Found your site about a year ago. Being well north of 70 I can just clean stones - can’t do the heavy lifting you do. But really feel good about what I can accomplish.
The work you are doing is incredible and fascinating. Thank you for preserving the history of ordinary people, died long ago and for the honorable memory you give them.
Wow, Wade! You had me in the edge of my seat with this one! So many pieces to put together precariously until you could "cement" them in place to dry. Once the open spots were filled in spring, it was amazing to look at! Thanks so much for the long video showing the whole, very intricate and lengthy, process. You have the patience of Job and it's always an honor for *us* to watch as *you* honor *them*. Thanks, Wade!
I was almost in tears near the end of this video watching how much you respect the men buried there and your care for repairing those monuments. Thank you so much!
It's an awe-inspiring transformation. My late Mom and I enjoyed your work. I think this is the first time I've checked back since she died late last spring. I found myself greatly appreciating that you don't fast forward through your work. The artisanship is beautiful to watch. A traditional prayer upon passing a cemetery: May God and Mary bless you all You were once as we are now, and we will, one day, be like you. I pray for you, Do pray for me, and may Mary pray with us both. And may He who suffered his passion and death for the salvation of souls have mercy on us all. Amen
You are doing great work that doesn't get done nearly as often as it should. Most cemeteries don't take care of their residents as well as you do, and you are not the one who is paid to take care of them
I really loved the video i always drive by old cemeteries and feel bad for the people there who have been forgotten great work fixing the head stones for those folks
Fascinating. It was a pleasure to watch you work and hear your respect for those buried there. Good man, great job and subbed! America needs more like you.
You always inspire me to go check on my relatives headstones. I've already cleaned them appropriately, so now I just keep checking on them every so often to see if they need any attention. When I learned from you how to clean the stones appropriately, I was amazed how they look like brand new stones now, and I can read all the small letters in the epithets. Thank you. Also, I think it would be helpful to know how much you charge for this kind of restoration.
good video, maybe when you’re compacting dirt like that use those water sprayers and spray the ground down real good before you compact it… raises the moisture levels in the dirts and allows for a higher compaction percentage, will keep that ground from moving too much in the future, though settling will still happen. i work in the dirt industry so figured i’d throw it out there maybe it’ll help.
To get bonding material into cracks you might try an old luthier trick for gluing cracks in guitars. Get a small assortment of inexpensive suction cup hooks like you use to hang things on the refridgerator or mirrors. Run a bead of the bonding material along the top of the crack and then use the suction cus to force the glue deeper into the crack. Should get a better bond for you.
22:22, you state that the stone corners are warped. I have worked with natural tone for over 40 years and I have never known any kind to "warp". It was made in the 1800s and was most likely like that from the start. Stone doesn't bend or warp it is permanently straight as it is going to be.
When leveling the stone you have in the underlayment support grid, might I suggest a wide broom? It will move the stone better than the block, or hammer you were using.
Can you please tell us what your compaction tool is called and who makes it, for your SDS max? I’ve tried doing web searches for it and I cannot find one that looks as good as that one.
Yes, the drill is definitely an Milwaukee SDS max. But for that particular compaction plate I can find nothing similar even when using the word Milwaukee.
What type of mortar were you using there... am i correct in thinking it wasnt lime? Great job by the way... a true craftsman at work here. The history too. Brilliant. There are folk near me in the UK who volunteer to clean up the local graveyard, however, i dont think they go as far as restoring the gravestones. They do do a great job otherwise and have revealed a lot of hidden graves, cleaning them up as best they can. Wish i had the time to do something similar myself... alas, i have enough on my hands with the repair of a woodworm infested house to be able to start considering giving up yet more of my time. Keep it up!
My granddaughter bought a house in Maryland and there is a gravestone in the back yard on a little hill. She wants to clean and straighten the tablet. I sent her your link in TH-cam. Do you have a list of your videos that a novice headstone straightener could watch? She has been looking into the family tree for context. Msybe a video on research too? Thanks
What products did you use - i.e. what was in the syringe and was that different than what you spooned out ? Looks like maybe plain lime mortar and not Lithomex ? Why did you choose what you did ? Thanks.
I wonder if Layton died young. He has a rose at the top of his stone. And traditionally, a rose with a snapped or broken off rose bud symbolizes the death of a youth. As in the bud broke off before the rose could open. Too bad the other half of the top is missing.
