Dear Friends, following the "tinfoil" tip recently I received another interesting method of reading eroded tombstones which may be worth a try:- The tinfoil method is new to me. I have read many eroded inscriptions using a shadowbox, as advocated in one of the books on Monumental Inscriptions (possibly the one by John Rayment). A shadowbox can be made by cutting a cardboard postal tube to a length of about twelve inches. One end is cut square, and the other is cut at a slight angle. Each letter on the stone is viewed through the tube, holding the angled end close to the stone. Light shining sideways around the edges of the tube casts shadows on the letter, making it easier to read. David in Ballarat