==================BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE================== The following addresses rubbings, chemicals, spraying, etc of grave markers, and carved stones in general. From "Photographing Carved Stones", by Tom E Gray and Lesley M Ferguson, (The National Committee on the Carved Stones of Scotland, in association with Historic Scotland) (c) 1997, The Pinkfoot Press, Balgavies, Angus. ISBN: 1-874012- 14-8 From the foreward, "The Protection of Carved Stones", by Ingval Maxwell, Director, Technical Conservation, Research and Education Division, Historic Scotland. "Historic stone surfaces may be surprisingly friable or tend to delaminate. The roots of mosses and lichens in particular can be deeply embedded into the stones, and removal by brushing or scraping can blur important historic detail, or efface it permanently. Similarly, the abrasion required by the application of chalk, making of presses, moulds or rubbings can lead to grain loss. Irreversible damage and discoloration can also be caused by waxes and dyes, even when carried out by those who want to appreciate the beauty of the stones. Spraying with chemicals, or just wetting with water, can introduce harmful salts into delicate stones, and make them susceptible to frost and crystallisation damage, and accelerate decay......... It is precisely because it does not require physical contact or intervention that photography is such a valuable primary tool for recording the condition of historic carved stones." (sent with list Mom approval) ===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE=================== Ron Cushman net-genealogy@rogers.com ON, Canada