My favorite way to read old stones is to apply plain shave cream and use a window squeegee to spread it. Instantly readable! During a recent restoration of stones which were nearly 200 years old, a cemetery stone maker who was resetting and restoring some of them advised using a 10 percent bleach/water solution to clean moss and lichen off the old stones with a toothbrush. Shave cream is mild and also biodegradable and will not harm the stone. ----- Original Message ----- From: <MaDark@aol.com> To: <INSHELBY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 10:59 PM Subject: [INSHELBY] Re: INSHELBY-D Digest V05 #196 > > In a message dated 8/22/2005 10:01:04 PM Central Daylight Time, > INSHELBY-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: > > I contacted a headstone maker here and > asked him if there was any safe way to be able to read > some of the headstones. He told me to take regular > "blackboard chalk" and trace around the letters (or > inside the letters). He told me that if white didn't > work that I could use the colored chalks. That they > were completely safe. > > > Another way to read headstones is to do a tracing. I use art paper and > charcoal. Lay the paper over the stone and rub the charcoal over the whole stone > until it is legible. > I have been able to read stones that are not legible by doing tracings. > > Ma > > > ==== INSHELBY Mailing List ==== > Don't forget to often check-out our website at www.rootsweb.com/~inshelby/index.htm > > History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity. > > - Cicero > > For questions regarding the list, contact me at mmweaver1864@sbcglobal.net > > Thanks! > Melinda > > ============================== > Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for > ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx > >