Mounting a canvas

[Grumpy John]

G'day all,
In our travels through NT and Northern W.A SWMBO and myself have acquired some paintings ranging in size from 900x750 down to 450x350 (approx). I would now like to mount these canvases to frames and am seeking advice from forum members on the correct way to go about it, or should I take them to an "expert" and have it done professionally.

Thanks in advance
GJ

[zen monk]

It is not that tricky to do it yourself if you use proper stretcher arms that can be wedge out.

Cotton Duck is not the best material to paint on as it is made of short cotton fibres which tend to relax (sag) after being stretched over time, which is why you need stretcher frames that can be wedged out as the canvas becomes slack.

I am not sure if you can get them in the sizes you need, I would think you can as the works are measured in units of 50mm, eg 900, 750, 450, 350.

What you need to be careful of is tearing the canvas as you stretch the work to the stretcher frame. Usually these works are painted on very cheap cotton duck which is also lightweight. You will need a pair of canvas stretcher pliers to stretch the canvas properly, and a decent staple gun or some boot makers tacks.

The stretcher arms and pliers you can get from your local art shop. They will also give some expert advice. I would think you only need light weight stretcher bars rather than heavy duty stretcher bars, with cross bracing on the larger canvases.

I think ultimately that you might be better off financially giving them to someone to do for you. Stretcher pliers are not cheap and you will probably use them for these works only, that is if you are not a painter yourself.

If you Google ‘how to stretch canvas’ you will get all the info you need.

PS - if you do it yourself do not glue the corners of your stretcher frames (you would be amazed at how many people do), and make sure your stretcher frame remains square while you are stretching.

[Toymaker Len]

They look tricky. If they are painted onto unstretched and unsupported canvas there is a risk that they will crack if you try to put them onto stretcher frames. Framing itself is no big deal especially if you buy ready made rebated framing timber by the metre. Mind you four perfect mitre joints per frame can be challenging. Maybe you should take them down to the local framing shop for a quote and learn a bit from a professional.

[SAISAY]

I think I would mount them the same way we do with cross stitch pictures.
If you can give an idea how much fabric, if any, is around the painting and the stiffness of the border, I might be able to give you some advice
Wolffie