Raven Plume Insights

17 Articles

Embalming ×

The Hard Water in Your Prep Room Is 77 Million Years Old

I am a regular traveler to Texas, and on a recent trip I brought my family along so they could see the sights and meet the people of my expanded community and environment. As many times as I have driv...

Education Embalming Funeral Director History

Jul 31, 2026

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Benjamin Schmidt

Stop Stabbing Towards Yourself

Because all articles about OHSA should start out with a “fun fact,” here’s one; the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard was one of OSHA’s fastest developed major health standards! We all know how speedy the...

Education Embalming Funeral Director Infectious Disease

Mar 22, 2026

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Benjamin Schmidt

Formaldehyde, Funeral Service, and The Brazilian Blowout

Fun fact, or maybe not so fun, formaldehyde was used in embalming in some capacity for nearly 90 years before OSHA set a national exposure limit. This means that generations of embalmers practiced alm...

Education Embalming Funeral Director History Liability Relevancy Wellness

Jan 23, 2026

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Benjamin Schmidt

Updating Restorative Art

As an educator, I regularly hear from members of funeral service what should and what should not be taught at mortuary school. As instructors, we are beholden to academic standards, deciding what will...

Education Embalming Funeral Director

Jul 30, 2025

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Benjamin Schmidt

The Blue Conundrum—

Understanding Methylene Blue in Embalming Methylene blue (MB) is a dark crystalline powder that turns blue when dissolved in water or alcohol. Originally synthesized in 1876 by Heinrich Caro as a text...

Education Embalming Funeral Director Relevancy

Apr 30, 2025

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Benjamin Schmidt

The Foolish Nature of Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde, Like All Other Chemicals, Is Not Smart. It Is As Clueless As A Goldfish In A Library. It Will Keep Crosslinking With Proteins Until It's All Gone, Whether It's In A Deceased Human Or Som...

Education Embalming Funeral Director

Sep 2, 2024

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Jennifer D. Lares

For the Embalmer—Elements of the R.A. Thought Process

Please be aware that while I will speak lightly on technical elements, I want to discuss the thoughts and mental process you may find yourself experiencing when undertaking a case requiring facial res...

Education Embalming Relevancy

Feb 24, 2024

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Benjamin Schmidt

WHY DON’T YOU JUST GOOGLE IT? 🙄

We already know from the marketing people that 85% of Google searches are done to find funeral homes, but if someone Googles information about the different aspects of funeral services, what do they f...

Alkaline Hydrolysis Cremation Education Education Embalming Funeral Director Marketing NOR/Human Composting Relevancy

Dec 28, 2023

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Brian Waters

The Spirit of Thanksgiving for Those Who Undertake

Wehope that the Thanksgiving holiday will allow you are your family time to be together for a bit of rest and time to focus on what keeps us going. Undertaking in a post-pandemic America leaves many o...

Education Embalming Funeral Director Gratitude Relevancy

Nov 28, 2023

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Benjamin Schmidt

Stay Positive Together!

As a licensed funeral director and embalmer, and mortuary school professor I am proud to be a member of a community that collectively arranges for and executes with professionalism the creation of mea...

Education Embalming Funeral Director

Oct 30, 2023

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Benjamin Schmidt

Incorrupt or Not? Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster Lived a Saintly Life

Was the fact that Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster's remains were not decomposed when she was exhumed to move her to a new shine mean she lived closer to Christ as the Catholic Church claims? Or is there m...

Embalming Funeral Director History Religion

Jun 27, 2023

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Benjamin Schmidt

Embalming's New Front Line

The embalmers of Belgium and Germany are truly on the frontlines of embalming. As we lament the death of embalming in the US, perhaps we need to observe its growth across the ocean and think about how...

Education Embalming Funeral Director Relevancy

Apr 28, 2023

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Raven Plume Insights

Thoughts, teachings, and musings regarding death, memorialization, cremation, and everything else to help enlighten, edify, and demystify the myths and misconceptions surrounding the deathcare profession.

Raven Plume Insights

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