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canvas frame making equipment
Hi Everyone.
I have been asked to gather some info on cheap canvas frame making….
We currently print onto canvas and stretch onto bought in proper canvas frames.
I have a customer who has inquired about a cheaper option to the bought in frames. He had bought 1 in he bought from JTF ( cheap warehouse type)
They are basically a simple wooden frame, approx 20mm square wood. Just stapled together, no proper joints etc.
My husband has a nail gun, which staples can be used in it, but they are only about 5mm wide staples that fit in it. The frames the customer has they are at least 20mm wide, enough to bridge the 2 pieces of wood.
Anyone got any ideas on where to get a gun like that???
The customer has already placed an order for 50, with more to follow, so worth buying in a bit of kit.
Thanks
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20 Replies
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i have tried this way but i can’t get the canvas tight enough, so i am missing a trick somewhere.
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Hi Chris
i get them from here, i cant praise the quality and price enough
http://www.canvasandstretcherbars.co.uk … roductId=2
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I have a wee picture framing business as well and I put stretchers together with an ‘underpinner’. Simple but very handy bit of kit. Cut your mitres on a saw and then use the underpinner to ‘force’ pins across the joints. Strong joints.
You can get small economical ones or a good second hand ones on ‘that’ aution site. -
standard stretcher bars are not a problem easy peeesy.
i think what Denise is on about is just 4 bits of 20mm sq banged together but how the canvas is tightened i don’t know.
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Do you use a pair of these Chris…Canvas Pliers?
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yes harry quite happy with normal canvas stuff.
at the cheaper end of the ready made printed canvas market like £10 for a 3×2. the frame is just 4 sticks stapled together,
its as if the canvas was shrunk and glued on. -
😳 Apologies. Thought they where stapled onto the stretcher,
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quote Chris Wool:yes harry quite happy with normal canvas stuff.at the cheaper end of the ready made printed canvas market like £10 for a 3×2. the frame is just 4 sticks stapled together,
its as if the canvas was shrunk and glued on.Hi Guys
The one the customer brought in was as you have said, just 4 pieces of very thin wood, but it did have a piece in the middle also. The canvas was stapled.
I have a stapler to fix the canvas to the frame, but it will not fix the wooden frame together
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quote Harry Cleary:I have a wee picture framing business as well and I put stretchers together with an ‘underpinner’. Simple but very handy bit of kit. Cut your mitres on a saw and then use the underpinner to ‘force’ pins across the joints. Strong joints.
You can get small economical ones or a good second hand ones on ‘that’ aution site.Eureka
The underpinner seems to be the tool we require.
Will it work with the wooden bars cut at 90 degrees instead of 45 degrees that all seem to be shown on the videos?
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Not sure if you can on the very cheap ones… but on the floor mounted one I have you just need to adjust the mechanism. But why not use a chop saw to cut mitres?
I buy in lengths of 2×1, run them with the router so that the edge on one side is ’rounded over’ (it won’t show through the canvas that way)
Then I cut 45’s and clamp them in the underpinner….strong strong frames with minimum fuss. I use a 2 pack spray mitre glue as well as the pins for larger frames.
Sent you a PM Denise. -
quote Harry Cleary:Sent you a PM Denise.
Oh Harry, I hope you are not sending me cheeky photos again LOL
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😳 😳 😀
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I waited up all night….. no pm 🙁
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😳 Apologies Denise….I certainly wrote a PM…I must have forgotten to hit send! Be with you presently! 😀 ‘ave a wee nap! 😀
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Thank you Harry 😀
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How can you tension the print this way ?
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I use the canvas pliers Martin. I staple on the centre of one side, then pull taut and staple the opposite centre and then continue pulling taut and stapling opposites all the way, do the two longest sides first then repeat the process on the other two opposites…if that makes sense. Youtube has some videos for folding the corners.
Hope that is what you meant. -
I guessed thats How but that can not make it taught like using proper stretcher bars and hammering the corner wedges in.
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quote Martin Oxenham:I guessed thats How but that can not make it taught like using proper stretcher bars and hammering the corner wedges in.
It is a cheap alternative Martin. but it is possible with practice to get it very taut.
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I use pliers too, but there is a tool called a Stretchmate which makes the process easier.. ideal if you have a large batch of canvases to stretch.
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