Headstone or Tomestone marking methods

[Maq]

This seems better and quicker than headstone tracing on parchment. If it ever becomes available to the consumer.


Scans reveal lost gravestone text (Picture BEFORE n AFTER)

Illegible words on church headstones could be read once more thanks to a scan technology developed in the US.
Scientists at Carnegie Mellon university are making high resolution 3D scans of tombstones to reveal the carved patterns in the stone...

A computer matches the patterns to a database of signature carvings which reveals the words...

Yang Cai, Ph.D. Director of Ambient Intelligence Lab
Original Source: (harder to read) http://cmu.edu/vis/people.html

Easier to read SOURCE: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7024672.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7024672.stm

ALSO: eppur_se_muova (1000+ posts) Wed Oct-03-07 06:50 PM
Original message SCIENCE forum DU.

[sybylla]

1. That's cool

But how does the average genealogist implement that in the field?

My favorite way has always been to use a flashlight after dark by shining the light across the lettering. I see people are now also using mirrors to direct sunlight across the lettering in the daytime, but if the stone is really bad, I'm not sure how well that will work.

[Maq]

2. All light reflect from mirror is polarized

I just read this the other day. This must be the trick to the mirror method.

I wonder if light color sunglasses would help in this regard?