Friday, June 13, 2008

Gilding the Dome and Weathervane







The Old State House dome is getting a bright new gold finish. The process on the dome began last week and will be finished today. The weathervane was finished yesterday when the team from Evergreene Painting Studios held a public demonstration of the gilding process in Representatives Hall. The weathervane had been moved to the gallery for the demonstration and it will continue to be on display until June 21.

The process of gilding involves four steps. First, the surface is stripped. Second, the surface is primed; in our case a lead-based primer was used. Third, the surface is coated with a clear, sticky product called sizing. The final step is laying the gold leaf, which has to be done before the sizing dries out.

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