Why do caskets have cranks?

Sealing barrels have a rubber gasket which creates an airtight seal when the bar of the sliding lock is cranked with the casket key. At the foot end of the casket, we put it into a small crank opening and turn it until the lock bar is absolutely secure.

Do bodies break down in a coffin?

By 50 years in, your tissues will have liquefied and disappeared, leaving behind mummified skin and tendons. Eventually these too will disintegrate, and after 80 years in that coffin, your bones will crack as the soft collagen inside them deteriorates, leaving nothing but the brittle mineral frame behind.

Why do they lock the lid on a coffin?

Caskets, be they of metal or wood, are sealed so that they protect the body. The sealing will keep the elements, air, and moisture from getting inside the coffin.

What happens if remains are placed high in the casket?

When remains are placed “high” in the casket, there is potential for the nose and sometime the hands to come in contact with the cap panel. Any cosmetics would then rub off and stain the interior.

How do you lock a casket after the lid is closed?

You may have seen funeral directors use said key after the lid is closed at a funeral. We insert it into a small crank hole at the foot end of the casket and turn it until the lock bar is totally tight. Sealing caskets are the only ones that will float.

What is a sealing casket and how does it work?

Within the metals, there are sealing caskets (also known as gasketed or protective) and non-sealing caskets. Sealing caskets have a rubber gasket that creates an airtight seal when the sliding lock bar is cranked shut with the casket key. You may have seen funeral directors use said key after the lid is closed at a funeral.

Why do funeral homes cover the face of the casket?

If by “your face” you meant the decedent’s face, I would suggest that this is done by many funeral homes, including ours, in order to protect the cap panel materiel on the inside of the lid. When remains are placed “high” in the casket, there is potential for the nose and sometime the hands to come in contact with the cap panel.