How to Create a Tombstone Rubbing
Reproducing Information on Cemetery Headstones
A step by step tutorial details how to create a tombstone rubbing using various media. Anyone can easily follow these instructions on tombstone rubbings.
When many people think of tombstone rubbings, their minds wander to the scene with Indiana Jones obtaining a rubbing to procure needed clues for his quest of the Holy Grail. The hobby of tombstone rubbing may not be as exciting as that, but it does not have to be about boring genealogists collecting data and preserving history.
Collectors also display tombstone rubbings of famous people or with comical or ornate inscriptions. The craft of tombstone rubbing can be a quite rewarding and unique hobby. Whatever reason for completing a tombstone rubbing, careful attention must be taken to create a clear rubbing without damaging the tombstone. Here is how to create clear tombstone rubbings.
Materials Needed to Create a Tombstone Rubbing:
- Paper: options include rice paper, butcher paper, plain white paper, or an interfacing material such as Pellon, which is available at your local fabric stores. Interfacing has the advantage in that it does not tear and folds without damaging the rubbing.
- Rubbing wax, charcoal, chalk, or a fat black crayon
- Chalk spray or hair spray (if using chalk)
- Scissors
- Tape
- Spray bottle of water
- Soft bristle brushes, preferably from nylon or natural fibers. A larger brush works for initial cleaning. A soft bristle toothbrush is preferred for delicate cleaning of the inscription.
- Garden kneeling pad
Procedure of How to Create a Tombstone Rubbing:
Follow the cemetery guidelines for entrance into the cemetery. If needed, obtain the proper permission to be on the cemetery grounds. Also, check to be sure that the cemetery permits tombstone rubbings. Unfortunately, if care is not taking when completing a tombstone rubbing, damage can be sustained to the stone. In light of that, some cemeteries no longer permit the practice of tombstone rubbing.
Select a good tombstone for a rubbing. If a stone appears to be damaged or unstable, opt to photograph it instead.
Clean the tombstone. Spray with water. Remove any dirt or moss from the stone. Gently use a brush to rid the tombstone from debris. Be sure to bring out the letters of the inscription without damaging the stone. Allow ten to twenty minutes for the stone to dry.
Cut the paper to size. Carefully tape the edges of the paper to the stone. Cover the tombstone entirely and tape securely on all sides so that the paper does not slip, as this would prevent a clear rubbing.
Using your rubbing wax , chalk, or crayon, work along the outer edges of the tombstone. Rub lightly to begin. Then work your way inward to fill in the design of the tombstone. Apply the pressure needed to get the level of darkness preferred. Be careful to not rip the paper and color the stone.
If chalk was the medium used, spray with chalk spray or hairspray. Take special care to not get the spray on the tombstone.
Clean up after yourself. Do not leave any rubbish behind.
Once completed, carefully remove the paper and all tape from the stone. If interfacing was used, place the material on an ironing board face up. Lay an old towel over the rubbing. Apply a hot iron to the towel using a stamping motion to set the wax. Rubbing with the iron will cause the image to blur.
By carefully following these guidelines, you can be on your way to producing tombstone rubbings worthy of an interesting collection. Odd transcriptions can be a source of chuckles and ornate designs a source of revered beauty. Families may pass down tombstone rubbings as a reminder of their heritage. Completing tombstone rubbings collections can become a rewarding, if not somewhat macabre, hobby.
