Funeral urns, which hold the ashes of your loved one, are a beautiful way to remember his or her life! More so than stone tombstones, bronze cemetery markers are elegant ways to memorialize a lost loved one. Funeral urns are similar to vases but generally do not hold flowers.
Bronze is a strong alloy composed of copper and tin. Bronze urns, like bronze markers, are made by placing pieces of unshaped bronze into a pot that is heated to approximately 2000 degrees. Once the bronze has melted, it is poured into the urn mold. The mold is allowed to cool, then removed from the mold. Because of the intense heat involved, only a well-trained craftsman can work with bronze.
The next phase in the bronze casting process is called "chasing." Chasing is similar to sanding. It is the process of removing the imperfections of the cast by lightly grinding the bronze until the desired surface texture and shape has been achieved. After chasing, a craftsman will touch up and define any areas of detail that may not have transferred during the casting process. This time consuming process is when the last details are sculpted into the metal.
Next, the craftsman welds the urn to the grave marker. Usually the urn is centered near the top edge of the marker. Once welded, he or she will apply several coats of paint to the bronze marker-a process called oxidation. When the paint has dried, the craftsman will rub areas of the bronze plaque with a solvent to remove the paint and create the finished look. After finishing with a lacquer, the final product is complete.