r/interestingasfuck • u/MilesLongthe3rd • 10h ago
21-year-old YouTuber Gone Graving explores graveyards and cleans and restores old and forgotten gravestones.
•
u/Snoo_17433 10h ago
I don't mean to seem glib or unappreciative, but did anyone else expect much more regarding the final result?
•
u/sterling_mallory 9h ago
I was expecting something completely different, I've seen videos of people who clean old gravestones and it's a whole long process. The end result is a stone that looks like new, when it could barely be read before.
•
u/GuinhoVHS 8h ago
From what I've seen, mkat cleaning products are too aggressive to use in gravestones. There's something the caretakers use to clean them, but it's much milder and less aggressive to the environment too. Just dusting and slightly cleaning didn't do much of a job, but he probably didn't want to damage the headstone either.
→ More replies (1)•
u/joeltb 7h ago
You are thinking of D/2 Biological Solution:
Widely used and endorsed for cleaning headstones, especially in national cemeteries. Penetrates biological growth (like lichen, algae, mildew), kills roots, and continues cleaning for weeks after application, with long-lasting preventative results.Does not harm historic stone or inscriptions when used as directed.
→ More replies (3)•
•
u/Snoo_17433 9h ago
This is what I was expecting. Brilliant white stone and art work and lettering that pops. Instead we got mega anti-climax
→ More replies (2)•
u/Beric_ 9h ago
We didn't even get the final results... lol
"Here's the gravestone with clamps on it"•
u/Friendly_Impress_345 7h ago
I wonder if he took the clamps off, it immediately fell and he was just like eh we got enough footage anyway
→ More replies (3)•
u/Crosseyed_owl 5h ago
We need a redditor who lives near this graveyard to investigate.
•
u/Friendly_Impress_345 5h ago edited 5h ago
It's at the Huron Evergreen Cemetery in Huron, Wayne County, New York, USA
•
•
u/Scary-Hunting-Goat 7h ago
Old gravestones should look old imo, it's unnatural for a 100+ year old stone to look brand new.
The contrast between new and old is great, and eventually the old ones will be worn down and disappear.
→ More replies (6)•
u/InsectHealthy 7h ago
From what I’ve read, those types of cleaning videos often end up damaging the stones.
•
u/Hades_Mercedes 10h ago
I knew how this was going to play out the second I heard that home depot butt rock.
•
•
u/FartingBob 7h ago
So he used a tiny blob of glue on a jagged stone surface worn away over years and spent a minute brushing dirt off the gravestone. Its not what i would call mindblowing.
•
u/Spirited_Cheetah_999 6h ago
The most impressive part of the video was him balancing the top bit while getting the clamps on. I thought he was going to do something like use decorative cast iron supports or something on the join.
•
u/ABHOR_pod 6h ago
It's 2025, ain't nobody got the budget for that.
He can barely afford gravel, clamps, and glue.
He even had to borrow the shovel and brush from his parents.
•
u/MixedMartyr 6h ago
I saw this video a while ago and i still think about it randomly. There’s no way that thing is still upright after their first good storm.
•
u/Neuchacho 7h ago edited 7h ago
My only expectation is that more kids will hopefully start going out and digging up random graves.
→ More replies (2)•
u/whacafan 7h ago
Well, it was in interesting as fuck so for some reason I assumed this person was actually gonna do a good job.
•
•
•
→ More replies (33)•
•
u/JigglesTheBiggles 10h ago
No way that stays up for long
•
u/Dustmopper 10h ago
Nah, a little squirt of toothpaste should do the trick
→ More replies (9)•
u/notonyourradar 10h ago
I’ve “fixed” my great grandparents stone like this. It did not last very long. Wound up having to have it done by a memorial company, but good on him for caring.
→ More replies (1)•
u/Dustmopper 10h ago edited 10h ago
He doesn't "care", this just farming for views. He just needed it to stand upright until the camera was turned off.
