We stretch the canvas onto the stretcher ourselves. Stretch the canvas onto a stretcher

Buying canvas in a roll is good opportunity save on the cost of the product itself and on its shipping. From us you can purchase paintings both in rolls and on a stretcher. In the first case, even the shipping itself is much cheaper.

But the canvas cannot be hung on the wall just like that, without a stretcher. It is the stretcher that holds the canvas in a well-stretched state. To ensure that the canvas does not sag and the painting retains its attractive appearance, we suggest using the following instructions.

How to stretch fabric onto a stretcher

The following materials will be required:

• subframe made of slats;
• crosses needed to eliminate distortions and deflections of the main bars, as well as increase the strength of the structure;
• set of staples for stapler.

You will also need the following tools:

• regular roulette;
• hammer (especially if you plan to use nails);
• wood stapler
• special tool for tensioning.

In general, there are two types of stretching and it depends on you which one you have to give preference to: gallery or classic. The first involves frameless design, when the canvas is stretched so that the image continues on the sides. It must be said that if it is fixed with reverse side stretcher and neatly wrapped in the corners, then everything looks great even without a frame. Therefore, today this method is considered very stylish and modern. This kind of design can be found quite often.

There are also classic look stretching, when the ends remain white, and the picture itself is prepared under baguette frame. Like everything classic, this method will always be popular. In any case, it is important that the frame is made exactly to the size of the canvas, and that the timber is dry, without cracks or knots. The fibers should be directed lengthwise.

Size matters

In modular versions of the subframe, the slats are moved apart using wedges, which are made from dry hardwood. There are main slats that have external chamfers, and their internal bevel is approximately five degrees, which protects the image from damage.

The stretchers are strengthened with crosses, and then, so that the canvas does not come into contact with them, the picture is fastened to the main slats at a distance of 5 mm from the plane of the canvas. The ratio of the thickness and width of the stretcher slats can be different - it depends on the size of the larger side of the picture.

Almost 200 years ago, standard sizes for paintings appeared, thanks to which they can be classified. All formats are divided into three groups. For example, the most elongated format is called “marina”, a rectangle that approaches a square is called a “figure”, and a “landscape” is medium view format.

There are also markings that depend on the length of the longer side. For example, sizes 16x54 are called 15F, sizes 65x50 are called 15P, and 65x46 is a format numbered 15M. There are a total of 50 international sizes that fall within the listed standards. The standard row of paintings also corresponds to the standard dimensions of the stretcher frames.

Steps to success

Step-by-step instructions depend on which subframe you are using. If it is modular, then you will need to follow several steps described below.

1. Measure the diagonals of the subframe. If they are the same, then you can staple the corners using two staples for each corner. In order for the staples to be driven in well, the stapler must be pressed well and then driven in. It may happen that the staple is not driven in - then you need to twist the round knob on top and thus adjust the stapler. Nails can be used instead of staples. Only they cannot be hammered in completely. You need to hit it obliquely to bend the head to one side, and then the canvas will not fly off the nails in the future. To make sure everything is done symmetrically, after the first staple or nail, turn the canvas upside down, pull it a little and hammer it right in the middle of the opposite side.
2. Place the design evenly on the stretcher so that the threads of the canvas are parallel to the edges of the stretcher.
3. Using a special tool, staple the canvas on all sides. There is also a faster option: wrap the stretcher in canvas and, stretching it quite tightly, drive a staple in the center.
4. Secure the canvas with a stapler every two to three centimeters, moving from the center to the edge. It is necessary that the tool is tensioned with the same force. After this, continue to stretch the canvas, carefully tucking it at the corners and shooting it with a stapler.
5. Pull out the brackets that hold the corners of the subframe together. Fold and staple the remaining excess canvas.
6. Insert two wooden wedges each into the slots at the corners of the subframe and tap them with a hammer, but carefully.

If you stretch the canvas onto a blind stretcher, then you need to do everything as indicated in the first paragraphs for a modular stretcher. It is important that the canvas is stretched by the tool with the same force and quite strongly. This is necessary, because if the canvas sags, you will have to re-tighten it again. The canvas is also folded at the corners and the stapler is adjusted. Then the excess canvas that you will still need is folded and secured.

