This technique involves using sheets of newsprint, an ordinary kitchen sponge and sheets of carbon paper. Our friend Gerry Mullens taught us this technique and he got it from Dr Elizabeth Shee Twohig, a specialist in prehistoric rock art. The beauty of the technique is that it has minimal impact on the headstone while ensuring a 1:1 copy is made, either of the complete face or of particular details.
We find the rubbing technique works well in workshops because it enforces the need for teamwork. It is a skill which improves with practice. Paper rubbings do not necessarily help with recalcitrant inscriptions, instead they are perhaps the best means of recording shallow carving details to scale. As newsprint or butchers paper are not ideal for archiving we tend to record the rubbing with a high-quality digital photograph before removing the sheet from the headstone; the digital image then becomes the main archive element.
The technique works as follows; Read more »
