Creating a compo and metal leaf frame

This is the frame after being primed with 6 or 8 coats of gesso, then sanded and scraped with cabinet scrapers. "Gesso" is the Italian word for plaster, but usually refers to the ground or primer material used by painters or framemakers. My gesso is a homemade concoction of rabbit skin glue, finely powdered chalk (called "french rouge whiting") and a few secret ingredients (I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you).