Watch Nick and Steve Tatti use their knowledge of solubility to apply the gilt lettering to a marble plaque during the restoration efforts at St. Paul's Chapel for Trinity Church Wall Street. Here we used molasses as a water soluble resist on the high areas, and then applied a high quality oil based paint to the recesses. After the paint dried, we were able to wash away the molasses with water with any overspray, leaving the recesses filled with clean gold filling.
Before Molasses Treatment
After Molasses Treatment