| D/2 Tombstone Cleaner and Bl Carboff Rubbing Paper 26″ x 100′ |
Memorial Day weekend I set off to Kessler Cemetery to scrub tombstones for just a few small memorials that have been lacking from Findagrave. I had blogged lately about my search and discover of John Duer’s stone in Kessler, nevertheless, everything of the stone couldn’t be learn after we visited on a chilly March day. Since then, my husband and I researched merchandise that might assist us see extra data on the stone.
A number of years in the past, a minister in Pennsylvania who was a cemetery trustee really helpful I exploit a bleach and water resolution on a stone I couldn’t learn. I drove to the closest Walmart, and purchased a twig bottle, water, brush, and bleach tablets as I used to be in a rental automobile and being a klutz, was afraid I would spill liquid bleach.
That blend labored superbly, nevertheless, I’ve since learn that you just should not use bleach on stones because it causes injury. A suggestion on-line was to buy a product referred to as D/2 Organic Resolution. The product claims it’s non-toxic and no scrubbing is critical.
There have been a number of strategies to be used outlined on the again of the spray bottle. I chosen Rapid Resuz Technique as I did not have the choice of going again in every week. Rapid it merely spray, wait 5-10 minutes, spray once more if wanted, and scrub completely with a non-metallic brush. Wait?! Did not it say that no scrubbing was obligatory? !
Adopted the instructions – the stone had inexperienced lichen and black mould on the marble. The stone was from 1885 and confronted south on a windy, rural cemetery in northwestern Ohio. Though, with scrubbing, we may take away the lichen, the black mould didn’t come off. We tried this technique with seven different stones, some dealing with south and others dealing with north. Identical outcomes.
In equity, the stones have been badly worn. Seems they’d been memorialized on Findagrave.com when the cemetery was added about 15 years in the past however we could not learn names to test. As a backup plan, I made a decision to buy blue Carboff Rubbing Paper. The instructions have been easy – simply reduce from the paper roll the dimensions you want and rub with a whiteboard eraser over the stone. My household and I attempted rubbing vertically after which on a brand new sheet, horizontally, pondering that perhaps we simply needed to discover the fitting grain. Nope, some letters and numbers have been seen however not one of the stones have been totally readable.
I had additionally introduced aluminum foil as that had been really helpful. Identical approach as with the rubbing paper, mainly, the identical outcome although it was way more cost-effective.
I shall be writing subsequent week about my analysis on the stones that we labored to protect. Extra data was obtained utilizing these merchandise however for the fee, I used to be not impressed and would not advocate them.