In response to an article in Vol. 5, No. 2 of the Newsletter of the Association for Gravestone Studies ( Preserving Early Sandstone Markers ), Lance Mayer wrote a long letter, summarized here, in which he stated that the procedures suggested by the author of that article (i.e., applying steam after allowing chemicals to sink into the stone and using epoxy sealers) are harmful, and that doing nothing is often better than trying an unproven technique. -- AATA