Happy Tombs-day! I am a relatively new tombstone tourist and I am still working on learning all I can about cemeteries, headstones, and all the history that comes along with it. The topic of headstone resortation and repair is one that I am very interested in thanks to the wonderful folks on TikTok who have been cleaning and restoring old headstones and telling the tales of the residents of whom they belong to.
Aluminum framing can be seen in photo above and below.
The marble headstone above has been beautifully restored and cleaned. It has been placed on a sturdy concrete base and has been treated and cleaned to clearly show the headstone art and inscription. When headstones and monuments are being cleaned by professionals, they typically use a solution called D2. This is a product that is safe to use on the stone and is gentle enough to use on even some of the oldest headstones. The solution is said to work best on sunny, warm days with some professional cleaners claiming that a warm fall day is their favourite. The sun activates the D2 and it continues to work over the winter months which can reveal a beautiful, clean headstone come the spring.
Research credits to:
A few weeks ago I was visiting the Kenilworth Methodist/United Pioneer Cemetery to take photos for a future research project for the blog. I noticed that many of the stones there had been restored. This was the first time I had seen broken and cracked headstones being repaired and returned to their upright position using metal braces on each side. After some research, I discovered that these braces are generally made of aluminum and are fitted on both sides of a headstone to create a frame that will hold the pieces of it together. Aluminum does not rust, making it a good choice for framing a headstone as it is unlikely to damage the stone through rust transfer or other methods. This is also seems to be commonly used for marble headstones as we know marble is known to crack, become brittle and even break in half due to exposure to the elements or in cases when the cemetery is not being maintained.
Additionally, when headstones are being restored they may also be reinstalled on a piece of new concrete. This allows the stone to rest on a sturdy base and be less likely to fall victim to the shifting soil beneath it. Depending on the case, the headstone may also be drilled and secured back into place with hardware though this may not be effective if the stone is in very poor condition and fragile.
https://cemeteryconservatorsunitedstandards.org/standards/repairs/