Safe
Solutions for hard to read tombstones

When you
visit a cemetery, you are likely to come across some tombstones that
are weathered, worn, and difficult (or impossible) to read. For years,
some methods have been thought of as acceptable means for making the
stone
easier to read, such as making a rubbing of the tombstone or chalking
the stones. We now know that these
methods are, in fact, dangerous to the stones and often do more harm
than good. In some areas, tombstone rubbings have been banned
because of the damage they can cause to old, brittle, and fragile
stones. But never fear; there are
several excellent methods for reading these old stones that are safe
and effective.
Rubbing, Chalking,
and Other Bad Ideas

Tombstone rubbings
have been popular for centuries, and are often still touted as a fun
and interesting way to keep a visual record of a tombstone. But the
truth is, it is harmful to tombstones and is currently being banned and
outlawed in many different
areas. Rubbing is, in itself, very abrasive
to stones. It will eventually wear away the carving on stones and
loosen bits of the stone causing flaking and
breaking. Remember, even gentle rubbings cause decay. With photography
what it is today, there is no
reason to do a rubbing for recording or memorialising a tombstone.
Photographs can provide a much greater
and more artistic visual remembrance of any stone.

Chalking is, sadly, a
method that is still being promoted by people in
the field as being a safe way to read hard to read tombstones.
Unfortunately, there is still a lack of knowledge about this
subject. Chalk is very abrasive and can damage and stain stones. Some
people think that the chalk will simply wash away, but there are
instances of chalk staining stones which is
still visible years after the fact.

Additionally, there
are those who think using flour or shaving cream
are good methods for making stones more readable. Flour is harmful
because it can penetrate into small pores of
the stone, and when wet, the flour will swell and can cause flaking of
the stone. Also, it is food for
micro-organisms that can then live and grow in the stone, causing
expansion and cracking. Shaving cream is dangerous because of the
chemicals it is made up of which will deteroriate the stones, much like
acid rain.

Aluminum Foil Method

It seems there are so
many "don'ts" when it comes to tombstones, that you might fear there is
no hope for reading the information on that all important but weathered
stone.
Don't worry; there are still some innovative methods that provide
outstanding results. Probably the greatest and
easiest of these methods is the aluminum foil method. With this, one
begins by simply placing a thin sheet of aluminum foil
against the stone, or wrapping it around the stone. The cheaper and
thinner foil works best for this method, as the
heavier name brand varieties can be too thick to work with. Then with a
lightweight brush, such as a clean
makeup brush, you gently press the foil into the carvings of the stone.
Remember, if securing the foil with tape,
only tape foil to foil, never put tape on the actual stone.

For an enticing
visual example of how this method works, please visit
the Find A Grave memorial for Jane
Goold. The pictures used are a great example of how even small
engravings can
be "brought out" and read with the foil method. Another fine example is
at the memorial for Sarah
E
Wright. Note that in the picture, the name on top of the stone is
unreadable with the naked eye. Once foil was placed on
the stone and gently pressed into the carvings, the name magically
appeared. For another picture example, visit the memorial for Dr
Archelaus
Green Smith. Note how the foil is wrapped around the
stone; foil is taped only to foil, and the carvings become readable
with the foil gently pressed into the stone. And there is one
final example of a stone that looks like it would never be able to be
read again for Mary
J
Vandevanter. But the foil has made the information carved on the
stone once again readable.

Mirrors and Light

Not all stones that
appear hard to read are weathered to the point that they actually are
unreadable. Sometimes the only thing lacking is good lighting. This
point was made clear to me by something that I experienced first hand
when I visited a nearby cemetery for the first time during the winter
months. In winter, not only are the days shorter, but the sun is lower
in the sky than it is during the spring and summer. The light is not as
bright and full as it is during other times of the year. During my
winter visit to the cemetery, I observed many very old stones that
appeared to be so worn that I fully believed no one would ever again
read their inscriptions. I thought that the weather of 200 years had
deteriorated the carvings in the stone to the point that the carvings
were little more than slight bumps and ridges on a rough stone. I
could not have been more surprised when I returned to the cemetery
during the early days of spring. Suddenly it was as if the old worn
stones had been replaced with newly carved, but old fashioned,
tombstones. They were of course the same stones, but were given a new
life under the bright spring sun. The sun shone against the stones
casting shadows into the carvings, making them distinct and readable.
Once again, the memorials of centuries ago were telling their tales.In a similar fashion,
the time of day and type of day you visit a cemetery can make a
difference. If you visit on a cloudy and overcast day, or if you visit
late in the afternoon or evening, don't be surprised when you find
older stones unreadable. If you want to be able to read old engravings
well, plan your visit according to the best lighting conditions. Visit
in spring or summer, on a bright clear day, and watch the clock. Often
visting around 11 AM or noon is the best time, since the sun is high in
the sky and casts important shadows from a steep angle. Just the slight
difference in the angle of the sun can help or hinder reading old,
faded stones. If you are unable to
wait for the spring or summer to roll around, or are unable to get to a
particular cemetery during noon on a bright clear day, all is not lost.
Just remember to come prepared: bring a mirror. You don't have to pack
a large sized mirror, even a small compact mirror can be useful. The
trick here is to cast the light from the sun onto the surface of the
stone at such an angle that the engraving casts a shadow to make it
more readable. Take a mirror and experiment. The exact method you will
need to use will depend on where the sun is in the sky, which way the
stone is facing, and so on.

Summary

Now that you are
familiar with the dos and don'ts of enhancing hard to read tombstones,
you can visit those important cemeteries safe in the knowledge that you
are not harming the stones or causing undo amounts of damage which will
ruin the stones in the long run. While you are there, consider
photographing the stones in order to help preserve them and their
information. If you are interested in reading more on the subjects
covered here, visit the links below.