How are stretchers built?

Commercially available prefabricated stretchers are typically constructed with interlocking corners, while French stretcher strips are constructed with a miter joint which is used to adhere the corners. Another stretcher strip utilizes butt joints which adhere to the corners.

What is the purpose of a stretcher bar?

A stretcher bar is used to construct a wooden stretcher used by artists to mount their canvases. They are traditionally a wooden framework support on which an artist fastens a piece of canvas.

Can I reuse stretcher bars?

They are re- stretchable and affordable. Traditional stretcher bars can also be resued again by taking off an old canvas and replacing it with a new one.

How are stretchers built to hold lots of weight?

The stretcher is made of extruded aluminum channels that are mitered at the corners and held together by aluminum joints. The joints have screws and helical springs mounted on each end that can be tightened through a slot on the back of the stretcher.

Should you glue stretcher bars together?

Unless stretchers are being used for bracing behind hardboard or wood panels, we generally recommend against gluing joints to preserve the full function of the product. Manufactured stretcher bars are designed to allow expansion through the use of keys.

How do stretcher bars work?

You staple on the flat, back side and the canvas is stretched so that it floats over the slanted front and only touches the outer rim. This is to prevent a ridge of paint forming when the canvas comes in contact with the bar when the brush pushes the canvas towards the bar as you paint.

What do you need to know about stretcher bars?

The bars you stretch the canvas on are just as important as the canvas for determining the final product. You may wish narrow bars so that the painting is easier to frame or deep bars so that it looks good unframed.

How are the corners of a stretcher made?

Corner supports can also be made using simple woodworking techniques, however. In the case of the French stretcher, a mitre joint is used to adhere the corners. “Keys” or small triangle wedges are inserted in the joint after stretching the canvas to give the canvas its final tension.

What kind of wood is used to make stretcher bars?

For the same reasons, the wood used for making stretcher bars differs a lot from country to country depending on the forest that is present. But most stretchers, to avoid warping is made in well dried Nordic pinewood sourced from Scandinavia, Russia, and Canada .

How does a photographer use a stretcher frame?

When a photographer takes a picture then digitally transfers this onto a canvas via inkjet printing, he then stretches this over a stretcher frame. By wrapping the canvas all the way around the frame, known as gallery wrap, the photographer can then hang his picture on the wall, already framed.

What are stretcher bar keys?

The stretcher keys are the thin, triangular wooden wedges that are hammered into the slots located at the inner corners of the stretchers, in order to tighten the canvas by expanding or opening the stretcher. As far as we know, stretcher keys are first mentioned in the specialized literature by Antoine-Joseph…

What is a canvas stretcher?

Canvas stretching is the process in which a canvas is mounted onto a stretcher bar support frame work in preparation for hanging or framing. These are the same frameworks that are used by most artists to stretch canvases for original art. Normally a canvas has about 2-3 inches of blank canvas left around the image.

What is a stretcher frame?

Stretchers are adjustable frames that allow for the expansion of the frame when the fabric is no longer taught. The frame is able to be adjusted through the use of wooden keys or by turning threaded bolt mechanisms. Example of stretchers Strainers are fixed supports that are glued and fastened,…