I need to repair a badly damaged gravestone. It appears to have been hit by a mower and a large chunk of the base stone broken off. Parts are missing. I think the best way to repair it is with Isopon, which will stick the existing bits back and fill in where missing. However, I want the colour to match the original stone, which is a greenish colour.
Does anyone have a better idea, and/or know of a way of colouring Isopon so that I can match the stone?
Rob Graham
I believe there are some quite strict rules regarding what you can and can't do with gravestones. This may give you a starter for ten.
Interesting, that. I hadn't considered that there may be legislation in place. However, given that I'm only trying to restore the stone to what it was before I don't think I'm doing anything which could be considered controversial. I certainly don't want to pay £150 for a faculty (which may get turned down!).
Rob
Its that old chestnut "Health & Safety" again I'm sorry to say.
I think you will find that any unauthorised repair may be termed as potentially dangerous to 'the public' - they're the people who according to HSE are likely to lie just below the headstone in a strong wind whilst a bunch of yobs kick a football at it, with the end result that there is then a 1% chance it might fall on their head and (for their stupidity and with a bit of luck) render them in need of their own headstone!
Not forgetting the unsupervised 3 year old who is highly likely to be jumping all over the grave and swinging off the headstone when shock, horror your small repair is deemed to be the reason the headstone squashed them flat! (i.e. nothing at all to do with them swinging on it!).
Ron
I fear you could be right, Ron. The question is whether the fact that the repair is actually on the base of the gravestone - i.e. the bit that is sitting in/on the ground - rather than the vertical part, makes the HS issue less relevant. I totally hear what you say, and I wage a constant war against the HS brigade, but the bit I'm trying to repair cannot fall over!
I must say, if you get me going I could rant on about this topic forever, and also include PCness (like "it's sexist to title a woman as Miss or Mrs" or "it's demeaning to children to shout at them"). Maybe we should have an NG for the purpose!
Rob
Hi Rob
I cannot help with the colour matching but it might be worth visiting a local manufacturer of grave/head stones for some advice. I do believe that different dioceses may have different rules as may different churches within that dioceses as to what work you can do to a grave. Some churchs ban toys being placed on a childs grave (until the local press show up).
I take your point about H&S. If the headstone was already dangerous then it would have already being laid down by some authority or other.
Adam
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