plastic bits with framed canvas

March 4, 2005 3:53 AM

I bought a small (20x30 cm) canvas (cotton on a wooden frame, pre-whitened) to paint on yesterday and it came with 8 pieces of plastic, each about 1 cm across, 4 or 5 cm long, with one end square and the other at 45 degrees. What are they for?

They were moulded onto a "tree" (like model aircraft kits), but I'm pretty sure they're meant to be separated into the pieces I described above. If it makes any difference, the canvas is now painted (oils). Thanks.

posted by andrew cooke to sports, hobbies, & recreation (3 comments total)

Those are the wedges. You should break them off the sprocket, and hammer them gently into the small slots you see on the back of the canvas, in the corners of the stretcher (or frame.) The 45% angled part goes first, and they should slot in to seperate the sides of the stretcher, and keep the canvas taught. They are not strictly necessary until the tension goes out of the canvas surface (usually after heavy brushing, or with time.)

You can see a bit more about the makeup of a canvas here.
posted by fire&wings at 4:04 AM on March 4, 2005

For bracing the corners to stop warping? Sounds like there's two per corner, with the 45 degree ends butting up to each other.
posted by veedubya at 4:05 AM on March 4, 2005

thanks!
posted by andrew cooke at 4:12 AM on March 4, 2005