Stretchin a long thin canvas

[shepherdn]

You have all been so helpful in the past I am hoping you will offer some words of wisdom on this one. I have never stretched a canvas before and I have just taken delivery of my first canvas from a customer, it measures 157cm x 35cm therefore very long and narrow. I am going to practice stretching some canvas I have hanging around in my workshop before I embark on this project but I just wondered if there are any pitfalls or hints and tips you can give me before I stretch the long thin canvas, I want to get it right and do it properly!

[TJR]

Unhelpful response: stretch the canvas before painting. How was the canvas painted if it wasn't on a stretcher? Or have I misunderstood something?

Assuming its already painted, treat gently to avoid paint surface cracking. There are canvas stretching pliars but i'd tend to avoid these on a pre-painted canvas. Start in middle of long side, staple opposing sides. Rotate 90 degrees & staple opposing sides in middle.
Progressively move out by 2-3 staples from centre, rotating ends & sides each time, always opposing the tension on opposite sides, moving out left and right of centre.

Have a look on YouTube for a video (stretching a canvas) if these sentences don't make sense.

[shepherdn]

Thank you TJR for your response - the canvas has already been painted on and is not on a stretcher - will I be OK putting it on stretcher bars if it is already painted? I don't want to damage it - I will do it gently! Would you suggest doing something different with it - mounting on board and framing it for example? I wasn't sure..............

[prospero]

A lot of oil paintings are bought by people on holiday and they take them off the original bars for ease of transport.

I've mentioned this before, but the term 'stretching' is misleading. You don't need to stretch the canvas. All that is required is to fix it to the bars so that it is under gentle tension. Just enough so it is flat and doesn't flap about. Pliers are really only needed for stretching blank canvases.

As the quality of canvas is very variable, a painting that has been unmounted may contract/curl/generally go bumpy. In a case like this you might not get it dead right first time. If there is a slight wave somewhere, leave it a while to settle. Then tap the appropriate key(s) in a bit and leave if some more. It's best to do this gradually and let it rest rather than trying to pull a wave out in one go. On a modern painting the paint will still be pliant, so cracking the paint should not be a problem if you go slowly. Be vary trying to do this on a paint more than 50 years old.

[TJR]

I agree with all Prospero's points.

If the canvas had been stretched prior to painting, it should show the folds of the canvas virtually in 3-D, where it was folded around & attached to stretcher bars. If this is the case and the size is standard size, stretcher bars the same size should allow the painted canvas to be gently re-attached as Prospero describes.

If there is no margin of blank canvas around the painted area, you are in a different scenario.

People who steal very valuable paintings cut them from the frame, leaving no margin, I believe. (Only joking!)

I hope.

[shepherdn]

Thanks all good advice - I can't wait to get going

[misterdiy]

One other point ---- you will need to brace that length at least once. I would normally brace twice on that length/width combination