Cremation burns the coffin along with the body Coffins can be expensive, so some people find it surprising that they go into the cremation chamber along with the body. But it's a mark of tradition and respect to send someone to their burial or cremation in within a coffin.
Are coffins sold back to the funeral director for re-use? No. The coffin and the body inside are cremated together. There are occasions where the deceased or the family of the deceased has opted for using a cardboard coffin in which their loved one will be cremated.
The body will be placed in a cremated coffin, which goes into the crematorium. The coffin and body are heated until they turn to ash. The leftover bone matter will be pulverized into ash as well.
Depending on the materials the ornaments on the coffin are made from, some handles and fittings may have to be removed before the cremation takes place (if this is the case, the crematorium will destroy them).
Preparing the Body for Cremation – The cremation provider will prep the body by removing all jewelry, pacemakers, or medical devices in order to prevent melting or explosions during the cremation process. Jewelry is returned to the family and medical devices are often recycled or returned to the family.
During cremation, the body parts that do burn consist of organs, soft tissue, hair, and skin, while the water in our bodies evaporates. The body parts that do not burn are bone fragments. Teeth usually burn during cremation, but not entirely.
Does the body sit up during cremation? Yes, this can happen. Due to the heat and the muscle tissue, the body can move as the body is broken down, although this does happen inside the coffin, so it won't be visible.
Can more than one body be cremated in a cremator at the same time? The Code insists that each cremation is carried out separately. Exceptions may be made in the case of a mother and baby or twin children providing the next of kin has made a specific request in writing in this regard.
What's returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissues, and cremation container/casket, etc., all that's left is bone. The bone is ground up and given to you as “ashes.”
How long does a cremation process take? Cremations last between one and three hours with cooling taking a further one or two hours. This depends on cremation temperatures, the size of the deceased, and coffin material.
Most cremation chambers will not mix the remains of your loved ones—they'll usually leave that up to the family to do. In those cases, crematories will return cremated remains in a temporary urn so you can transfer the remains into an urn of your choice.
If desired, it is possible for small personal objects to be cremated with the deceased. These objects will be burned with the body. Glass, rubber and large metal items can not be cremated. Any objects that you wish to keep such as jewellery or other items should be removed prior to the cremation.
Generally, the body is dressed in clothing before being placed in a casket or cremation container for the cremation process. Families often include items in the cremation container, such as religious objects and flowers. Not all materials may be safely cremated.
The operators at crematoriums heat bodies to 1,750 degrees Fahrenheit for two to three hours; they liken the smell close-up to a burnt pork roast. Unless someone's standing at the door of the actual cremator, however, it's unlikely anyone will catch a whiff.
Almost all caskets decompose eventually. Wicker and Plywood caskets will decompose within 5 years, while wooden caskets will decompose within several decades. Metal and fiberglass caskets can take hundreds or even thousands of years to fully decompose.
The Cremation Process
All handles, flowers and personal belongings remain with your loved one and are cremated as one. By using one coffin per body and identifying each person with a metal plate, we ensure that only one person is cremated at a time.
Items that are not safe for the water or marine life are not permitted. What happens to ashes scattered at sea? Human ashes are like sand and they do not float. They will not dissolve in the water; instead, they will descend into the ocean until they hit the floor.
They clean up their cremation chambers thoroughly in between cremations. At the end of the cremation process, the only things left in a cremation chamber will be a pile of bone fragments and a bunch of cremated remains. A crematory will carefully remove them from a cremation chamber so that they can be processed.
If a body is burned at a low enough temperature and quickly after death, movements are possible. While the bodies do not sit up, these natural postmortem motions could be interpreted as such by those watching a funeral pyre from a distance.
The cremation chamber must be clean of ashes before another cremation can start. These rules mean that you don't have much control over how a cremation is done. Does the body feel pain during cremation? The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive.
Does the skull burst during cremation? The skull does not burst during cremation. The skull will become fragile and crumble.
The soft tissues, muscles, skin, and hair are burned and the bones are calcified until they break into small pieces. Any gases are released through an exhaust system, so there is rarely any smell associated with the cremation process.
The bones, which are the last to go, become calcified as they are exposed to the heat and begin to flake or crumble [source: Pope].
Can You Get DNA From Cremated Remains? Yes. DNA testing is often done on the bodies of the dead, even after they've been cremated. The immense heat of the cremation ovens breaks down the body's organic matter, leaving bone fragments and teeth behind as they don't disintegrate during the cremation process.