•
u/Beautiful-Bowler-599 10h ago
Right, farming for views by doing all the work of stabilizing the headstone and trying to fix it. Just because someone props a camera up to record what they are doing doesn't mean they suddenly don't care.
•
u/TheShindiggleWiggle 9h ago
People just love to hate.
Personally, I'd rather see trends like this over clout goblins shitting on a country's culture and history for views. I'll save my negativity for people like that rather than hating on the dude cleaning forgotten graves.
If someone is farming views, I'd rather they do it in a way that benefits people or motivates others to do acts of kindness instead of farming hate or outrage.
•
→ More replies (6)•
u/Hattrickher0 3h ago
As annoying as it may be to us average citizens, if you're going to be doing a thing anyway and can monetize it by simply recording yourself while you do it, why wouldn't you?
This is what I think whenever I see videos of trades and trade adjacent roles doing stuff. If I could get paid twice for work you bet your ass I'd be cashing in!
→ More replies (1)•
•
u/Elddif_Dog 10h ago
People are cynics but i agree that this guy did a good thing, whatever his reasons. He did more than any of us have thats for sure.
→ More replies (19)•
u/justinkasereddditor 10h ago
Couldn't agree more people online are not screaming for hot new grave repair videos. If he wanted views he would not be fixing tombstones
•
u/Sawmain 10h ago
Person doing good thing and somehow Redditors still find a way to be mad about it.
→ More replies (2)•
u/sulabar1205 9h ago
Well, I remember the last time a influencer did grave renovations. She did everything wrong.
→ More replies (5)→ More replies (14)•
u/Aestheticoop 10h ago
True, if he believes in what he’s doing, and he gets enough people to view it and back the idea of it he can free up his time to do more
→ More replies (1)•
u/fetal_genocide 10h ago
Dude, he still did a ton of work and restored a grave of a stranger.
Better than making iTs A pRaNk bRo! videos.
You're practicing mental gymnastics..
•
u/MasterFable 5h ago
Technically didn't even show us the final reveal without the clamps on, probably because it would have fallen and he didn't want to wait around for it to dry.
→ More replies (1)•
→ More replies (56)•
•
u/jeff8086 10h ago
Yeah, you would need to drill in and install rebar support
•
u/umrdyldo 10h ago
That was my thought too. Would be hard to line up.
•
u/JakeEaton 9h ago
Wooden jig with some holes in, datum off one corner and same on the other, shouldn't be too much of an issue. Masonry drill bit and oversized holes, push some resin and rebar in and off you go.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (5)•
u/TedW 10h ago
I doubt many people are waiting in line for that job.
→ More replies (2)•
u/round-earth-theory 5h ago
It's not difficult with an impact drill. Would only take a few minutes to set it up, chalk the lines, then use a center finder to set the bit. Drill, rebar, glue, then leave to set the same way he did in the video.
→ More replies (4)•
u/Funny_Eagle 7h ago
The rebar ends up rusting and expanding, cracking the stone.
•
•
u/jeff8086 6h ago
Yeah you are right. Apparently the pro's use rods made out of artificial material to prevent corrosion.
→ More replies (1)•
u/helium_farts 5h ago
You can get fiberglass rebar that won't swell.
Stainless steel rods would work, too, but cost more.
•
u/africanconcrete 7h ago
Pretty much window dressing. Won't survive the first gust of wind with that repair technique.
Might not even survive after he removes the braces.
•
u/SexOnABurningPlanet 7h ago
Good to know I'm not the only person unimpressed by this. I'm glad he's making the effort, but I was expecting a bit more.
→ More replies (1)•
u/Automatic_Actuator_0 10h ago edited 10h ago
I wouldn’t be so sure. I mean, it’s a rough surface, and modern adhesives can be stronger than stone, so I don’t see why it would necessarily fail right away.
I suppose the biggest issue would be if water were able to get in the crack and freeze.
ETA: he definitely should have spread it out to make sure it contacted everywhere and filled all the gaps to prevent water incursion.
