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Archiver > CEMETERY > 2005-05 > 1116607873


From: "Donna St Felix" <>
Subject: RE: [Old Bones CEMETERY-L] shaving cream
Date: Fri, 20 May 2005 12:51:13 -0400
In-Reply-To: <20050520161100.68596.qmail@web30308.mail.mud.yahoo.com>


Lab testing results do not appear to be on web in detail, but found in a
fast search is the following:

From http://www.alsirat.com/taphophile/photography.html
Shaving Cream is a NO! Many of the tips and tricks here are viable
alternatives to the destructive practice of applying shaving cream to a
tombstone. Shaving cream contains stearic acid. Acids, any competent chemist
will tell you, eat stone. If you want to experiment with it anyways, put
some on your new car's finish first. Wipe it off after five minutes or so.
Don't grumble when you have to take the car back in for a paint job.
Alternatively, you can put some on a concrete surface like your driveway or
sidewalk. Make sure that the design is one that you will want to see for a
long time. Don't use it on tombstones.

From http://www.cmstory.org/cemetery/stonecutters.asp
The work of the stone cutters of Mecklenburg County. has lasted for over 200
years. Ignorance and carelessness by family members or researchers are
causing some of the stones to deteriorate at an unnatural rate. In order to
get an accurate or clearer picture of what is written on stones, some people
have put shaving cream or other chemicals on the stones. The residue can
damage or stain the stones and cause enormous, permanent deterioration.

From http://www.savinggraves.org/education/bookshelf/shavingcream.htm
In all fairness, some web sites start to tell you why to not use this
method, along the lines of what AGS has done on the preservation page, such
as the Texas State Historical Commission, who state on their page "People
should avoid using harsh substances with emollients, such as shaving cream,
to reveal inscriptions; the oils from these products are not washed off by
rain and can cause the stone to deteriorate.". In the Newsletter of the
Canterbury Genealogy Society Discussion Group, February 2000 issue, they
state "Shaving cream does, indeed, leave an acid residue that does not wash
off. It destroys marble and limestone". ... So, why not use Shaving Cream in
order to make the stone more readable? Careful research of the question
yields some insightful and valuable information on the subject. To begin
with, the exact formulas for shaving creams are corporate trade secrets
however, it is common knowledge that most contain emollients to soften the
skin, while at the same time protecting it. Shaving Cream also contains a
chemical known as stearic acid (defined by Britannica.com as "a colourless,
waxy solid that is almost insoluble in water") which will cause the surface
of the stone to exfoliate, especially if that stone is either granite,
marble or limestone. Granite is an igneous rock, and therefore highly
susceptible to any type of chemical weathering. By putting shaving cream on
the stone, you are doing the same thing acid rain does over a long period of
time, only you are hastening the destruction. Marble and Limestone are
highly reactive to acids, and will actually sublimate in the presence of
hydrochloric acid. That means it will go from a solid to a vapor without a
liquid stage, as it releases certain parts of its chemical structure.
Further reason for not using shaving cream lies in the potential damage over
a very long period of time, not just a few years. The chemicals in shaving
cream will permeate into the microscopic pores of the stone and will not be
readily washed out. These chemicals, which consist of soaps, mineral oil,
fatty alcohols and other skin conditioners are all organic compounds which
are biodegradable. Since they are biodegradable, they provide food for
microscopic organisms, fungi, mosses, etc. The growth of such organisms in
the pores of a stone causes expansive forces which will gradually cause
microscopic particles of the stone to be flaked off. These enlarged
microscopic pores can also collect moisture in wet freezing weather and the
freezing action causes microscopic fractures of the stone because, as you
know, water expands upon freezing. In other words, only completely
chemically inert materials should ever contact a tombstone. ... The rule
that should be followed is to do no harm, and nothing irreversible. Anything
that dislodges bits of stone IS damaging. Likewise, don't use any chemical
compounds that are untested or cannot be removed completely. The residue
from Styrofoam is inert, therefore not chemically damaging. Shaving creams
and other household cleaning chemicals have active (and usually acidic)
components. If you ever have an opportunity to observe professional stone
conservators work on old stones you will find that they begin cleaning with
the weakest possible substance (water) progressing to other cleaners as
appropriate. When chemical cleaners are called for they use very weak
(non-acidic) cleaners and the absolutely flood the stones with water to wash
away as much residue as possible.

Comment: It stands to reason that wrong chemicals absorbed into the stone
will eventually, over time cause damage.

Donna


-----Original Message-----
From: Brock Way [mailto:]
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 12:11 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [Old Bones CEMETERY-L] shaving cream



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