Cleaning Headstones

[Fergie38]

How can headstones such as this be cleaned up well enough to read.
The white patches seem to be some kind of growth that is as hard as cement and very difficult to remove, even with a stiff brush.

[Milliepede]

Can you feel the letters with you fingers or does the white obliterate that? 
Was thinking you could do a rubbing or tracing of some kind to read it

[PaulineJ]

Cleaning off the lichen typically doesn't help much.

Wipe JUST  the face of the stone with a damp , muddy rag to increase contrast . Use a reflective board to illuminate better. Visit at a different time of day for the sun angle.

And failing all that, a sheet of paper and a crayon to produce a "rubbing"

[ColinBignell]

Cleaning off the lichen typically doesn't help much.

It may also damage the surface of the stone, as will the use of a wire brush anywhere on the stone.

One trick I have been told (I have yet to need to try it) is to rub chalk over the flat surfaces alongside the letters, which should help them stand out better.

[melba_schmelba]

It looks fairly legible to me, can you post a link to a full sized version? Sometimes playing with the image in a photo programme can help, such as increasing or reducing contrast and inverting colours. But getting a strong shadow to begin with is really crucial, either from the pre midday sun (or pre 1PM in BST), or using a high power torch, light tube or mirror on afternoons or dull days. Some algae or lichen is just powder and will come off with a wet sponge or hand water sprayer. I would never use a brush.

[normamac]

How can headstones such as this be cleaned up well enough to read.
The white patches seem to be some kind of growth that is as hard as cement and very difficult to remove, even with a stiff brush.

/quote]
Have you checked if  Headstone Transcriptions have been done in this Churchyard?

Norma