Some shaving creams have ingredents that are
harmful to the stone, some that are pure soap
aren't. To be on the safe side the recommended
cleaning agent is Orvus which is available from
animal supply stores. Use a very soft brush such
as a mushroom brush.

If you do usw shaving cream in order to better
read the faded engraving, carefully read what is
in the  shaving cream to ensure it is pure soap
and always take a gallon or two of distilled
water to wash off what you have used on the
stone. Distilled is beter that tap, because of
the clorine and minerals in tap water. All this
is especially true of old marble and sand stones.
They are very fragile.

The following are the two RECOMMENDED methods for
reading the engraving on old stones.

It is better to use a mirror to bounce sunlight
off the stone at an angle to highlight the
lettering when photographing. Or use a piece of
alumium foil and carefully press against the
stone to transfer the lettering to the foil.
Lightly spray paint the FOIL to help highlight
the lettering on the foil. If it is still hard to
read, try lightly spray painting the back of the
FOIL and hold up to a mirror to read.

Always gently wash the stone off with distilled
water after any of this. Again use a very soft
brush such as a mushroom brush.

I have see where repairs were made with cement,
it looks terrible and the lime in the cement
further damages the stone. All in all it is
better to leave it to the professionals. Goods
intentions can destroy some of these old stones.

Go to the West Virginia Cemetery Preservation
Association Web Site for further tips on cleaning
and repairing old tombstones.

Clay Gullatt
Mount Airy NC

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