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14|July 2019 Slippery rock Gazette
                                            PO Box 188, Stinesville, IN 47464 Ph: 812-876-0835 Fax: 812-876-0839 bigcreekstone.com
                 The Stone Detective
Frederick M. Hueston, PhD
with a knowing wink, and I immediately took a big bite as the admiral continued his story. I was feeling less grumpy already.
Later that week, the ap- pointed day for my trip ar- rived, and I headed off to the state building. I was amazed at all the white marble. From floor to ceiling, there was marble everywhere I looked, including the stairs and rail- ings. I looked up and my buddy was walking down the stairs. He shook my hand and said, “Welcome to marble heaven!” I was still
speechless, so I just nodded and followed him down a long hallway. The walls were all book-matched white marble.
It was a little dark due to the poor lighting, but I could see that the marble had a yellow cast to it. I knew right away what had caused all the marble to yel- low. Now, I’m sure most of you are thinking: “Ha – iron oxidation.” That’s a good guess, but you’re wrong, young grasshoppers.
This is a type of discolor- ation I cover in my Historic
Stone Restoration semi- nar, and in order to under- stand, you have to know a little history.
Some of you may recall that in 1997, President Bill Clinton signed a bill banning all smoking in Federal buildings. Prior to that date, people who worked in the building would go into the lobby and hallways and smoke. All that smoke deposited nicotine on the walls, causing the yellow hue on all that beautiful white marble.
In some cases, if you sniff the stone you can still smell the smoke!
Please turn to page 15
 Making New Marble Look Old
  IT
morning. I was just sit- ting around watching TV. I just love watching all those home improvement shows (ha!). This cur- rent show featured an old gentleman working on an old dresser. He was sand- ing it down and restoring it. Little did I know that later in the week I would be recommending one of the techniques he was using. I guess it does pay to watch TV!
I finished watching the show and headed out the door to grab some lunch at my favorite greasy spoon. Of course, my phone rang as I was halfway out of the door. Whenever I’m about to do something important, taking that first step is like a trigger for my phone to ring!
“Stone Detective, here,” I said, as my stomach growled. The call was from an old friend who was doing a historic resto- ration in a state house, and had an unusual problem. He went on to explain that he was adding some new white Carrara marble to extend a wall, and that the new material “looked too new,” and wanted to know if there was any- thing he could do to make
was another
it look old. He then asked if I could come out and take a look at it sometime that week. I immediately agreed, and almost told him if he wanted it to look old, just put it outside in the weather for a few hun- dred years. But he wasn’t the type who would appre- ciate that joke.
I headed to the diner, anticipating one of Flo’s famous cheeseburgers. I walked in the door and sat at the counter next to the ole admiral, who always seems to be there. No mat- ter what time of day I go in, he is always there.
He said, “Hi,” and I po- litely said, “Hi,” and then pretended to get a phone call. Yes, I know that’s a pretty rude tactic, but I really wasn’t in the mood. Do you ever get “hangry”? I rest my case.
But It didn’t stop him. He went on and on about when he was a tough young sailor in the Navy, and then launched into another story that actually grabbed my attention, be- cause it had a bearing on the project I was going to inspect later in the week. The admiral was yarning about all the painting they had to do on the battleship he was stationed on. Just then, Flo slid my cheese- burger plate in front of me
muggy Florida
 Taken during the cleaning process, this photo shows the yellowing nicotine residue from de- cades of rising clouds of tobacco smoke.
  









































































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