, after all it is a one-off item.

Ruth
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Redhotsal on October 22, 2014, 10:06:55 PM
Sorry - only just seen this. I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of your friend Ilona, please accept my condolences.

Yes, the ashes often come in a lot of different forms - I've had some which are light and like wood flakes, and yet some other ash is dense, almost like cement dust. Some is really inert and some does give off gas during the process (which I think is carbon dioxide.)

I usually sieve out the big bits - just for aesthetic reasons. There's usually a lot of dust-like ash, which is better suited for encasing. Don't forget that with a bead there will be a dome of clear glass over the ash which does magnify what you have. I've also found that actually you don't need as much ash in the bead as you may think - "less is more" - the clear space is often as important as the ashes, if you see what I mean, so in fact you will use a really small amount for each bead.

The ash itself won't burn, even if exposed to the open flame, and though it does look like wood it probably isn't. Do try and get it all encased though as it does look like bead release if it's left sticking on the surface! But also be aware that if you have too much ash on the surface it can be hard to encase (the encasing glass has nothing to stick to).

I've got quite a few pictures of them on my alternative website - www.evermoreglass.co.uk for those who are curious. I make a lot of them these days! Yes, I was nervous, when I made my first ones, but the lady I made them for, Lindsey, was great and was happy to let me experiment. I've learned quite a lot over the years and I don't really get nervous doing them now, but I did feel under pressure a few years ago when an entire family came in to watch me make six beads in a row, without stopping!  :o The upside is that it is a really rewarding thing to do and the families I've made beads for have found them comforting and healing.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Ilona on October 24, 2014, 12:31:13 AM
Thank you for your replies. I have bought the sieve, and will start making the beads this weekend. Thanks again I feel a little better on having a go at these beads now.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Pat from Canvey on October 24, 2014, 07:34:39 AM
I just wonder what people do with the main bulk of the ashes once cremation beads are made. Do they scatter them in a place significant to the person?
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Redhotsal on October 24, 2014, 08:31:33 AM
That's usually the intention of many folk Pat, to scatter the ashes somewhere that has a sentimental attachment. You can get them interred at the crematorium (thery're usually scattered in the Garden of Remembrance) or you can scatter them somewhere else (if allowed!). You can't actually do this as easily as you might think - they don't like you to scatter ashes at Football clubs because the phosphate in the ashes can damage the grass for example!

You can't actually send ashes through the post either. If they are discovered they are confiscated and sent to somewhere in Ireland!
People have thought of quite a few ways to use the ashes - the lady who was my first client for cremation glass has also got a pawprint tattoo which has the ashes of one of her dogs in it, as well as her memorial beads.

However, I'm somewhat sorry to admit that an awful lot of folk end up sitting in a kitchen cupboard after they have departed. We all have good intentions but sometimes life gets in the way. My uncle sat in a plant pot under a clematis for several years (still in the plastic "urn") as my aunt was too poorly to scatter him. It's always a bit of a shock when people get the ashes back of their loved one - you simply don't expect an urn that's over a foot high and weighing in at several hefty kilos - for some reason we have got the idea that you only get a "handful" of ashes.

By the way my aunt (the one above) always told us that she wanted to be positioned on top of the telly so that she could keep an eye in us....this was in the days before flat screened TVs though. It'd be a bit difficult nowadays, so we combined her ashes with my uncles and finally scattered them in their favourite spot where their much loved dogs were buried.

I actually have the opposite situation now - a lady scattered the ashes of her son and then discovered that she could have the glass made. I've been sent an empty scatter tube and need to carefully and sensitively take it apart to see if there are any remnants left for a memorial bead!
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Jellybean on October 24, 2014, 10:06:03 AM
That's interesting about the football pitch Sally. I didn't know that... might be to deter too many people doing it!  ;) You imagine the number of people wanting to be scattered at their favourite team's pitch! I took the funeral service for a young man of 19 who was run over a few years ago. We scattered his ashes on the centre circle where he used to play, surrounded by his family, friends, and fellow team members. Was one of the most moving things, and such a privilege to be part of.  :)
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Nicknack on October 24, 2014, 11:46:42 AM
After my mother died, my brother, myself, my husband and our daughter took her ashes out and scattered a handful each, in turn, in the middle of each field of the farm she had loved and worked for 50 odd years.  We thought of her as we did so, and it was moving and peaceful.  I know she would have loved it.  I think there are still a few ashes left; I might see if my brother will let me have a small amount to put in a bead or two.

Nick
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: paintboxcrafts on October 24, 2014, 12:13:23 PM
We are currently organising to inter my Dad's ashes in our local church yard under a memorial stone. They put the ashes in a little casket, but I have asked for a small amount to be held back with a view to making a memorial bead for my Mum. It might take me a bit of time to pick up courage though, and I'm not sure what to do with the bit I have left over. I don't really want to file them alongside my frit collection!
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Lotti on October 24, 2014, 01:00:30 PM
My sister's ashes lie off 'The Rumps' near Polzeath.  On a clear day we can see all the way down the coast here to the Rumps and sometimes Trevose Head.  I know she is ever near me when I can see her resting place from so far!

