Hong kong oil stretching job form you know where

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Not your average framer
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Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
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Hong kong oil stretching job form you know where

Post by Not your average framer »

I'm having a really bad day. I'm stretching two quite large hong kong oils, unfortunately a really skinny amount has been left on the edge of these and since these are not being framed the image has to not only cover the sides of the stretcher frame, but I have no choice other than to use some of the image area to grip with the stretching pliers. As I never like giving anyone anything which is in anyway disappointing, I decided to use a narrower moulding and to brace it by gluing and stapling a piece of 6mm plywood into the more than adequate rebate. This meant that the customer would be saved from losing so much of the image area. It's more work, but I like to go the extra mile when it makes a difference.

Everything goes fine until stretching the canvases, unfortunately these canvases have been sitting rolled up for the last 28 years in a nice dry and warm place and no matter how tight you stretch one of them, It will not go flat. There's no significant impasto on the surface of this painting, so all I can now do is to stick it down onto board and fit it on to the front of the stretcher frame I have already made for it. I can't say that I am looking forward to it, but I leaving it to settle as flat is possible, before taking it off the stretcher frame and then I will have to dry mount it on to a piece of 4mm plywood. It's not something that I like the idea of doing, but it's going to take a lot to get this flat, I know that this is a bit of a no, no, but I've run out of options. This a risk that the oil may show a glossy surface after doing this, so I may need to varnish it with matt oil paint varnish afterwards.

A bit of a sorry tale, but maybe others will learn from my experiences and enquire about how old the painting is and how long it has been rolled, before committing themselves to the work.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
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