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Stone awaiting decision on whether
A peg(s) or Epoxy can allow it to stand again
Photo by T Nigh
Repairing Standing Monuments and Tops of Spires
Stone going through
the pegging process
Now standing again
Cracks will be less visible
when finished
Photo by T Nigh
Repairing (Pegging) broken slab stones, Angels, etc.
Closeup of stone above
Cracks will be less visible
when finished
Photo by T Nigh
I am certainly not qualified to give information on this subject. I am not sure if anyone can write something like this down. You really need to take a course for a half day or more in order to at least get an idea on how this is done. Let us just say that by placing stainless steel threaded rod inside some stones in strategic locations with epoxy, and thus attaching them together, following with a limestone mortar it is possible to repair stones with very severe breaks. In other cases it might be possible to simply use an epoxy. This does however involve some knowledge that is hard to get by reading. It is very much a learn to do by doing technique.
I do think that there are a couple of things that we might bring out though.
- First off, that a company named Daubois produces a limestone mortar that simply requires adding water to it. Our biggest problem with doing this is the time involved to do it. With hundreds of stones to repair, it just takes so long to mix all compounds of that mortar. However, if we can use one that simply involves adding mortar that helps greatly!
- Secondly, comes the fact that Epoxy and totally premix compounds (like putty) will not allow water to permeate them. This water can then come out the edges of the stone, evaporating, and leaving deposits of salts and compounds that can destroy the stone. The premix compounds that are putty like are great when used with modern granite stones. But they do not work on things like marble or sandstone.
- Every book I could read describing mixing these compounds with water always mentioned making the mixture very dry. Just about as dry as you can make it and still be workable. I could never figure why. Finally we found the reason. If the mixture is more "Wet", you will get finger marks, and mortar marks all over the stone, and they will not be removable. You will not see them when you finish the stone. But once things dry you will.
- One of our contacts mentioned he uses a product that is made by Lithomix , and it's a mix that hardens and can be carved with chisels to any shape. This is used to repair and replace large and small parts of sculptured stones that have a piece broken off.
For more information on epoxy types please check our Epoxies Explanations Area.
Repairing/Pegging/Reattaching the decorations to the top of spires and other stones
Spire Stone with loose top.
Note the cross broken from the top
of this spire stone.
Photo by John Skakel
Most any cemetery you walk through, if you reach up to the decorations on the top of the spire stones and other such stones, you can simply slide them off the top. Some need to be lifted off. However, these are extreme safety hazards as it only takes one kid to put his hand up top and that stone could slide off and hit a brother or sister. Take a look at the top part of the stone. Is there a hole in it? If so you are away. Similarly there should be a hole in the bottom position. Using Epoxy and stainless steel threaded rod, insert a rod into the hole and epoxy it in. It should be long enough to allow the other piece to sit on top. Now then there are two theories on this. The first is to simply set the top over the rod. The second is to epoxy it in position. Doing it the first way allows repairs more easily the next time something gives away and rusts out, etc. Doing it the second way might be more safe preventing it from being knocked off. You can then seal the edges off with limestone mortar, or if the stone is granite use the premix putty. If you epoxy the top on you can actually use a grease such as butter on the shaft to prevent the epoxy from holding onto it, allowing it to be unscrewed off later.