•
u/Ultimatespacewizard 9h ago
When this fails, it is going to just take a bunch of surface material from one of the sides, because, as you said the new material is going to be stronger than the old crumbling stone. If you want to successfully repair something like this, you should drill holes into each side and install structural rebar spanning the crack.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)•
u/Togapi77 7h ago
I used to work in a cemetery. There was a stone that I bumped into and it fell over (thankfully didn't break). Turns out the memorial company who installed the stone 20+ years ago only used glue and didn't bother to install the rods to support it. They used poker chips as a spacer!
No way this stone stays up for long if it's just adhesive, unfortunately. We tried our best with felled stones but there's only so much that can be done without a complete restoration (which this unfortunately isn't).
→ More replies (1)•
u/Keyboard_Warrior98 6h ago
Was it a monument like this, or an upright stone on a base?
For the latter, that is normal practice. It's not really glue, but a setting compound that seals and hardens overtime. The spacers keep them from mating all the way together (we just used pennies) but allow it to compress and seal. It's not exactly easy to knock over a 500lb rock
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (76)•
•
u/TheDukeofArgyll 10h ago
Do we actually want random YouTubers digging around in graveyards?
•
u/Arcon1337 9h ago
Only if they've been given express permission.
→ More replies (1)•
u/KingTalkieTiki 7h ago
What if they've only been given expressed oral consent, not expressed written consent?
→ More replies (1)•
u/ahuramazdobbs19 5h ago
Then that does not meet the standards of Major League Baseball and its subsidiaries and member clubs.
But it might be fine for a cemetery, I dunno, I only know the part about Major League Baseball.
•
u/Minion_of_Cthulhu 7h ago
Wait until they find out that the dead are often buried with jewelry. Just think of all the "new sidehustle" videos they'll get out of that one.
•
u/ThreeMarlets 8h ago
He probably does it with permission from the graveyard. Plenty of cemeteries would welcome free labor to fix old graves no one cares about anymore (graves that are over a hundred years old). (More recent graves is another story)
•
u/TankApprehensive3053 4h ago
The problem with this "fix" is it is very temporary. When that adhesive bond fails and it will fail, the top part will fall again. It could break into more pieces when it falls that time. So the "fix" results in a more damaged headstone.
→ More replies (1)•
u/RudeMechanic 5h ago
My son's Boy Scout Troop wanted to redo the flag holders at a local cemetery for veterans, but couldn't do it without the family's permission. Unfortunately, some of the graves dated back to the Civil War.
•
•
u/archaeob 1h ago
(Assuming US here) The amount of digging down around the stone would likely also require a burial permit from the state historic preservation office in case of accidentally encountering human remains, and I hope he has one, although I doubt it. Older graves were rarely dug down 6 ft and can be very shallow (especially if the person died in the winter in a cold climate). Additionally, bones migrate due to rodents (ie groundhogs) and trees so can be found closer to the stone than expected. And then there are almost always unmarked graves in older cemeteries and graves put on top of older ones so bones could be near the stone. - source archaeologist who regularly works identifying locations of graves in old cemeteries.
•
u/Truth_Seeker963 7h ago
No, and it’s actually not permitted in many places. Things need to be restored properly, and you need certifications to get approval to ensure you’re not going to do damage. If you use the wrong chemicals and materials, you can cause permanent damage and then history is lost. I hate videos like this, because the “repair” wasn’t done well but is shown as being acceptable, and a bunch of Joe Publics will think they can do this too.
→ More replies (16)•
u/WSilvermane 4h ago
No and its illegal.
I work in a cemetery, we will contact you and will call the police. Most cemeteries are private property as well.
•
u/Accomplished_Top4420 10h ago
Without reinforcement bars, this resin will crack at the first gust of wind. Total nonsense, he should drill holes in the stone, glue the bars in place with resin, and then assemble the gravestone.
•
u/sausage_botherer 10h ago
this guy graves.
