Some
carving may be done on the neck, pillar, capital and base. An alternative
to real carving is the gilder's "Compo" used in the eighteenth
century by the Adams brothers.
Concert
harp ornaments of the Grecian and Gothic types were made in moulded
compo, and it is still used in the manufacture of picture frames.
It is sold by the pound and is not expensive.
It
can be made easily, and here is the recipe:
-
Dissolve and heat 1/4 lb of Scotch glue in a quart of water.
- Boil together
1/4 of a gill of turpentine, 1/2 lb of resin and 1/4 of a pint of
boiled linseed oil. (Not on a naked flame please, or you will most
certainly require the fire brigade to come to your assistance!).
- Boil together
preparation No. 1 and No. 2 and simmer for of an hour.
- Turn out into
a bed of whiting until it has the appearance of dough ready for
the oven after kneading it with your hands.
Compo
is pressed in plaster moulds made from carved wooden masters, and
the ornaments are then glued on the wood with Scotch glue. In other
words, compo is very useful when several identical decorations are
required, but for the amateur who wants to make only one harp it is
not worth the bother, straightforward carving being better and more
satisfying.