The term warp feels misleading… assuming that these are likely granite headstones. Probably more likely that they have just eroded more on either side making it look convex?
"Instead of going to a landfill"... they are calling it something else and it's still being put into the ground? I don't see it lasting any more than a proper gravel base without the plastic. Everything in the dirt moves and sinks.
Buy creating a wider continued connection it bridges soil conditions and spreads the load to a larger surface and he looks like he is below the frost line.
All that extra mortar you scrape off why not scrape it off back into the bucket instead of wiping it onto a paper towel? Seems you would save paper towels and mortar.
Oh you missed a perfect opportunity to dress up as the reanimator that would have been quite the video you kind of resemble him too actually that would have worked out
If you look through his older videos you'll come across some where he tracks down living descendants to offer the service at no charge. In other cases, descendants send requests.
I think one of the great aspects of your videos is telling the stories of those remembered on the headstones. It gives these videos a lot of humanity.
Found your site about a year ago. Being well north of 70 I can just clean stones - can’t do the heavy lifting you do. But really feel good about what I can accomplish.
Regular cleaning and matience helps keep this damage from happening as easily. It's super important.
The work you are doing is incredible and fascinating. Thank you for preserving the history of ordinary people, died long ago and for the honorable memory you give them.
Wow, Wade! You had me in the edge of my seat with this one! So many pieces to put together precariously until you could "cement" them in place to dry. Once the open spots were filled in spring, it was amazing to look at!
Thanks so much for the long video showing the whole, very intricate and lengthy, process. You have the patience of Job and it's always an honor for *us* to watch as *you* honor *them*.
Thanks, Wade!
I was almost in tears near the end of this video watching how much you respect the men buried there and your care for repairing those monuments. Thank you so much!
It's an awe-inspiring transformation. My late Mom and I enjoyed your work. I think this is the first time I've checked back since she died late last spring. I found myself greatly appreciating that you don't fast forward through your work. The artisanship is beautiful to watch.
A traditional prayer upon passing a cemetery:
May God and Mary bless you all
You were once as we are now,
and we will, one day, be like you.
I pray for you,
Do pray for me,
and may Mary pray with us both.
And may He who suffered his passion and death for the salvation of souls have mercy on us all.
Amen
You are doing great work that doesn't get done nearly as often as it should. Most cemeteries don't take care of their residents as well as you do, and you are not the one who is paid to take care of them
I really loved the video i always drive by old cemeteries and feel bad for the people there who have been forgotten great work fixing the head stones for those folks
Love the back stories ❤❤❤
Fascinating. It was a pleasure to watch you work and hear your respect for those buried there. Good man, great job and subbed! America needs more like you.
Awesome work! Very well done....sure the families would be happy.
You always inspire me to go check on my relatives headstones. I've already cleaned them appropriately, so now I just keep checking on them every so often to see if they need any attention. When I learned from you how to clean the stones appropriately, I was amazed how they look like brand new stones now, and I can read all the small letters in the epithets. Thank you. Also, I think it would be helpful to know how much you charge for this kind of restoration.
He takes donations from viewers and others 😊
Margaret Ross is my 8th cousin 4 times removed. Interesting story. Thanks for all you do.
❤
Wild how it was too dark to see and on camera it looks like a cloudy fall afternoon
good video, maybe when you’re compacting dirt like that use those water sprayers and spray the ground down real good before you compact it… raises the moisture levels in the dirts and allows for a higher compaction percentage, will keep that ground from moving too much in the future, though settling will still happen. i work in the dirt industry so figured i’d throw it out there maybe it’ll help.
Great job as always.
What a puzzle, you are amazing!
When trying to clean out a crack, do you ever use dental floss or other thin cord?
Another great video, thanks you Wade.
To get bonding material into cracks you might try an old luthier trick for gluing cracks in guitars. Get a small assortment of inexpensive suction cup hooks like you use to hang things on the refridgerator or mirrors. Run a bead of the bonding material along the top of the crack and then use the suction cus to force the glue deeper into the crack. Should get a better bond for you.
A plunger -- or reverse plunger, actually, although most people try to force the drain clog further down the pipe instead of pulling it back out.
22:22, you state that the stone corners are warped. I have worked with natural tone for over 40 years and I have never known any kind to "warp". It was made in the 1800s and was most likely like that from the start. Stone doesn't bend or warp it is permanently straight as it is going to be.
Could you use something like a rechargeable water pick to get into those cracks better without doing any damage to the stone? just a thought.
