The information on shaving cream from the savinggraves site is nothing more than pseudoscientific babble. It is the fully paranoid fears of some folks who have clearly never studied either organic chemistry or geology. Their analysis of the actions of stearic acid (for example) is fundamentally flawed both in terms of simple logic and from a chemistry point-of-view. For example, the site equates hydrochloric acid (a mineral acid that is one of the strongest acids on the planet) with stearic acid (an organic acid the strength of which is so weak that it cannot even be measured in aqueous solution, but has to be approximated by interpolation from its acid series) - this is a fallacy. Furthermore, it ignores the fact that the stearic acid is pH balanced with the addition of a base. Etc., etc. Did you ever wonder why NOBODY has ever shown even the slightest shred of *scientific* evidence to support the notion that shaving cream harms tombstones? It is because there ISN'T ANY! Please, ignore the stories about how a friend of someone's aunt Edna put shaving cream on a tombstone and it exploded, and let's leave the scientific analysis of chemical weathering of stone monuments to the scientists, and not to those who clearly have no professional training, but who have only unfounded fears. Brock Way From: "macbetty" <[email protected]> Subject: reading tombstones I have received two different sights , both saying pretty much the same thing thank you Nelda and Delbert the only safe way is to use reflected sun light. (USE A MIRROR) Never apply anything to a stone. Sometimes a video shows the writing better then a normal camera. Cemetery Conservation and Tombstone Care http://www.progenealogists.com/tombstonecare.htm Good article on why not to use shaving cream (or really any other substance) http://www.savinggraves.org/education/bookshelf/shavingcream.htm __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com