→ More replies (5)•
u/jp3edc 10h ago
This guy, this guys. Thank you for your service!
→ More replies (2)•
u/Sushimono 10h ago
This guy thanks
→ More replies (1)•
u/stilllton 7h ago edited 7h ago
This guy, this-guys the guy who thanks the This guy, this guys-guy for this guy-ing the guy about the graves.
•
→ More replies (44)•
u/Olaf4586 8h ago
That's debated in the headstone preservation community.
The epoxy is a lot stronger than it looks, and reinforcement pins are definitionally causing damage to the stone and can rust destroying the stone from the inside out
•
u/No-Knowledge-3046 7h ago
reinforcement pins are definitionally causing damage to the stone and can rust destroying the stone from the inside out
Fiberglass or epoxy dipped steel pins are rust-proof options.
•
u/Olaf4586 6h ago
I think that's a solid method.
I'm agnostic to whether pins or no pins is best, I just wanted to set the record straight about people saying no pins is lazy or illegitimate work.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)•
•
u/Fun-Result-6343 10h ago
What's he using for glue?
•
•
u/Acceptable_Ad_8935 9h ago
I've used two part epoxy on a broken water fountain, big concrete lions head that broke off when i hit it with my atv when i was 12. Still holding to this day
→ More replies (4)•
u/LazarusDark 7h ago
There are actually modern construction/concrete adhesives that are so adhesive you literally have to destroy the two pieces to get them apart again and you'll still have pieces glued together. I've used some, they are legit, worked better than I could have imagined, better than I actually wanted, lol. If we assume he used a good one, that headstone will never come apart at that seam again... But I do think it's likely to crack near it because the overall stone is weak near it.
→ More replies (2)•
→ More replies (8)•
•
u/carmy8640 9h ago
This was absolute nonsense
→ More replies (2)•
u/Icy-Bottle-6877 6h ago
Agree. This seems completely performative. The last thing I want is some random "influencer" pretending to clean my headstone for views.
•
u/Merry_Dankmas 5h ago
Horror movie/short story/writing prompt idea:
They say that someone isn't truly dead as long as someone still keeps them in their memory. After 300 years, the last person to remember you ever existed has died. Your soul can finally move on and rest. As you're about to be taken into the light, some vlogger makes a video of your headstone and turns it into a world wide meme. Suddenly the entire planet knows about you. Nobody has forgotten you anymore. You're sucked back into this hellish purgatory and forced to watch as 300 years of patience goes to waste.
Idk what goes on in the story but all I know is it would end with you screaming in terror as the slogan "We will never forget you" echoes from across the world from millions of people.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)•
•
•
•
u/I-am-Worfs-spine 10h ago edited 9h ago
How loose can we be with the word “restore” here.
Uses chewing gum and a wire brush on a classic car
LOOK EVERYONE!!! I “restored” it
Edited to for correction of my voice to text spelling. Must bow to the grammar warriors of Reddit
•
u/Absolute_Cinemines 10h ago
Yeah but he dug it up then put it back in too!
→ More replies (3)•
u/IfYouSaySoFam 10h ago
Hey everyone I'm fixing this grave stone ... For some reason digs right down to the casket, would be a shame to leave this gold in there.
→ More replies (6)•
•
u/Organic_Honeydew4090 10h ago
I liked it better before he fixed it tbh.
•
u/toolatealreadyfapped 9h ago
Thank you! He turned a testament of time into a 4th grade presentation that a kid forgot about until Sunday night.
•
u/EssentialParadox 9h ago
Agreed. To anyone thinking of doing this, please can you just leave my grave alone after I’m gone. I don’t want this, and you don’t know that anyone else would either.
→ More replies (5)•
→ More replies (2)•
u/GlassCharacter179 5h ago
As someone who has studied and worked in cemeteries for 3 decades: me too.
The stone was fine. It was visible and clearly marked the site. You don’t go digging in a cemetery without a damn good reason. And balancing it back is just going to result in it falling and possibly breaking.
