Stretching Linen Canvas for Oil Painting
- 1). Lay a large piece of plastic sheeting down on the floor, or on a large workbench. This will keep the canvas clean while you stretch it.
- 2). Join your four stretcher bars together at the corners. The stretcher bars fit together at the corners with a tongue-and-groove structure. Use a hammer to secure them into place. Ensure that the brand name and inch measurements all face the same way. This will make a square or rectangle frame depending on the size of your stretcher bars.
- 3). Lay the stretcher bar frame onto the plastic flat to see if the frame is straight. The frame will most likely be slightly twisted after you first assemble it. Bend and twist the individual stretcher bars until it lays flat. This may take a bit of finagling, but try to get it as straight as possible.
- 4). Place the canvas onto the plastic, primed side down if it is already primed, and if it is fresh canvas--right off the roll--ensure that the sides curl up toward you when you lay it down. It will aid in stretching if the ends are curled up slightly.
- 5). Place the stretcher frame onto the canvas, and position it so you have 1 1/2 to 2 inches of overhang for stretching. Cut the canvas down to size using a utility knife or scissors if needed.
- 6). Fold one side of the canvas over a shorter side of the stretcher frame and tack it at the center. Ensure that you position the tack in the center of the folded canvas, and in the center of the frame bar. If you have a perfectly square frame, just choose any side.
- 7). Flip the canvas over to the opposite side, and stand the canvas upright. Grab the canvas in the center with the canvas stretching pliers. Pull tight until you see a crease form running from the pliers to the tacked end. Maintain pressure with your pliers then place a tack in the center.
- 8). Repeat the process for the remaining two sides. You should have a diamond shaped crease on the canvas surface when you've placed all four tacks.
- 9). Move the pliers 1 1/2 inches from the last tack maintaining tight pressure, then place another tack. Repeat until one side is tacked down on both sides of the center, then flip the canvas over to the opposite side and repeat the process until all sides are tacked down.
Source...