The Framers Forum

I'm not sure if I'm missing something glaringly obvious here, but I've come across this problem a few times in the short period that I've been framing canvases. if the stretcher bars aren't as deep as the tray frame, so it needs raising up to align with the front of the frame, but also the stretcher bars aren't as wide as the base of the tray frame, then you couldn't use canvas offsets to raise up the canvas to align with the front of the frame. Assuming you don't build it up with foam board or anything, what is used? Would you re-stretch the canvas using deeper bars or use a different tray frame? I assumed there'd be a common way of doing this, but I haven't been able to find anything about it.

One thought I had was those nylon spacer washers that you can get in different heights?

Just in case none of that made any sense, I attached a terrible diagram to show what I mean

Couldn't you glue/pin a discreet little spacer/batten to the base of your tray frame to make up the difference and screw through both from the back?

Plumbers tape also makes a handy alternative when the canvas offsets aren't the right size.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/ced-all-roun ... lsrc=aw.ds

Fruitini wrote: Tue 14 Feb, 2023 2:27 pm Couldn't you glue/pin a discreet little spacer/batten to the base of your tray frame to make up the difference and screw through both from the back?

I've used spacers before. Although it wasn't visible, it felt like a messy solution to me - but that's probably just me!

Spacers for me too, from all sorts of stuff I’d have in stock, probably off cuts of too, including oak slips, probably correx though.

I actually wouldn’t have a problem with the canvas set back a bit anyway.

JKX wrote: Tue 14 Feb, 2023 2:47 pm I actually wouldn’t have a problem with the canvas set back a bit anyway.

Me neither. I actually prefer it set back a little, but artists seem to always want it perfectly flush with the front of the frame.

Spacers are the obvious answer.
But if that seems a bit fiddly or you have a super fussy customer, you could make a 'drop-in' frame with one of the F series filets from R&H.
They come in a variety of thicknesses and coupled with some bits of board behind will give you lots of flexibility.

vintage frames wrote: Tue 14 Feb, 2023 4:08 pm Spacers are the obvious answer.
But if that seems a bit fiddly or you have a super fussy customer, you could make a 'drop-in' frame with one of the F series filets from R&H.
They come in a variety of thicknesses and coupled with some bits of board behind will give you lots of flexibility.

That’s a nice neat idea. Never managed to get R&H to open an account for me!

I don't do many floaters (hate them) but scraps of foamcore are good for this. I also use them as temporary spacers
on the sides to hold the canvas in alignment. Screw though (not too tight and slightly enlarged holes) from the back
and the remove the side spacers.

prospero wrote: Wed 15 Feb, 2023 10:31 am I don't do many floaters (hate them) but scraps of foamcore are good for this. I also use them as temporary spacers
on the sides to hold the canvas in alignment. Screw though (not too tight and slightly enlarged holes) from the back
and the remove the side spacers.

I do already use them on the sides to hold the canvas in place, but hadn't thought about them to raise the canvas. Always got plenty of strips of that to hand!

I bought this set of electronics spacers to try, after hearing about them on another group. Sadly their internal diameter was too small for my screws but I like the idea.

I make a frame out of the appropriate size obeche spacer and glue flush to the inside edge of the frame - then you can fix to that if necessary.

If you're painting the frame then add the spacer frame first and paint that too.

Justintime wrote: Thu 16 Feb, 2023 12:14 pm I bought this set of electronics spacers to try, after hearing about them on another group. Sadly their internal diameter was too small for my screws but I like the idea.20230216_120854.jpg

That's exactly what I was thinking of!