User:Cowantex/sandbox



Background Information
The causes of a dark or unreadable tombstone may be one of, or a combination of, the following:
 * Lichen, algae, mold and tree tannins (leaves, nuts and bark) stain headstones.
 * Lichens secrete acid that dissolves the calcium in marble and limestone.
 * Algae, mold, and lichen grow because the stone pores absorb water.
 * In the winter, the freezing/thawing of moisture in the stone causes spalling (surface loosening of minerals and cracking).
 * The effects of acid rain
 * Other contaminants -- such as microorganisms from bird droppings, etc.

Tombstone Photography
 If your shadow appears on the tombstone, when taking the picture:
 * Stand on the other side of the tombstone and take the picture upside down. (You can rotate it to the right angle when you print it) or
 * Stand farther away and zoom in on the tombstone.

From Zephyrinus: Try taking photographs in full sun, or a cloudy day, or when the sun is in different positions during the day. Sometimes a reflecting surface, like a white poster, will light up the subject when it is angled to catch the sun. If photographing from all angles doesn't seem to bring up the inscription, try spraying plain water on the grave marker. 

Tools Needed

 * 1) Drywall sanding sponge ... in medium and/or coarse ... sponge is surrounded on all sides by sandpaper
 * 2) Plain water and a spray bottle.
 * 3) Small whisk broom ... use only to dust off any grass clippings, etc. that may be obscuring the stone due to the latest mowing, etc.

Technique
A professional cemetery preservationist who is helping Huntsville, AL restore some of its older cemeteries taught me this technique in 2004. It is truly low-tech, relatively inexpensive, won't harm the stones, and is very effective.

Take a look at Andrew Cowan's tombstone picture. See what, literally, "five seconds" did to clean up the tombstone’s text. Look at the bottom part of the tombstone that wasn't "cleaned" and imagine how unreadable the picture would have been without a few seconds of “sanding” effort.


 * Note: Once the stone is cleaned, take a picture.  Then, help other researchers by posting the tombstone photo at:  findagrave.com, on this wiki, on the appropriate person’s page (if applicable) on Familypedia or WeRelate, or one of the various state digital cemetery archives.  Then, no one ever has to touch the stone again!

 Use the sanding sponge to LIGHTLY "sand" off any surface debris on the tombstone. Tombstones that look like they're totally UNreadable will suddenly have enough contrast from the "crud" left in the crevices to take some really good photos of the tombstone.
 * Note: You are "sanding" off ONLY the environmental crud on the tombstone ... you are not sanding the tombstone surface itself.

Not enough contrast? LIGHTLY rub a piece of WHITE sidewalk chalk on the surface of the stone ... then LIGHTLY "resand" the stone to "smooth out" the contrast and even up the contrast of chalk on the stone. The next rain will wash off the chalk. If the tombstone is in an area that does not get much rain, use a spray bottle with plain water and wet the stone down to remove the chalk. 
 * Note: Zephyrinus) strongly opposes using chalk on tombstones.


 * Instead, you can use a bit of the soil surrounding the tombstone and lightly smooth it over the stone to get "contrast."
 * (See Tombstones and chalk)

Works like a charm every time.

The beauty of using the sanding sponge is that it doesn't harm the stone.

Tombstone Cleaning DONT's!!!

 * NO wire brushes

(See Dick Eastman's blog on tombstones and shaving cream.
 * NO shaving cream
 * NO chemicals ... no acids, vinegar, ammonia, bleaches, etc.


 * NO soaps


 * NO household cleaners - soap, detergents (liquid or powder), Borax, Clorox, TSP, Calgon, Fantastik, Formula 409, Spic and Span (or any other abrasive cleaner).


 * NO metal or plastic scrapers, putty knives, etc.


 * NO brushes or products with natural bristle brushes as they leave fibers behind that biological growth adheres to.


 * NO Sealants of any kind.


 * NO power washers, etc.


 * The above items rip the skin of a stone, which promotes water penetration -- stone breathes water vapor but hates water.

Notes from Zephyrinus
"Note: Zephyrinus recommends this site; however, I would strongly avoid their Headstone Cleaning technique(s) because their process uses many, if not most, of the DON’T USE items above: soaps, ammonia, bleach, putty knives, etc.  Worse yet, it recommends using multiple chemicals on any single tombstone in a time-consuming, laborious process!"
 * See this page for dangers of chalk: New Hanover County GenWeb
 * Arkansas Stone Repair …