[tomtom]

drill and glue a couple of pins then use whatever repair concrete/filler is compatible with soft sandstone

I'm not a doctor or a stone conservator etc.

Was wondering whether the face to be filled would need any stabilising/firming up or if its a case of just cleaning it off etc...

[dave]

Dunno if anyone from the north east reads this, but the very first foothold on the slab start bit of Northern Soul at Hepburn has worn through the patina to the softer pale rock, and could do with some TLC. Be a shame for this problem to go the way of most of the classics at bowden etc.

[Eddies]

Your gate gudgeon has corroded and expanded, causing the stone to shatter (oxide jacking). The only way to fix it long term is the remove all corrosion and re-protect it before resin fixing the stone back on... If you simply fix the stone back it won't last long.

[tomtom]

Thanks Eddies. That (unfortunately) sounds like quite a lot of grief... There is no bit that fell off - unfortunately. I guess resin coating would need to be done all the way around the pin - otherwise it'll just squeeze it out anyway...

[Eddies]

You can buy a 'rust converter' which is applied to the corroded metalwork using a brush and converts the rust into a protective barrier!
I've never used the stuff but for a job that small its worth a shot.

[tomtom]

You can buy a 'rust converter' which is applied to the corroded metalwork using a brush and converts the rust into a protective barrier!
I've never used the stuff but for a job that small its worth a shot.

Yeah - its basically phosphoric acid with something to make it thicker (and have a nicer colour). The problem is that I'd have to pull out the whole metal peg which would somewhat make the whole exercise far more diffucult than patch up whats there. Though, I think from the look of it the peg has been soldered in there - so surely that would not have corroded?

[Eddies]

Probably leaded in in the traditional manner. You could hear it up with a blow torch and do it properly or you could do a quick repair in-situ... Up to you

[tomtom]

Thanks Eddies if I wanted to do it in-situ - I guess clean up any loose stuff - then is it an idea to seal off the face at all (its quite soft) - and/or patch it with a load of cement/sand mix over it..

[Eddies]

Yeah, I'm not gee'd up on stonework but I'm sure with a bit of a search you can find something (prob another type of acid) that will seal the sandstone.