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Casting a family's tragedy

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sarah Breer
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  It all started with a post to an online forum. He wanted others with an interest in silver to see what he had made.

Staff Sgt. James Ebbs, 6th Communications Squadron network infrastructure supervisor, posted photos of his latest creations about six months ago. He had just taken on a new hobby, silver casting.

Casting involves using molds, clay and sand to make a hollow copy of an object. The copy is then filled with molten silver and allowed to cool. Once it is cooled, the object has to be sanded and buffed to clean it off and clear up any imperfections.

"I got into it because it's quiet and I don't have to rely on assistance from others," said Ebbs. "I enjoy it because it is forgiving - if I mess up casting something, I can melt it down and try again. I like to take on new challenges and items to cast."

He got a lot of positive feedback on the items he made, but none as positive, or life-changing, as what he got from a family in the Midwest.

"A couple saw a large bear claw that I had cast and asked me if I could make a matching set for them," said Ebbs. "What set this apart from any other request I've received in the past is that they wanted the claws to contain a portion of their child's ashes."

Their son was only seven when he died in a tragic accident. Bears were his favorite animal.

Occasionally others had asked him to cast specific items, such as a shark's tooth or a piece of carved jade. He had never been asked to do something so important before.

"The request caught me by surprise, and for a while I wasn't sure if this was a challenge I was willing to accept," said Ebbs. "I told the couple that satisfying their request would require me to use techniques that I had to teach myself before I could take on this project."

Ebbs taught himself what he needed to learn, and carefully, over a few weeks' time, he crafted the claws.

"I was being asked to make something to protect a portion of the ashes of their child...I had to get it done perfectly the first time," said Ebbs. "There was no melting a mistake down and starting over."

He took the time to make sure the claws were perfect before putting the child's ashes into them. After nearly two weeks Ebbs carefully placed the child's ashes inside of the casted claw.

"I was a bit uncomfortable handling the ashes, but I knew the parents' desire to honor their son was stronger," said Ebbs.

Once the ashes were inside of the claws he sealed them in with a bit of copper.

He finished the claws by sanding them down little by little, until the entire 5.25 ounces of each shined. After a few weeks of work, he sent the claws to the family.

The mother and father of the child were overwhelmed when they received the claws.

"The contrast between the silver and the copper gives a great visual reference to exactly where the ashes are," said the father of the child.

Finished with the project, and ready for more, Ebbs felt moved by the special project he had just completed for grieving parents.

"Seeing a hobby play even a minor role in bringing closure to a family tragedy is exceptionally humbling," said Ebbs of his experience.

Currently Ebbs has many projects on the horizon, with a combined weight of approximately a pound of silver to be molded.