The subframe can be secured to the frame using metal corners 13 mm wide and 10 mm high. The corners can be mounted on a subframe or on a frame (depending on whose height is greater - the subframe or the frame). If the subframe protrudes above the level of the baguette, then you can use D-shaped plates to secure it. You can also use Z-shaped brackets (for example, to fasten double frames), which are attached to the frame with screws.

You can watch the process of stretching canvas onto a stretcher using the gallery method in the following video:

Primary requirements

1. Uniformity. The main requirement is not to distort the picture, so as not to distort its position. You also need to distribute it as evenly as possible across width and height;
2. The frame frame should not sit tightly on the subframe. Otherwise, due to changes in temperature and humidity, the dimensions of the baguette will change, and it will begin to put pressure on the stretcher, which is why the canvas will then sag unsightly.

There is another way

The stretcher is a very important part of the painting, but stretching the canvas onto the stretcher yourself is an option for the handy and economical. If you don’t want to waste time or you doubt your abilities, then you can purchase the painting already on a stretcher. The masters will do this for you and their level of professionalism will ensure the tension of the required quality, and you will be able to immediately hang the purchased picture on the wall.

Subframes are divided into two types: modular and ready-made. You can buy ready-made ones right away in the store, but the modular one will still have to be assembled. It is better to use ready-made ones for small paintings (30x40 cm).

The advantages of a modular stretcher are that if the canvas sag, wedges are driven into the grooves of the stretcher (which can also be bought at an art store) and the canvas is stretched. More often this need arises for large format paintings.

The side of the stretcher with a notch or bevel is called the front side, it is made so that the canvas does not stick to the frame.

The canvas is stretched onto the front side. If you decide to assemble a modular subframe, it is better to secure it with brackets at the joints.

To stretch the canvas onto a stretcher we need:

1. canvas,
2. stretcher,
3. furniture stapler,
4. tongs (optional),
5. hammer.

The canvas should be stretched to an elastic state, without wrinkles or sagging.

U finished subframe You need to soften the corners a little so that the canvas does not tear on them; to do this, knock a little with the side of the hammer on all four corners.
Then we cut out the canvas a few centimeters larger than the stretcher so that we can bend the canvas afterwards.


The figure below schematically shows a rectangular subframe, and the points are indicated and numbered in what order to hammer in the staples.

We start from the longer side - find the middle and attach one of the sides of the canvas with two staples.

Next, you need to hammer the bracket into the second point, i.e. stretch the canvas to the left, holding the edges of the fabric with all fingers (so that it does not tear and stretches evenly).

In general, stretching canvas requires strength and patience. Try doing this together - one pulls, the other hammers in the staples with a stapler. The fabric should be tightly stretched, but at the same time, do not over-shade, otherwise it may tear.

Point 3 – we also tighten and drive in two staples.

Then we move to the other side of the canvas and hammer in the 4th and 5th points, while stretching the canvas vertically. I use tongs for pulling - it’s convenient and my fingers don’t hurt afterwards.

Point 6 does not require any effort - just pull a little.

But 7 – you need to pull it very hard!

Next – 8 and 9 – we also pull with all fingers, but not too much, because Points 11 and 12 have not yet been scored. The direction of tension is vertical.

This is followed by 11 and 12.

Then we return to the short side with point 6, drive in extreme points without much tension, turn it over and, already pulling it tightly, drive the staples along the edges. Next, hammer in the staples evenly, with tension. The interval between staples is 4-6 cm. We do this on all sides of the stretcher.
Long side:


short:


We secure the corners with an overlap using two staples.

If ready stretched canvas clap your palm, it will feel like a drum.
Ready product.

When viewed through light, the fibers must be perpendicular. It’s not quite perfect for me)), but it’s advisable to strive for it.

After the canvas has been stretched, it should be prepared for priming. For this we need gelatin. We dilute it in a ratio of 1:6 (gelatin: water). The water should be hot (boiling water), but before that you can pour a little into the gelatin cold water for 10 minutes. Then stir the mixture and cool. The consistency will be almost jelly or a little thinner. You need to cover the canvas with this twice. It is better to take a large brush (painting brush). The interval between coatings is 12 hours. After the second coating has dried, you need to lightly walk over the canvas with sandpaper (without fanaticism). Then you can cover it with primer. The soil is bought in a store and diluted with cold water until it becomes sour cream. They also need to be coated twice, only with an interval of 30-40 minutes.