I have a feeling I saw something in the news recently (on the web) about a crem up near Barnstaple that is now offering an 'ashes incased in glass' service, can't remember who was providing the service, don't think it was lampwork, think it was blowing.  Might see if I can find the link.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Lotti on October 24, 2014, 01:02:11 PM
Found it!  Shame the firm doing it is in Essex, could have found someone a bit more local to do it (nothing against Essex used to live just across the border ;) ). :)

http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/North-Devon-crematorium-turn-cremated-ashes/story-23084478-detail/story.html

Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Jellybean on October 24, 2014, 01:08:28 PM
Oh yeah, Essex is near Barnstaple! I think your mind works randomly like mine  :D

Oddly I think my grandfather's ashes are off Polzeath too.... the other one thrown over the edge of a cliff near Logan's Rock. He used to walk there a lot. I was walking with a friend one day near Church Cove, Gunwalloe, and had to advise my friend not to sit on the wall as it wasn't sand on the top... I think those ashes were intended for the beach below and they missed  ;D
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Lotti on October 24, 2014, 01:26:11 PM
It's a fabulous spot!  If I can have mine chucked off Hartland Point we can swim to meet each other and be mermaids together (I shouldn't do this makes me cry!).

I think the bead, paperweight idea is lovely, just had a look at your website Sal, have to confess though I would feel a bit squimish about handling someone elses beloved (I was a nurse and have had to lay people out, but somehow handling the ashes I think would feel weird to me), I guess you get used to it and knowing the pleasure you will give someone through your work and care is the main thing.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Jellybean on October 24, 2014, 03:34:22 PM
Not sure I could either Lotti, nor be a nurse  :D
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Pat from Canvey on October 24, 2014, 06:31:13 PM
My DH's ashes are in a picture casket on his bedside table. The 9 pictures, chosen by me, are of him at various stages of his life with a background picture, taken by me from a helicopter, of sky and the Franz Joseph Glacier when we were in New Zealand. I didn't want to scatter the ashes.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Lotti on October 24, 2014, 07:14:33 PM
Quote from: Pat from Canvey on October 24, 2014, 06:31:13 PM
My DH's ashes are in a picture casket on his bedside table. The 9 pictures, chosen by me, are of him at various stages of his life with a background picture, taken by me from a helicopter, of sky and the Franz Joseph Glacier when we were in New Zealand. I didn't want to scatter the ashes.

Sounds wonderful :)  My Dad has left me a bust of him made by a greatful patient, I really don't want it though, can't bear the thought of him looking down at me over his half rimmed spectacles for the rest of my life.  Was going to give it to his professional college (they wanted it), but turns out one of my nephews wants it so he can have Grandpa staring at him for ever instead!  Wish there had been this glass thing when my beloved sister died, she loved glass and it would be lovely to have a paperweight with 'her' in it to hold!
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Redhotsal on October 24, 2014, 08:29:19 PM
Quote from: Lotti on October 24, 2014, 01:26:11 PM
It's a fabulous spot!  If I can have mine chucked off Hartland Point we can swim to meet each other and be mermaids together (I shouldn't do this makes me cry!).

I think the bead, paperweight idea is lovely, just had a look at your website Sal, have to confess though I would feel a bit squimish about handling someone elses beloved (I was a nurse and have had to lay people out, but somehow handling the ashes I think would feel weird to me), I guess you get used to it and knowing the pleasure you will give someone through your work and care is the main thing.

Actually, I don't mind handling the ashes at all. I'm not very squeamish - I'd probably have made a good pathologist if I was clever enough in a previous life. It is a bit odd at first, knowing that you are physically dealing with someone's mortal remains, but actually it's quite a nice feeling - you hope that you're going to create something that the family will want to have and cherish. I try to treat them all as if they were someone from my family. Respect is the most important aspect of it. It's also the trickiest part to get right - especially by email. It's quite hard to pass on your condolences and then immediately start talking about the business of making glass - I always hate that aspect. And there have been some really sad circumstances. Sometimes people just want to talk, so I listen. Usually people get in touch concerning the glass and then you don't hear from them for months before they actually place an order. I'm not a particularly organised person, as many of you know and in normal "bead world" things are chaotic - but for the memorial beads I am ultra organised - charts, lists, the lot!  - it would be unspeakably horrific to mix up any orders! I'm glad it's just a "side business" - I don't think I'd have the emotional stamina to do *just* memorial beads. Still, it is rewarding and it's great to know that what I do is helping someone.

I wish my dad would have left me a bust - that sounds grand. I have a small spoon that my dad made using all the different woods he used to like to use on his longbows. It hangs in my shed. :)

I've recently made a small paperweight which I'm really pleased with. The brief was "wild flowers and forget-me-nots". This is how it turned out:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3950/15594351906_702fee2977_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pL28wj)pw10 (https://flic.kr/p/pL28wj) by redhotsalbeads (https://www.flickr.com/people/31197390@N08/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Jellybean on October 24, 2014, 09:14:05 PM
Wow that's stunning!
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Lyn G on October 24, 2014, 09:35:39 PM

That's really beautiful, Sally......there's such a lot going on in there!  :)  How tall was it?

Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Pat from Canvey on October 25, 2014, 08:40:38 AM
I love the paperweight. I can imagine the wind swirling the flowers around.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Redhotsal on October 25, 2014, 11:27:46 AM
The photo is quite a lot bigger than real life -  think it ended up at around 45mm high. Thanks for the lovely comments! :)
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Moira HFG on October 25, 2014, 01:54:21 PM
That's beautiful!
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Ilona on November 03, 2014, 12:14:28 AM
Thanks for all the info in this thread, it has been very interesting. I picked up courage and made the beads today. I am looking forward to seeing what comes out of the kiln tomorrow.
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Purple Cobwebs on November 07, 2014, 10:34:48 AM
Hope they came out well. Would love to see your photos x
Title: Re: Cremation beads
Post by: Trudi on November 07, 2014, 05:58:14 PM
yes, I'd love to see them too x