How to make a rubbing of a name on the Vietnam Wall Memorial

[linnylu]

My ds is currently on his 8th grade Washington DC trip. He will get extra credit if he locates a name on the wall given to him by one of his teachers and makes a rubbing of it. He took a crayon, but on second thought I wonder if that method is best since I am assuming the lettering is etched in and not raised.
Has anyone ever done this, and if so, what is the best method?

 

[DebbieB]

My ds is currently on his 8th grade Washington DC trip. He will get extra credit if he locates a name on the wall given to him by one of his teachers and makes a rubbing of it. He took a crayon, but on second thought I wonder if that method is best since I am assuming the lettering is etched in and not raised.
Has anyone ever done this, and if so, what is the best method?

When I was there a couple of years ago, they had people there who would help you do it. Veterans. I think they used pencil or some kind of slate. They also had books to help you locate the name, which section it was in.

 

[3boymthr]

The lettering is recessed. You would do it the same way you would take a rubbing of a tombstone. Take a crayon or artist's pastel or charcoal. Place paper over the lettering and rub using the side of the crayon/pastel/charcoal. Black is the traditional color. There used to be books that would tell you the number of the panel that had the desired name on it. Not sure if they are still available. The names are sorted by date of death.

 

[shortbun]

I think the books are still there. We go every time we're in D.C. We have rubbings of all our friends on the wall. There is usually an encampment of veterans manning the one end of the wall, furthest from the Lincoln Mem. I've used a large child's type pencil in the past because they have thick, soft lead.

 

[bettymae1121]

The books were there a year ago when DH and I went on a day trip to DC, my DH looked up the name of a friend of his late father's (DH's father died of illness years after the war).

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

The books were still there when we visited at the end of March, 2011.

 

[linnylu]

Thanks for the information. DS is going today, so hopefully he'll figure something out.