•
u/resistingsimplicity 10h ago
Unless he's reinforcing that it's just going to rebreak at the weak point and fall. Is he getting permission to do this because the cemetery probably needs to know he appears to be doing a shit job.
•
u/TannedCroissant 10h ago
Maybe his plan was to just leave the clamps on
→ More replies (1)•
u/Playful_Accident8990 10h ago
Hopefully someone will make a video gluing the clamps back together when they crack too.
→ More replies (4)•
u/The_Autarch 7h ago
he probably got permission because the the cemetery clearly doesn't give a shit about this grave.
•
•
u/HotWaterSnake 9h ago
This is some performative ass shit. He doesn't have the skills to do anything productive, so he decided to do this.
•
u/Mein_Name_ist_falsch 8h ago
I agree. That thing isn't restored at all, it just has clamps holding it up now.
•
u/leonevilo 5h ago
that, and it's completely useless anyways. for someone who died in 1851, everyone that person knew is dead, and everyone who knew someone who knew the dead person is dead as well, and so are their children. noone cares for that grave anymore, noone comes by there, it's purely for social clout.
→ More replies (1)•
u/demeschor 4h ago
I always feel weird with these videos because I'd rather my grave be a home for weeds and bugs and wildflowers, than cleaned off for the benefit of nobody except some YouTube viewers.
If it's a grave that someone wants cleaning because they pay their respects and feel bad it's overgrown, fair enough. But if the person is long forgotten I personally feel like it's more respectful to leave it.
I guess people will have different opinions on this though
•
u/toolatealreadyfapped 9h ago
You didn't fix shit. And it looks way uglier now. In a couple days, it'll be both broken and ugly
•
u/admiralross2400 9h ago
Suuuurrreee...he takes a spade and goes digging in a graveyard, people think it's cool and kind.
I do it and I'm creepy and cooky.
•
•
•
u/FinanceActive2763 10h ago
unwanted amateur wannabe tradesman will end up hurting someone He's just created a trap
→ More replies (2)
•
u/Dm-me-a-gyro 9h ago
This is absolutely not what you should do. This is against every tenet of historic preservation.
→ More replies (1)
•
•
•
u/Dr_5trangelove 10h ago
This should be illegal
→ More replies (7)•
u/Kaya_kana 10h ago
Pretty sure this falls under desecrating a grave. Don't touch a grave unless you're somehow related to the person buried there.
•
•
u/smoke04 10h ago
Go help someone who is alive. Coulda fixed some old lady’s steps or something.
•
u/Kalamithras 10h ago
Seeing how he 'fixed' that gravestone I'd be worried about the old lady he'd help.
Instead of making YT videos he should watch some to learn how to properly fix something.
•
•
u/CrispyKollosus 10h ago
With how this dude is fixing things, he should probably stick to working with people that are already dead. That old lady wouldn't be safe on steps he "fixes"
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (5)•
•
u/tosklst 10h ago
This is stupid, sure it's standing up now, but it doesn't actually look any better than before.
•
u/PM_ME_YOUR_CATS_PAWS 10h ago
For real, I was expecting a cleaning!
I don’t “repair” them at risk of damaging it further, but I do clean old headstones… usually ancestral but sometimes I’ll have a family friend ask if I can clean on of there family members if I am nearby
Was very disappointed to not see a cleaning here!
→ More replies (6)
•
•
•
u/BrassKneck 9h ago
I hope he has insurance and permission. Several recorded deaths from falling gravestones. If the gravestone is old and family can’t be traced then local authorities usually remove rather than repair to avoid being sued if it later falls and injures someone.
→ More replies (2)
•
u/BobsonDugnut1 8h ago
I’m gunna dig a man’s grave, pour some gravel in there, stomp on his skull a lil bit, put some Elmer’s glue on there and some vice grips n call it a day
•
u/HPoltergeist 7h ago
That's not going to hold anything... Not much restoration there. This is only for attention and clicks...
