- 1). