Marble resistance to Weather +

[abknight@zzzzzz]

George!

Thanks for your response.  It does help!  I've met Scott
Owens and he is a hoot.  I've had a similar discussion
with him last summer, I've been having this discussion for
a while now as I am very slow acting, and he was like
forget marble, use limestone!    He is a very funny man.
I snooped around while my wife, Angela attended the marble
carving symposium where Scott was an instuctor.   You
might think I'd know something being around all that,
but...      I'm sure I heard a lecture on treating stone
as well...

I'm glad to hear about all the work done in domestic stone
that you mention which is weathering well.  Examples is
Missouri aren't so happy.  At one of our biggest and best
cemeteries, which is chock full of Barre granite carving
the poor marble figures go nearly faceless and fingerless.
Very discouraging.  We have one gorgeous swaying form in
white marble and she is ensconced in a granite masoleum
with a window pane!  If you come early on a cool morning
she is likely to be fogged up and even more alluring,
mysterious and remote.

I also keep thinking about that tomb of the unknown
soldier from Yule which is disinitigrating and is to be
replaced.  They have cut a new block, but guess what?
It's cracked!  I've also visited a marble yard recently
where the had sawed slabs of Yule that had been sitting
out at least 20 years.  It was about like wet cardboard,
barely able to sustain its own wieght.  But we musn't be
frightened by goblins.

George, it looks like you've put yet more on my to-see
list and I should tack a DC tour to my Brookgreen trip!
I've been at home, though enjoying Erastus Dow Palmer.  My
book says nothing of stone type.  It seem art historians
care little for material or technique.  But I do imagine
that he used nothing but Italian marble, likely brought
over as ballast, then up the Erie Canal!

I've a little chip of Georgia white and by gosh that's
pretty hard stuff.   Bill