At first glance, it would be fairly obvious, this is what it is; a cremation urn with the ashes of some dearly departed. But without a name, the significant dates, and a line from his favorite song, this jug might just be full of jelly beans or someone's gallon of prized moonshine. The grandkids really should know when they find it in the attic years and years from now.

Russell's daughter brought it to me to personalize. She brought the filled urn with a note for the info and turned me loose to do what I wanted. Love those kind of instructions!

I used clear tape for the baselines, taking great care to keep them parallel to the lines on the urn. There was no front or back on the urn, so I could start the top line without a centering worry. I chose an experienced #3 round carbide for the entire job. NEVER a virgin bur on metal like this. Usually it's far too soft for a new one. Before touching it for real, I turned the urn upside down and engraved 2017 on the bottom to find the hardness/softness of the metal.

The name was then engraved. The dates were lettered with an Ultra-fine Sharpie marker on a piece of 3M frosted tape. That was used to center the dates below the name. Same treatment for the two lines from the song...'the road goes on forever and the party never ends.' Anybody know that song? I'm not familiar with it.

BOTTOM LINE: If you're up to speed on metal and curved surfaces, hustle the funeral homes and let them know you can personalize their urns. Many urns will sit on shelves and in closets and attics with no hint whatsoever of the contents.

-Ken