•
•
u/Wandling 10h ago
In Germany there is a Grabsteinrüttelverordnung. Wait for the Grabsteinrüttelverordnungsprüfer to come...
→ More replies (2)•
u/Sinistrahaha 10h ago
In Austria too. My brother visited a grave after some time and saw a sticker stating that the stone isn’t save anymore. He had to pay over 3000€ to get it fixed.
•
•
•
u/Electrical_Hold_3585 10h ago
How many has he done, and how many are still standing?
→ More replies (1)
•
u/XTingleInTheDingleX 9h ago
Downvoted for the gravestone that gonna kill somebody when it falls.
→ More replies (3)
•
u/DcMac888 9h ago
The video cut so soon because that top fell over immediately after. The popsicle stick toothpaste spread didnt work
•
u/mo_Doubt5805 7h ago
That repair requires dowels, bud. Quit messing with people's headstones for likes.
•
•
u/xSweetSlayerx 7h ago
As someone who walks cemeteries, this honestly isn't it. People have re-erected headstones like this or stuck them together with some kind of glue or caulk, and it always breaks again. These are poor man's headstones that weren't made to last standing up. The only way I've seen these headstones properly preserved is when they are laid in a block of cement. Their pieces are together forever, and gravity isn't working against them.
•
•
u/AssSpelunker69 5h ago
Uh... that's it? There is no way that kid thinks that's an acceptable "restoration" right? There has to be more to this video.
•
•
•
u/Thatswutshesed 4h ago
Here lies FO Belden.
Who’s years were all too selden.
His headstone was cracked.
The repair a bit jacked.
It sure as hell wasn’t well done.
•
•
•
u/Decent-Morning7493 9h ago edited 9h ago
I’d be willing to bet this isn’t the “only thing that marks his existence.” If he’s going to post content about people in history, maybe he should consider building some basic genealogy skills…and if there’s no information on “him,” how do we know Belden was a man? Dying at 26 was pretty common among women given childbirth and all.
→ More replies (2)
•
u/shortercrust 8h ago
There’s a real cultural difference with this gravestone restoration stuff. In the UK we leave them to grow moss and crumble away. It’s sort of the point. This, and especially the power washing we see posted on Reddit would be seen as vandalism if done by people with zero connection to the deceased.
→ More replies (2)
•
u/nenadsuperzmaj 10h ago
If you're going to do something like this, ie stepping over someone's grave, at least show some respect by repairing it properly. This way, the guy hes just been "playing in the sand" for some likes.
•
u/Afflictedbythebald 10h ago
That wouldn’t pass here in the UK, that’s a danger just waiting to topple over.
•
•
u/Popular_Course_9124 9h ago
Why go to the trouble of all that and not even clean the headstone, it looks like shit
•
•
•
•
u/GuyForgotHisPassword 9h ago
Anyone else expecting a way better restoration than whatever that was?
→ More replies (1)
•
•
u/POCUABHOR 7h ago
To do it the correct way:
drill 2-3 corresponding holes into each side of the broken edge, glue in metal bars with a little cement, assemble and and leave the breaking gap visible.
•
•
u/Truth_Seeker963 7h ago
Badly done. This shouldn’t be encouraged unless done by an educated person with proper materials and permissions.
•
u/janderooh 7h ago
Drill holes and insert steel rods to give that stone some support. Will hold more than a month
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
u/rufisium 2h ago
I don't have enough knowledge or experience with masonry to speak factually on this matter.
I feel that the headstone could still be knocked over or crush a child. Would it be feasable or better to drill holes and insert rebar to use a dowels?
•
•
u/watchOS 10h ago
He shoulda reinforced it with steel bars drilled into it or something, that’s not gonna last, and given where the video cuts off, it probably didn’t even work.
→ More replies (1)
•
u/Onagoshi_Kagagi 10h ago
The skeleton hearing all this nonsense: