Recipe for compo

[Not your average framer]

My once full biscuit tin of compo frame ornaments is almost empty, so I need to think about making some. I wondered if anyone has a recipe for making compo which does not require the usual silk paper and colophony rosin.

The old traditional recipe works well, but the required materials ain't cheap and it takes ages to make the stuff. I tried devising my own more modern recipe, but to make something which will soften sightly with heat, (to mould to the frame), without going too soft is proving somewhat of a difficult task.

Also does anyone know of a good mould release agent which works well. I have been using magnesium sterate powder, which works sometimes better than others.

Thanks in hopeful anticipation.

[JFeig]

COMPO - J
15gm. R. S. G. ; 75gm. hide glue; 40ml. raw linseed oil, 130ml. water, 500gm. whitting

COMPO - L
300 gm. hide glue; 246 gm rosin; 118 ml linseed oil; 5 ml glycerin; 1516 gm whitting
soften in water
melt rosin in linseed oil - double boiler
mix wet ingredients with whitting

KAPO - RELEASE FOR COMPO MOULDS
10 parts kerosene; 1 part parafin oil

[osgood]

I learned many years ago that Rabbit skin glue is the best 'hide glue' to use for making good compo.
Does anyone know if this is true?

[prospero]

I have never tried making my own compo from scratch. I did exp once with some pre-mixed stuff (from Rose&Hollis I think....). Heating it up is really too much kerfuffle for me.

I also tried casting ornaments with 'wood putty'. I have a big tub of it that I got from somewhere (???). I made a nice mould OK but try as I might I couldn't get them out of the mould in one piece.

Lion do a few woodputty (aka. 'Pasta') ormaments. But the one I really like are the little thin leaf ornaments. Renainsance Mouldings (are they still going?) used to do them and they were very good. Give em a blast with a hot air gun (or microwave) and stick em with PVA.
Only thing was were about £1 each and quite a few were 'rejects'.

Lion do premixed gesso. Maybe if you mixed in some gilders whiting it would make a good compo for casting? Another for the to-do list.

[Not your average framer]

Thanks Jerry,

A good many of your ingredients are in your recipes are in the original recipe is was given when I did antique furnature restoration, but mine did not have any guidance at all on quantities.

I must try your release agent and see what difference it makes. I mould compo using a set of moulds and an old cast iron bookbinding press. Some of my moulds were given to me, but I have also made a couple of my own by taking castings from old frames.

The moulds I was given are made of printers lead or at least something very similar and are all acanthus and similar designs. They are no doubt very old and rather knocked about, but still did a great job when I last used them.

[JFeig]

As I remember that release Rx is from Decorators Supply, a large company in Chicago. They have 10,000 original 19th C hand carved patterns for making their molds. They also cast plaster ornaments.

Their molds for compo are asphalt based encased in wood forms.

[Not your average framer]

I've heard of mould making using asphalt, it's a well proven traditional technique. Just in case you are interested, in the UK we have a really useful supplier which I've bought some books and bits and pieces from, called Alec Tiranti. They've publish a lot of information on mould making and here is their website:

http://www.tiranti.co.uk/index.asp

[prospero]

Lion have a make-your-own gesso kit in the new cataloque.