Tombstone Repair
You have to be careful concerning the type of glue or epoxy that you use. In
many cases regular "off the shelf" products will not only do the job , but
do it too well. By this I mean the bond that it creates is stronger than the
stone itself and can cause the stone to break in other locations. Some of
the products that we recommend that are known to work good are:
Mastico. Available from Hilgartner Natural Stone Company, 101 W Cross
Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230; 410-752-4832; www.hilgartner.com
Akepox 2010 Epoxy Transp L-Spec (Honey) - 2.25 Kg. Most economical option.
Available from your local monument dealer or from GranQuartz, PO Box 33569,
Decatur, Georgia 30033; 800-458-6222
Barre Pak Epoxy - 70 gram Kit (in Gray) More expensive, but handy for
smaller repairs; dual barrels of epoxy and hardener. Available from Miles
Supply Company Inc., PO Box 237, Barre, VT 05641-0237; 802-476-3963
You also may want to look at the Saving Graves Cemetery Cleaning and
Restoration Supplies page for additional listings. That page can be found
at:
http://www.savinggraves.com/links/restoration/supplies.htm
I've been getting a number of questions about this and have been
recommending that those interested in learning about how to go about doing
this the right way look into getting a copy of "Landscapes of Memories: A
Guide for Conserving Historic Cemeteries", published by the Heritage
Properties and Museum Programs Unit of the Cultural Programs Branch,
Province of Ontario. This is a wonderful publication, one of the most
informative sources on the subject today. Information on this can be found
at:
http://www.gov.on.ca/MCZCR/english/culdiv/heritage/memories.htm
One thing to keep in mind is that every situation is unique. The condition
of the stone, the type of break involved, the nature of the stone, etc. are
all essential factors in determining how best to proceed to repair a broken
marker. It's best if you take a little time to research what is best of the
stone and the proper way to go about repairing it before you take this
project on.
William Spurlock
Saving Graves
http://www.savinggraves.com