The Old Folks Home

[pennyJo1960]

there is much more if they are in heat and a cat will continue to come in and out for a few months at least before even a break

 

[CapricornFarm]

there is much more if they are in heat and a cat will continue to come in and out for a few months at least before even a break

Much more what?

 

[Alaskan]

Water and a soft scrub brush (something you can rub on your skin and not hurt yourself with) got this off. I also applied a substance called D2 which is a biocide. It will start to kill the growth and works for about 6 months to continually lighten the stone and works after that to help prevent more growth for a time. But all that crap came off with just a scrub brush and water. D2 has been studied, is safe for the stones (only do it on stones that are stable and not sugary feeling - scrubbing those may damage them - you can spray it on those though, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes NO SCRUBBING then rinse). I can already see a huge difference on the stones I cleaned with D2 earlier this summer - they're getting nice and white and are easier to read. I mix D2 1:1 with water.



Couple of ways - strong flashlight and move it around to try and get shadows to form just right. You can also do it with a big mirror and try to catch the strong sunlight on the stone with the mirror refracting it. Other ways - take a photo with your cell phone at many angles and then play with the photos or dampen the stone with just water. The last way is to clean the stone (provided it's safe to clean) - getting gunk in the inscription always seems to help (always rinse to clear when done).

what so you think of the stones being painted?

not sure what has been used... but I have one in Germany (they paid extra for the stone to always stay there..and not be reused after I think the 10 year German cemetery time limit). they painted it (the cemetery? ?? ), but I think the areas they painted had been originally painted. (the vines and words )

a slightly younger stone down in Texas, my uncle had tombstone people (?? ) paint in the letters. I think it looks great, sure makes it readable. I am also thinking that the paint protects the stone from the weather??

but maybe it is super frowned upon by preservationists?

just wondering if painted stones has come up in your training, and your thoughts.

SCG, your one of my hero's now, really awesome what your doing with those stones.
What's your opinion on the new one's, the fancy shmancy laser etched one's with the cool pics? Are they going to last? With your experience on these stones, do you think the new one's will survive the rest of time?

I have seen lots of those with the fancy picture that is glued on, those DO fall off and look bad. the one where they laser etch a fancy picture into he stone look good, but are so shallow that if they are in a spot that gets much weathering/moss they will not last long.

you need deeply cut letters or designs that do not catch water.

as to embalming. .blach. I am Orthodox so we are not supposed to be cremated, and where possible the body is not to be embalmed, but buried just "plain" in a plain box by day 3. The cost of the fancy caskets that are made are just crazy, and I don't see the point. I like the idea of a simple slapped together pine box. worm food, yep.

 

[pennyJo1960]

swelling of tubes innards also blood

 

[superchemicalgirl]

If I post pictures, would you mind looking them over and see if you have any pointers?

I'm not an expert but I'll be happy to give you my $0.02 - and I'll tell you that unfortunately usually the best/right way is the slow/hand way. I am glad you're going to be taking care of the stones, feel free to ask questions here or PM if they're intense so we don't completely alienate everyone on here.

what so you think of the stones being painted?

just wondering if painted stones has come up in your training, and your thoughts.

Painting of specific sections has not come up. I do know that some people in the past have tried to clear coat the stones to protect them from further erosion, but that does damage. Stones need to breathe - they absorb moisture and wick it. Anything that alters that process damages the stone. Imagine trapping a bunch of moisture inside it (remember it will continue to suck moisture from the ground) then getting below freezing temps. The conservator that teaches me happens to be currently working in a cemetery across the river from me and despite telling myself I was done repair work for the season (just have a few stones left to clean) I will admit I may currently be covered in graveyard grime because that cemetery was almost not quite on the way home from work and I got a few hours in. I also maybe might have volunteered to be there this weekend, too, so I may have an opportunity to ask these types of questions.

I now need to go shower and get the dirt and stank off me. He drilled out some pins today, which had sulphur around them, and I literally smell like brimstone and am filthy.

 

[ronott1]

what so you think of the stones being painted?

not sure what has been used... but I have one in Germany (they paid extra for the stone to always stay there..and not be reused after I think the 10 year German cemetery time limit). they painted it (the cemetery? ?? ), but I think the areas they painted had been originally painted. (the vines and words )

a slightly younger stone down in Texas, my uncle had tombstone people (?? ) paint in the letters. I think it looks great, sure makes it readable. I am also thinking that the paint protects the stone from the weather??

but maybe it is super frowned upon by preservationists?

just wondering if painted stones has come up in your training, and your thoughts.



I have seen lots of those with the fancy picture that is glued on, those DO fall off and look bad. the one where they laser etch a fancy picture into he stone look good, but are so shallow that if they are in a spot that gets much weathering/moss they will not last long.

you need deeply cut letters or designs that do not catch water.

as to embalming. .blach. I am Orthodox so we are not supposed to be cremated, and where possible the body is not to be embalmed, but buried just "plain" in a plain box by day 3. The cost of the fancy caskets that are made are just crazy, and I don't see the point. I like the idea of a simple slapped together pine box. worm food, yep.

Welcome Back!

What have you been up to?

 

[Alaskan]

Welcome Back!

What have you been up to?

trying to get everything in RL squared away in preparation for the school year...

still not ready.

We are supposed to start next week.

(we follow the college schedule ).

I am feeling bad for the eldest.... he says he is happy with it this way, and wants it this way... but you know I am a true blue pessimist, to the bone, can't be happy ).

I just remember going off to college and enjoying the total independence.

Poor kid will have to go to school in the tiny town where we live...his math prof is renting a house next door to us, Spouse works at the college...

poor kid, if he sneezes twice we will probably hear from 3 different people how he was horrid and disrespectful.

Anyway....

on a positive note...we tried putting our youngest set of chicks outside in a tractor... goats jumped on the tractor (we thought we had reinforced it enough) and made it pop a seam, and we lost 2 chicks! We didn't see it happen, I just looked out and saw a little Dominique chick peeping around crying, not able to get back in.

Anyway, ran out and got it, but could NOT see or hear the second lost chick. Second chick is white!

Finally gave up on it, put the chicks back in the house until the tractor could get re-reinforced.

Over 24 hours later, I hear a chick peeping! (I kept the windows open)! There was the white chick, at the side of the green tractor (green tractor has almost fully grown chicks) asking how to get in.

Still can't believe a bright white chick (and yes, we are still green here...but fading to brown) made it that long!! (we have been 50s in the day, 40s at night).

chicks are back out today.... I think the tractor is now safe.

 

[Alaskan]

@superchemicalgirl I can see that with coating the entire stone....

But in the case of the German stone they just painted the decorative raised elements (ivy, vines and leaves), and I think the letters? (now I need to go look at a photo..)

The Texas one only the letters were painted, and I am pretty sure the Texas stone did not originally have paint...I think the German one might have....

I wonder how popular painted stones were? I know the Egyptians liked painting their carving.

 

[drumstick diva]

Sorry Alaskan - I guess goats are real jerks. Glad the two chicks survived.

 

[Alaskan]

Sorry Alaskan - I guess goats are real jerks. Glad the two chicks survived.

The goats just love sunbathing on top of the white tractor.

but yep, kinda crazy they didn't die. I am usually solid predators. When I was out there checking on the new and improved tractor a raven was flying over checking everything out...