After these procedures, the canvas is ready for use.

Today we will tell you something that will be interesting and useful for all art lovers to know about the components of a painting on canvas, which is made in oil, acrylic or tempera. I will also share information that mainly only the artists or restorers themselves know. So, the main parts of the painting are the canvas itself, on which the painting is applied, a stretcher and a frame.

It is important to know the difference between a frame and a subframe. The fact is that the frame plays a decorative function, so, in principle, in some cases it may not exist, in some special cases the painting looks self-sufficient without a frame. The stretcher is a frame for stretching the canvas.

But what is this information for, you ask, and what to do with it? Since we are also for the practicality of knowledge, we come to the main thing.

The canvas must have sufficient tension. None good picture cannot be painted on a sagging canvas. If over time the tension of the canvas has become too weak, or small folds have appeared on the canvas in the corners, in some cases you can solve this problem yourself.

Having an idea of ​​what a subframe is, you can easily find the right element. Turning the picture towards you back side, You can determine what type of subframe it is, it’s very simple, there are only two of them: sliding and blind. By the presence of grooves in the corners of the subframe, you can determine whether the subframe is moving apart or not.

As a rule, wedges can already be found in these grooves. If there are grooves, but no wedges, don’t worry, you can buy them at any art store for little money.

Now you need to break the picture on wedges; to do this, you just need to tap the end of the wedge with a hammer, and the stretcher will begin to move apart. Try to ensure that all sides are broken equally so that the tension of the canvas remains uniform, which will prevent later

In addition, it should be noted. After reading this article and encountering a description of this problem, you begin to understand one important thing - the picture frame should not be flush with the dimensions of the stretcher, otherwise there will be nowhere to break it. Unfortunately, any painting painted on canvas will sooner or later reach this stage. Therefore, you should not buy a ready-made frame for a painting on canvas; you will have to order it again from a framing workshop, specifying that the size of the baguette is not 40x50, but 40.6x50.6. Good employee When accepting an order, the framing workshop will add a sufficient number of millimeters if you specify that the picture needs to be divided into wedges.

Thus, you can save time and money if you are sure that everything will work out for you, because in fact there is nothing complicated in this operation. But you need to understand that when the canvas already has serious deformations, you need to contact a restorer.

In the case when coattails have appeared on the surface of a painting that pleases your eye, it is better not to delay resolving the issue - this can cause even greater complications. And if the stretcher turns out to be fixed, there is only one way out - change the stretcher and re-stretch the canvas, in which case you will need a specialist.

15.03.2016

How to properly stretch canvas onto a stretcher

SUBFRAMES

The stretcher serves as the basis for stretching the canvas. There are 2 types of stretchers: modular(prefabricated, wedge) and deaf.
Modular (prefabricated, wedge) stretchers can be bought in almost all art stores. They are sold in slats of 2 pieces (in increments of 5 cm in length) and are slightly more expensive than blind stretchers. As a rule, for a medium-sized painting, the thickness of the stretcher is 1.8 cm.
Modular stretchers have a huge advantage: their corners are not rigidly fastened and if the picture sag, you can fix everything at home, you just need to knock out the wedges. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage the canvas with a hammer or overtighten it.
In blind stretchers, the corners are rigidly connected and if the canvas sag, it will have to be re-stretched. Canvas reupholstery should only be done by a specialist!

STRETCHER AND PRESERVATION OF THE PICTURE

A low-quality stretcher negatively affects the preservation of the painting. Paintings by modern painters very often have bad stretchers. Unfortunately, not all artists give great importance quality of the subframe. Defects in the stretcher do not allow the canvas to be properly stretched over it, which ultimately leads to the destruction of the soil and the painting layer of the painting. A high-quality stretcher is the basis for the long-term preservation of paintings.

