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Original poster

Crematorium Technician here

686 replies

CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:11

I see lots of threads about cremations and Crematoria. I'm currently a crem tech so please ask me questions and I will endeavor to answer them.

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Thread gallery
5
ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 31/05/2018 13:42

Would you cremate more than one person at a time at the request of family? Eg family members who had died together in an accident?

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:41

After I left the Army I was at a cross roads. I applied with the local council and got the job.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:40

An average cremation takes between 70-90 minutes depending on how you died/weight/age/sex. Some take longer some take shorter. I've done a 60 minute one and a 3 hour one. You really can't judge it until they're in.

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LifeBeginsAtGin · 31/05/2018 13:40

What happens to rings that can't be taken off (due to weight gain etc) - I see some people whose skin seems to grow over the jewellery it's been on so long?

Anasnake · 31/05/2018 13:40

How did you get into this line of work ?

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:38

@HirplesWithHaggis we have direct cremations and the ashes are returned to families however I know with local authority contract funerals the ashes are scattered in the grounds of the Crematorium as the majority either don't have any family or the local authority has paid for funeral. It can be different with different areas though.

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CherryBlossom23 · 31/05/2018 13:37

If anyone is interested, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is a really interesting memoir/novel about a women's experience of working in a US crematorium and her thoughts on death culture.

Pebbles789 · 31/05/2018 13:37

Ah sorry I've just seen your answer about the coffin. Cross posts!

How long does it take to cremate someone?
I agree with a pp, fascinating thread!

HirplesWithHaggis · 31/05/2018 13:36

I have read recently about paupers funerals, with a cremation but no service (so no family or friends can attend.) I gather the ashes aren't given to family or friends either, so what happens to them?

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:35

A catafalque is the platform in which the coffin sits in chapel.

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rainbowstardrops · 31/05/2018 13:35

Absolutely fascinating. I've always wondered how it all works

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:35

@Pebbles789 the coffin burns away to nothing and we are absolutely not allowed to open coffins once they have been committed (pass through the curtain) they can be opened in chapel for an open casket funeral for example but certainly not willy nilly.

Coffins are not reused, neither are handles/nameplates/pins/nails

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elQuintoConyo · 31/05/2018 13:33

Just placemarking, terribly bad form, sorry. But this thread is fascinating.

Member · 31/05/2018 13:32

Thanks, what’s a catafalque?

PerkingFaintly · 31/05/2018 13:32

Recently saw this article about metalwork after cremation.

After cremation: Recycling surgical implants
www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-44213898
Photography student Harry Lloyd-Evans photographs surgical implants that are recovered and recycled after cremation.

Pebbles789 · 31/05/2018 13:32

What happens to the coffin? Is the person taken out of it before cremation or does the coffin go into the furnace too?

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:30

@TSSDNCOP yes, the cremator (I will never refer to it as an oven) is swept down and all is left is calcified bones which are very brittle.

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Thisnamechanger · 31/05/2018 13:30

Watching with interest! Thanks for sharing OP.

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:29

@Member the coffin is removed from the catafalque and is sometimes put straight into cremator if ready. Most of the time a coffin is put on racking ready to be charged. Only one coffin is placed in the cremator at any time.

We adhere to very strict rules on policy and procedure for the cremation process.

I have heard in the past that people could see flames as the curtains close. I can assure you that if you ever see this then something has gone very wrong and the Crematorium is on fire!

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TSSDNCOP · 31/05/2018 13:26

Thank you OP. So is the oven swept/cleaned completely after each use? After the cremation are the remains literally dust or are there bones?

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:26

Nothing is left in the cremator, it is all removed during the rake out process.

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Member · 31/05/2018 13:25

When the coffin goes through the curtains, does it go straight into the furnace or does it have to be lifted to the furnace i.e is the furnace directly behind where the mourners last see the coffin?

Is the furnace constantly on during the day or can it just be fired up for a single cremation?

How many coffins can fit in at a time?

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:24

@CherryBlossom23 I get sad at babies/small children/people my own age but keep it to myself.

It makes me embrace life and live it to the full. I find I don't sweat the small stuff as there is someone worse off than me.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:23

@Tentomidnight we cremate the same day of the service but not directly after. Black smoke does occasionally come out of the chimney if there is something that shouldn't be in there but is quickly dealt with.

Pins/plates/nails are removed before ashes are cremulated (bones broken down into ashes) then sent for recycling although you can request that the metal from cremation is returned to you.

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CherryBlossom23 · 31/05/2018 13:21

Do you ever get sad being surrounded by death all the time or does it make you want to live life more while you can?

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