Are 1/4 Staples Too Short for Canvas Stretching??

Are they?

I've restretched a few canvases, and i noticed the 3/8' staples were significantly harder to remove. Maybe the canvas 'slips' if the staples are too short?>

No, 1/4 inch are perfect, and, yes much easier to remove later. Also don't use the heaviest duty staplers, use the lighter artists staplers that have the thinner staple. (note i'm NOT talking about a paper stapler.)

I buy copper plate tacks from Utrecht. They aren't that expensive, easy to pull out and put back when you restretch from the glue to the gesso, and they say that they won't rust.
http://www.utrechtart.com/dsp_view_products.cfm? classID=1318&subclass... 1810&brandname=Fredrix

Jane

ok, but i'd rather have them pull the canvas tighter, than be easy to pull out.

I'd probably prefer them to be hard to pull out. Someone emailed me saying i should stick with 3/8ths inch staples.

Anyone else?

Jane, why do you restretch the canvas from the glue to the gesso? OK - I suppose you adjust the size of the canvas after you have glued it, but is it necessary? Something 'everybody' is doing?. It's difficult to find the right 'strech' of a canvas, but a lot of work to take it off and on after the glue.

I recently switched (down) to 1/4' for the same reason, ease of restretching and I have not had any problems. could be a wood density

The glue that I bought was Fredrix and the directions said to do it this way. /shrug I seem to recall reading that you should do it on the Cennini forum* but I have been unable to make the search work there for some time. And no, sometimes I laze out and don't restrech it as it doesn't seem particularly lax. As you've probably seen it loosens when it is wet and tightens as it dries. Maybe Dik or another knowledgeable working artist and prof. on the board can say the reasoning behind it.

But I stand by these copper coated carpet tacks. They never rot or rust, hold the painting securely, and are easy to pull out without tearing with a hammer if you need to for any reason. ; )

* Here is the info on the page for the sale of the glue, mute on the above point:

Hide glues makes a very strong glue solution, which can be used not only as a size, but also as a very quick drying paint when mixed with dry pigments. For artistic purposes, Rabbitskin Glue remains the perfect blend of gel strength and adhesion although other hide glues and gelatines have different properties and are well worth investigating. Aside from providing a good surface onto which to paint, glue sizes prevent oils from penetrating into the canvas, causing it to rot.

Ingredients: 1 part rabbitskin glue (powdered)

10 parts water

Soak the powdered glue for half an then warm in a water bath using hot tap water. To do this, submerge the container into a larger container into which hot tap water is let to run. All hide glues lose strength when subjected to excessive heat and the traditional advice of using a double boiler overheats the glue past its optimum temperature of 140F.

How to use:

Keep the solution warm enough to make sure the glue remains liquid. Allow the canvas or panel to 'have a drink' by thinning the first coat) with an equal amount of water and brushing or sponging it into stretched linen or cotton canvas (or untempered Masonite panels previously brushed with alcohol). Once dry, brush on a coat of the full strength glue solution and allow to dry for a day.

Jane

I have never restretch the canvas between the glue and the gesso. The gessoed canvas is usually drum tight. When I buy the stretcher bars, I pick up enough stretcher keys to insert them to the assembled frame's corners. (That's what those extra holes in the corners are for.) If the canvas ever become loose, I'd just tighten it by hammering these keys, thereby expanding the frame.

Hei - I'm using PVA as glue, easier than boiling it. Even though, I've printed your receipt. By occasion, I would like to try one of these traditional methods on preparation of canvas, just to see what it is like. A canvas is really a living thing, moves with moisture, temperature and who knows what.