LET'S CONSIDER THE MAIN DEFECTS OF THE SUBFRAME:

§ blind connection of corners, which does not make it possible to regulate the tension of the canvas, which causes deformation of the canvas and its sagging

§ Artists nail plywood triangles to the “blind” corners of the subframe, which make the subframe even more rigid and motionless

§ absence of crossbar or crossbar - for paintings big size. A subframe with a cross or crossbar will not warp and the corners will remain straight

§ absence of bevels on the inner sides of the subframe, which causes creases and screes of the paint layer

§ a fragile stretcher that distorts when stretching the canvas

§ step-like, loose connection of planks at the corners and on the cross. With this defect, the canvas is deformed, creases and screes of the paint layer appear and it is impossible to tightly connect the painting to the frame

§ the subframe is made carelessly, from raw wood, as a result of which, after a fairly short period of time, the subframe will “lead” and will have to be replaced (in some cases the frame also has to be replaced)

§ the subframe is made of wood with knots. Even a well-made subframe that has knots will eventually “lead” and will have to be replaced

§ stretcher with grinder beetle. Thanks to the activity of these insects, the tree disintegrates, turning into dust

§ the subframe is infected with mold

STRETCHING CANVAS ON A MODULAR STRETCHER

§ Measure the diagonals of the subframe, they should be the same!!! Secure the corners with a stapler (2 staples per corner)

§ Place the painting on the stretcher exactly horizontally. If you simply have unprimed canvas, it is important to position it so that the direction of the canvas threads is parallel to the edges of the stretcher

§ Using a stretching tool, staple the canvas on 4 sides as shown in the picture.

§ Secure the canvas with a stapler every 2-3 cm around the entire perimeter of the stretcher, moving from the center to the edge, as shown in the figure.

§ You need to stretch the canvas with a tool to stretch the paintings evenly with the same force

§ Continue stretching the canvas onto the stretcher as shown in the picture. At the corners, the canvas is carefully tucked and stapled

§ When stretching, do not wet the canvas on the unprimed side, this can lead to peeling of the primer!! So let's start! .

A subframe is a structure assembled from wooden slats or planks. It can have different sizes and purposes. Making a canvas stretcher with your own hands is not difficult. To do this, you need to know what type of structure will be required in one case or another.

Types of subframes

They come in two types: prefabricated and deaf. The first type is modular and wedge subframes. The second is characterized by a strong and reliable connection of all elements. It cannot be tightened or the distance between the slats can be changed, unlike modular subframes.

Prefabricated structures are sold as separate slats. Their cost is slightly higher than that of simple stretchers. They are popular because they can be used to stretch the canvas of a painting under a frame or without it.

Any subframe must have the following characteristics:

• strength - all elements are securely fastened together;
• wear resistance - the structure must be assembled only from dry wood;
• match the size of the picture.

For this reason, it is necessary to choose high-quality material for the manufacture of the structure.

Selecting raw materials for the product

To make a canvas stretcher with your own hands, you will need wood. It can be pine, oak, birch, mahogany and other varieties. The material must be well dried, processed and prepared. Otherwise, the structure will begin to deform over time.

We make a blind subframe

This type of product is more popular due to its low cost. Anyone can make such a canvas stretcher with their own hands.

The following tools and materials will be required:

• wood slats or planks;
• ruler;
• hacksaw;
• wood glue;
• furniture stapler;
• sandpaper;
• hammer;
• furniture corners.

How to make a canvas stretcher with your own hands? It is necessary to begin the manufacturing process by determining the dimensions of the future product. After this, you need to saw off two vertical and horizontal strips. This can be done at an angle of 45 degrees.

The resulting parts are processed. Their surface should be smooth and free of knots. The ends of the elements are coated on both sides and connected to each other. To make the structure durable, inside install furniture corners at the corners of the subframe.

After this, the product is coated with several layers of varnish or paint. This will help protect the wood from moisture and other aggressive influences.

Modular designs

It’s also easy to make such a canvas stretcher with your own hands. It has all the elements as in a standard blind type product. The main difference is the bolts and nuts, which are located at the corners of the product. With their help, the tension of the canvas is adjusted so that the canvas does not sag. To manufacture the structure, you will need the same materials and tools as for the previous product.

We stretch the canvas onto a ready-made stretcher

Process inexperienced person may take a long time. How to stretch canvas onto a stretcher with your own hands? Initially, it is necessary to check the diagonals of the structure. Then the picture is placed on the product so that the drawing is in the very center. Secure the canvas on all sides of the stretcher using a stapler (one staple - one side).

After this, similar actions are performed over the entire surface of the structure. The distance between the staples should be at least 2-3 cm. The excess canvas is cut off with scissors, and the raw edges are folded and glued to the inside of the stretcher. The picture is framed.