Did two coats of lacquer on the plaque.
After it dried overnight took a small art brush and painted all the letters with a water based latex.
Wiped off any overage with a soft cotten towel. Let dry 4 hours and then sanded the letters with 220 grit detail sander
Blowing away dust and wiping surface to make sure all overage was removed. Once happy continued application of additional lacquer coats.
By starting with lacquer it sealed the wood surface from soaking up any overage. The letters were rough enough that the paint bonded great. The real trick is not to over do it with the first couple of lacquer coats on the paint, have had a couple of project where it looked liked fish scales due to the reaction between paint and the lacquer.

Bryan