Caring for Tombstones

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At last year's membership meeting someone asked about how best to safely clean tombstones.

I was fortunate to recently be able to attend a half day, hands-on workshop by nationally -known expert Jonathan Appell, CEO of Atlas Preservation. Appell has worked on historic stones from Jamestown to Gettysburg and in dozens of communities across the US.

He recommends D/2 Biological Solution -- available in quart, gallon or five gallon amounts - to spray on and remove stains mold, mildew, lichens, and pollution. The solution should be left on anywhere from 10 minutes to overnight depending upon the amount of stain. Lightly scrubbing with a natural fiber brush and rinsing with water will make a remarkable difference. A toothbrush or similar is particularly helpful with engravings.

At our session in Memphis, Appell also demonstrated righting fallen stones and re-standing properly as well as joining pieces of broken tombstones. 

This video from similar workshop in  Albuquerque  highlights several of these techniques. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ZJNX-kAWM