Stretching Linen

[Sandy Barnes]

I am sorry, I misundrestood the word of "pliers" I thought it ment"wedge" the things you use for stretching the canvas.

There's another example of different instructions. I have read of those that use keys or wedges while others say to avoid them at all cost. I agree Alan, this is getting technical
Thanks for the tip Linda. I will search that thread and find the pliers. The pair I'm using does have the leveradge bar as well as a locking pin so you don't have to maintain a gorilla grip. However they cost only $8.00 (the only type available at Pearl) so I expect they will break during a crutial moment!

[Allan Rahbek]

Sandy,

I finaly think we hit the key of understanding. Key / wedge = the small, triangular woodden things used for expanding the canvas after mounting, IF it is needed.

I recently carryed out an enterprise for a manor house, stretching 23 canvasses, several of them more than 10 x 10 feet. These were to cover the upper part of the walls. I mounted them on stretchers and glued with animal glue. When glued the linen shrink so much that some of the wooden stretchers on the big canvasses actually broke, so I had to repair them afterwards. (The carpenter had made a lousy job.) But when the glue had dryed the canvas was back in shape. After finishing and painting the finished color I just had to knock a little on the keys, with a hammer, to stretch the canvas to be drum tight.

Whenever I mount a small canvas with raw linen I always make it drum tight from the start. And so with custom primed canvas in all sizes. I try to avoid to use the keys as much as possibly. I also use a plier, but I used to call it a "l