Tombstone Tracing

If you've ever been to a cemetery, you know how beautiful some of the gravestones are. You can actually do a tracing of these tombstones that can capture their sometimes haunting beauty. It is called tombstone rubbing and it makes this the kind of date that neither of you will soon forget. The quality of the rubbings can be so good that some people frame them and put them on their wall.

GRAVEYARD ETIQUETTE

This date was not intended as a suggestion for kinky sex, although some of you with Gothic leanings might be feeling a little fired up at the notion. If we were buried in some old cemetery we would be happy for you to do the nasty on our gravesites, but relatives who are visiting these places tend to have lost their sense of humor along with the dearly departed. So don't be leaving any used condoms lying about and for heaven's sake, don't be screaming, "Oh God, Oh God" unless you see an actual ghost.

Even if you aren't having sex in the cemetery, keep in mind that the living who are visiting such places tend to be in emotional pain. They might view your attempts at tombstone tracing as a sign of disrespect and even regard you as grave robbers. So try to look like serious anthropologists or maybe Jacques Cousteau in a sea of marble and granite graves. Also, in some cemeteries, gravestone rubbing is prohibited. Be sure to inquire fi rst and respect the wishes of cemetery management.

COST

Not much... Maybe $7 for a roll of white butcher paper, masking tape, a toothbrush, a soft cloth, a 3" PVC tube or cardboard mailing tube for safe keeping, and some really big children's crayons. You might also trying using oil pastel sticks (ten for $1), artist's charcoal, and Krylon or hairspray as a sealer after you are done.

WHERE TO FIND A CEMETERY

Try the Yellow Pages under "cemetery" or call a mortuary and ask. Check with your local Historical Society. Some historical societies offer classes on tombstone tracing. Churches usually know where the local cemeteries are located.

TOMBSTONES TRACING RESOURCES

Check out the website of the Association for Gravestone Studies at www.gravestonestudies.org, or write to them at 278 Main Street, Suite 207, Greenfi eld, MA 01301. They publish Gravestone Rubbing for Beginners, which lists the materials you will need and how to use special crayons. The cost is $3.50 for non-members. They also publish A Technique for the Experienced Rubber, which many of you may want for your coffee table or bedstand drawer. It sells for a mere $3.50.

For a tombstone rubbing kit ($18.95), try Gravestone Art Wear at www.gravestoneartwear.com/rubbingkit.html or (800)564-4310.

HOW TO RUB A GRAVESTONE

The first thing you want to do is to make sure it's legal to do it where you want to do it. So call the cemetery beforehand or check with your local historical society. Be aware that some gravestone rubbers have permanently damaged gravestones. As a result, gravestone rubbing has been made illegal in several cemeteries. You might think all gravestones are made of marble and therefore fairly indestructible. Not true. Make sure the gravestone is not crumbling or unstable. Lightly tap the stone with your knuckles. If it makes a hollow sound, do not use it for a rubbing.

If the stone is covered with foliage, carefully pull it away from the stone or trim it.

You might want to take a photo of the stone before doing the rubbing. It's fun to compare the actual photo with the rubbing. A lot of gravestones will be covered with a fungus that can fill in the details, like what happens to your teeth if you don't brush them for ten or twenty years. So take a used plastic milk container that's filled with water for each gravestone you want to trace. If the fungus is still soft, you'll be able to remove it with a soft toothbrush and water. Don't use any detergent or cleaner. If the fungus is hard, you might be able to soften it with the water or remove it with a pointed wooden stick, but be careful not to scratch the stone. (Check out the "How To Clean a Gravestone" page at www.gravestonestudies.org.) Wipe the stone dry with a soft cloth or paper towel. Put the paper over it with the shiny side of the paper down. Use masking tape to hold it tightly over the gravestone. Don't use scotch tape or duct tape, as it will leave gnarly residue on the gravestone. Push lightly with your fingers over the surface of the paper. This causes the paper to indent in the places where the gravestone is carved and will result in a better tracing.

Use the flat side of a large children's crayon, charcoal, pastel stick or chalk. Rub gently with it around the edges, as if you were making a frame. Then fi ll in the rest of the area with long strokes that you do in the same direction. Try not to get any crayon on the stone. Go easy at fi rst, and then apply a little more pressure until you are satis- fi ed with the tracing. Untape the paper, being careful to remove all of the tape from the gravestone.

If you used charcoal, pastel, or chalk, put the tracing a few feet away from any gravestones and spray it with Krylon or hairspray to keep it from smearing. Roll it and put it in a mailing tube or 3" PVC pipe for safe keeping on the way home. If you are putting more than one tracing in the tube, tear off a sheet of waxed paper and place it between the tracings.