How to stretch a canvas

What you need:

1: Hammer

2. Stapler

3. Ruler

4. Canvas

5. Canvas Plier

6. Wire cutters

7. Stretcher Bars

Assemble the stretcher bars.

You can use a hammer but be careful not to damage the stretcher bars.

An easy way to check if the frame is perpendicular is to measure the distance of the diagonals. They must be the same.

Center the canvas on the frame and wrap two sides around it.

Clamp the canvas on the frame in the middle of a folded side.

Tighten the canvas with the plier and hold the canvas with a hand while tightened and staple the canvas to the frame.

Tighten and staple side 3 and 4 in the middle of the side.

Tighten the corner and hold the canves while you staple it with a slightly tilted stapler. That way the clamp is easy to remove later.

(the image doesn't show the right way to hold the canvas. I had to hold the camera with the other hand. The right way is shown earlier)

Tighten the other corner on the same side.

Tighten the corners on the oppersite side.

The corners on the two remaining sides are left open.

Tighten the canvas and set a clamp on each side of the clamp in the middle on both the sides with the open corners.

This is to avoid a sigle clamp from loosening when tightening the oppersite side.

Finish the sides with the open corners.

Tighten the canvas and set a clamp on each side of the clamp in the middle on both the sides with the tightened corners.

Remove the clamp in one corner and fold the canvas as shown in the images.

The idea is to make a nearly invisible corner folding.

You turn the canvas when you are painting so the corner foldings are at the top and the bottom so you don't see them.

Do this to the other three corners.

Don't clamp them yet.

Finish clamping up to the corners.

Tighten the canvas corner.

Hold it and clamp it two or three times.

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