Doing the Lord's work son.
is that just a battery jack hammer with a tamper plate?
When leveling the stone you have in the underlayment support grid, might I suggest a wide broom? It will move the stone better than the block, or hammer you were using.
You are awesome great piecing that all together.
Can you please tell us what your compaction tool is called and who makes it, for your SDS max? I’ve tried doing web searches for it and I cannot find one that looks as good as that one.
I’m not sure but that looks like a Milwaukee logo on the side of the SDS, look for brand, SDS, compaction plate, tool. Good luck.
Yes, the drill is definitely an Milwaukee SDS max. But for that particular compaction plate I can find nothing similar even when using the word Milwaukee.
He has a link to all his tools in the description.
Yes, thank you, but he does not show that particular tool in that list. He shows the one used by hand.
@EdmunddelaRiviere I thought that was a bit for the Milwaukee, sorry.
You do good work. Thank you for caring. Handsome as well. 🙂
What type of mortar were you using there... am i correct in thinking it wasnt lime?
Great job by the way... a true craftsman at work here. The history too. Brilliant.
There are folk near me in the UK who volunteer to clean up the local graveyard, however, i dont think they go as far as restoring the gravestones. They do do a great job otherwise and have revealed a lot of hidden graves, cleaning them up as best they can.
Wish i had the time to do something similar myself... alas, i have enough on my hands with the repair of a woodworm infested house to be able to start considering giving up yet more of my time.
Keep it up!
Thank you.
My granddaughter bought a house in Maryland and there is a gravestone in the back yard on a little hill. She wants to clean and straighten the tablet. I sent her your link in TH-cam. Do you have a list of your videos that a novice headstone straightener could watch? She has been looking into the family tree for context. Msybe a video on research too? Thanks
Just wondering if steam cleaning might dissipate the discoloration?
What products did you use - i.e. what was in the syringe and was that different than what you spooned out ? Looks like maybe plain lime mortar and not Lithomex ? Why did you choose what you did ? Thanks.
Thanks
Wow those tablets are about the worst ones I’ve seen you repair! I hate to think it but it looks like vandalism with that much damage.
Can you provide a link where to buy lime mortar? The mortar that you would use to set the headstone into the base. Thanks!
Atlas Preservation is where you get it
Where can we get the miniature trowel with the flat scraper on the end?
1:03:33
I wonder if Layton died young. He has a rose at the top of his stone. And traditionally, a rose with a snapped or broken off rose bud symbolizes the death of a youth. As in the bud broke off before the rose could open. Too bad the other half of the top is missing.
I wondered that when Wade read "parents" and "died" on the stone. Most markers don't list parents unless it's a child.
I hate to complain but you sped through the best part 😢
Audio is pretty messed up in a few spots. love the work and everything you did here… you probably know about the audio.
Why did you use the Injection Grout instead of epoxy to make these repairs? And what type of Injection Grout is it, M5?
I wonder if cracks like that could be "flossed" with a piece of fishing line, or something?
The term warp feels misleading… assuming that these are likely granite headstones. Probably more likely that they have just eroded more on either side making it look convex?
Are you using a natural product from Germany or a synthetic line hybrid from the USA?
I feel like it would have been better and faster to finish taking the piece of loose stone off cleaning it real good and putting it back together
Does the community ever replace headstones?
Where are you developing shear strength? Í get injection and compressive strength but ...
"Instead of going to a landfill"... they are calling it something else and it's still being put into the ground? I don't see it lasting any more than a proper gravel base without the plastic. Everything in the dirt moves and sinks.
Buy creating a wider continued connection it bridges soil conditions and spreads the load to a larger surface and he looks like he is below the frost line.
😀👍
All that extra mortar you scrape off why not scrape it off back into the bucket instead of wiping it onto a paper towel? Seems you would save paper towels and mortar.
🙋♀️👍
Oh you missed a perfect opportunity to dress up as the reanimator that would have been quite the video you kind of resemble him too actually that would have worked out
Don't you need permission to do what you are doing ???? 😊
If you look through his older videos you'll come across some where he tracks down living descendants to offer the service at no charge. In other cases, descendants send requests.
@kimfleury thank you so much for that info.
You need to look at the inscription and edges
Not matching you’ve pieces of both stones measure width of stones to sort pieccs
Remember the pieces you buried it wasn’t base
You are dealing with different stones in your puzzle
Thanks