[brotherborg]

Recenly my father died and I was asked to make the urn for his ashes and use part of the ashes in the glaze. I understand that most of what is left from cremation is bone ash and pulverized bone. Does anyone have any experience with this subject?

[Matt Katz]

brotherborg, on 12 August 2010 - 01:50 AM, said:

Recenly my father died and I was asked to make the urn for his ashes and use part of the ashes in the glaze. I understand that most of what is left from cremation is bone ash and pulverized bone. Does anyone have any experience with this subject?

I'm sorry for your loss.
I know it has been done with pets, but I do not know the formulas used.

[bciskepottery]

brotherborg, on 12 August 2010 - 01:50 AM, said:

Recenly my father died and I was asked to make the urn for his ashes and use part of the ashes in the glaze. I understand that most of what is left from cremation is bone ash and pulverized bone. Does anyone have any experience with this subject?

Here is a link to Hank Murrow's web site; I recall from Clayart that Hank recently did this for a friend. You can find his contact email on the site. Hank fires to Cone 10, though.

http://www.murrow.biz/hank/

[Mark C.]

Sorry for your loss
I have dealt with 4 of my family members ashes over the years-
If ashes are used at cone 10 the flux similar to wood ashes
I have zero experience at cone 6 but a wood ash formula at cone 6 would work fine I'm sure. Just replace wood ash with human ash.
You may have to crunch them up some more with a mortar and pestle. Sorry if this sounds strange but its what it is.
Mark

[peturns]

Yup cremation is bone ash...but we can use body liquefaction....greener way to die...green alternative to cremation and works by dissolving the body in heated alkaline water...For more read... http://www.memorials.com

[Ango]

Mark C., on 21 March 2012 - 07:15 PM, said:

If ashes are used at cone 10 the flux similar to wood ashes
I have zero experience at cone 6 but a wood ash formula at cone 6 would work fine I'm sure. Just replace wood ash with human ash.

The wrong solution. Wood ash and bone ash don't seem, they mainly contain the KOH-Ca(OH)2 mix(fluxes for low and middle temperature) and the Ca3(PO4)2(melting temperature about 1250C) respectively.
It is possible to use bone ash at some glaze test samples and to choose the best?

[MieksClayWorks]

My wife makes Urns using human ash. She uses a stoneware recipe but its a casting recipe. I am pretty sure that she modified it from an Australian recipe she found online that uses eckalite. As for making the glaze, human ashes are mostly bone ash. I hope its not against the rules but I see other people posting websites. Ours is http://www.mieksclayworks.com/ if you want to see some of what can be made.

[Marcia Selsor]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Here is a possibility for you. Jeff Zamek wrote an article "Black Friday" about using his dog's ashes in a Ceramics Monthly article. I believe that included a Cone 6 recipe.

From a google search:

Black Friday Glaze Con 6/ox
Nepheline syenite 270x 20
Whiting 15
EPK 18
Ferro frit #3124 20
Flint 325x 17
Bone ash (Friday) 10
Mason black stain #6600 12
CMC 1%