The process of treating limestone with lime is surrounded by controversy. Yet, in 1975, the technique was chosen for the treatment of the 300 medieval figure sculptures on the West Front of Wells Cathedral -- a ten-year undertaking. Although the technique had produced dramatic results when applied to a single figure treated several years before the start of the project, experiments using stone from mullions in the cloisters of the Cathedral as the test material indicated that no calcium hydroxide is deposited in the stone and abrasion resistance is not increased by the treatment. Further experiments in which attempts were made toconsolidate samples of crushed limestone with limewater, calcium bicarbonate solution, or carbonic acid resulted in no significant consolidation. price hopes that the many questions raised by his work will be answered in discussions among conservators and scientists. See also 21-1334 for reference to entire proceedings. -- AATA