Gravestones

[Clemmie]

I cut this tip from a magazine but haven't tried it myself

"To clean a headstone, try oven cleaner.  It works brilliantly and removes moss and stains"

your travel luggage is growing

[JenB]

"To clean a headstone, try oven cleaner.  It works brilliantly and removes moss and stains"

I hope they were were joking!    Many gravestones are very fragile - using anything on them could do irreparable damage. The contents of some proprietary cleaners might actually dissolve away some of the stone    Pulling off moss could also possibly remove underlying stone and inscription. If there are, for instance, lichens on the stone - some of these are protected by law. Strictly speaking removing them would actually be a criminal offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

There is an extensive and interesting thread on the subject here http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,255822.msg1425406.html#msg1425406

Here are a couple of quotes

Just to point out that each gravestone or memorial is owned by the person who erected it, or by his/her successors, and anyone who removes or defaces a memorial trespasses thereby. Before undertaking any work you should obtain permission from the owner.
Cleaning gravestones so as to not cause damage is not a job to be undertaken by an amateur. Where cleaning is felt to be necessary for an inscription to be made legible, this can be achieved by using a soft brush and plain water. A few lichen species are specially protected by law and collecting (or damaging) them is an offence.
Have a look at
http://www.thebls.org.uk/content/chlich.html
and http://www.ctgravestones.com/Conservation/cleaning.htm

Cleaning gravestone should be left to those who know what they are doing and understand the implications for the consequences of their actions.
Apart from potentially damaging the stone you could be prosecuted under the 1981 Act.

There are also some useful 'dos and don'ts' here http://www.gravestonestudies.org/faq.htm#Some%20Gravestone%20Rubbings%20Dos%20and%20Don%27ts

[Clemmie]

Well thank goodness I didn't have a need to take up this hint Stan. 

The tip was from someone in New Zealand so probably the laws are different in every country.  Just goes to show how easy it is to be lead astray.

I'm glad I was the one to read the tip and not someone already heading for the cemetery with goods in hand

Thanks to your vast knowledge, all participants here are well informed of the consequences.

cheers

[Annie65115]

I'd get the midge repellant once you're in Scotland in the hope of getting something that might be at least partially effective!

[Johnner Kid]

For access to an index of Aberdeenshire MIs go to:  http://www.anesfhs.org.uk/

Can I also express my concern about the suggestion to use any proprietory cleaners on gravestones.  DO NOT DO IT!  A stiff bristle brush -- NOT Metal -- is about your limits if you want to avoid damage to a stone.  If you uncover a fallen stone DO NOT damage the grass roots and recover it again. when you are done.
For stones hard to read try a light spray of water from a bottle.  As the stone dries the water in the inscription dries less quickly and enhances lettering long enough to take a photograph.  Also  good graphics program on your computer can then be used to enhance the image further.

I have photographed hundreds of gravestones in SW Scotland -- have a look at:
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dfsgal/
Cy

PS Another tip, not for this time of year, is pick a frosty morning for the visit.
This stone is unreadable at any other time.

[RedMystic]

Thank you very much Johnner Kid.

Like you, I'm not interested in using any chemicals on the stones, and even the stiff brush idea makes me a bit uncomfortable. The water, flour or rubbings seem more in keeping with my sensitivity to leaving things as they are while getting what I want.

TX for the websites.

[JenB]

Like you, I'm not interested in using any chemicals on the stones, and even the stiff brush idea makes me a bit uncomfortable. The water, flour or rubbings seem more in keeping with my sensitivity to leaving things as they are while getting what I want.

TX for the websites.

I hate to be a wet blanket.......but having seen these I think you might also want to give up on the flour idea 

Flour is harmful because it can penetrate into small pores of the stone, and when wet, the flour will swell and can cause flaking of the stone. Also, it is food for micro-organisms that can then live and grow in the stone, causing expansion and cracking.

http://www.ncgenweb.us/newhanover/cem1.html

Some people would put shaving cream, chalk or flour onto the front of the gravestone to help the letters stand out better. None of these are good ideas. Chalk is not biodegradable, flour promotes mold growth, and shaving cream leaves an acid residue that eats away at stone. No matter how well you believe you wash away your work when you're done, gravestones are full of nooks and crannies. Don't cause harm to the graveyard you are trying to document!

http://www.lisashea.com/genealogy/articles/gravestones/rubbings.html

[RedMystic]

TX JenB, a spray bottle with water is what it will be then. I very much appreciate all the suggestions & direction people have provided.

[General Dogsbody]

Re oven cleaner: it may remove the moss, but it will likely damage the stone. No,no,no!