Headstone & Memorial Re-lettering
Flush & Raised Lead Lettering
Lead lettering to headstones are formed by first setting out the lettering in pencil then carving the letter out of the stone using chisels. Small holes are then drilled into the formed shapes in order to provide a key for the lead which is beaten into the shape using wooden or rubber mallets. For flush lead lettering, the excess lead is then removed or pared down to the surface of the stone using a sharp chisel or paring knife and then the letter is smooth sanded to remove any marks. On raised lead lettering the letters are formed by sharp chisel after the lead has been beaten into the stone.
Headstones made of marble are susceptible to the effects of weathering . Over the years the surface of the marble is chemically attacked and this erodes the face of the stone leaving the lead letters proud of the surface. 
In extreme cases the stone can be eroded to such an extent that some of the letters can fall out. This picture shows a close up of just such a case. Note the small holes in the marble where the lead is hammered into the stone to form pins which hold the letter in place.
In many cases, for the lead letters to have fallen away means that the weathering process has gone too far for it to be practical to refix the existing letter but it is the case that sometimes the odd letter may have been improperly fixed in the first place and hence more liable to become loose and peel away. Headstones that are in this advanced state may have to be re-polished and re-lettered from scratch. We can inspect the headstone and advise if re-lettering is possible 
It is possible sometimes to roughly evaluate the rate of weathering of a stone using an acurate depth guage. The distance between the face of the lead letters and the surface of the stone can be measured and this figure is then divided by the number of years the stone has been exposed to give an approximate rate of weathering in mm per year. It should be stressed that this is not an exact method since sometimes headstones were not erected for months or even years after a persons death.
The charge for re-lettering is a flat £25 plus £4.25 per letter for flush lead lettering and £25 plus £5.55 for raised lead lettering. We do recommend that an inspection is carried out first in order to ascertain the suitability of re-lettering and this costs just £10. You can of course supply us with a high quality digital image of the headstone and we can supply you with a quotation for re-lettering after we have studied it.
To watch a video on flush lead lettering click on the picture Please note that Alpha Grave Tending Services are not the company featured in the video, they are Kent Stonemasons and for more information please visit thier web site at
www.kentstonemason.co.uk
Painted Lettering
This headstone has painted lettering that has been affected by the weather and consequently the lettering has started to peel off. We would remove all traces of the existing lettering and then we could carry out re-painting in either black or gold enamel although the actual choice of colour is left to you.
There is a flat charge of £15 plus an additional charge of £1.75 per letter. Generally, dark lettering is used on lighter stones and white, gold or silver lettering is used on darker stones. If you are going to attempt the job yourself you should use a good quality enamel suitable for exterior use although in all cases, weathering will again take its toll. We do recommend that an inspection is carried out first in order to ascertain the suitability of re-lettering and this costs just £10. You can of course supply us with a high quality digital image of the headstone and we can supply you with a quotation for re-lettering after we have studied it.
These two pictures show a granite headstone that has raised lead lettering. The first picture shows that the original paint to the lettering had largely disapeared due to natural weathering. The second picture shows the lettering after being painted using black enamel.
Guilded or Gold Leaf Lettering
After the lettering has been carved into the stone, a gold 'size', a type of adhesive, is used to paint the letter and when this has achieved the desired 'tack' the gold leaf is applied. Depending on the type and size of the lettering two or more coats of gold leaf may need to be applied.
We can carry out guilding using gold leaf and this is charged at a flat rate of £35 plus £4.55 per letter. The price of Gold leaf has risen considerably of late and does fluctuate. Unless you have used this material before we suggest it be left to a professional. We do recommend that an inspection is carried out first in order to ascertain the suitability of re-lettering and this costs just £10. You can of course supply us with a high quality digital image of the headstone and we can supply you with a quotation for re-lettering after we have studied it.
To watch a short video of the process please click on the picture.
Please note that Alpha Grave Tending Services are not the company featured in the video, they are Kent Stonemasons and for more information please visit thier web site at
www.kentstonemason.co.uk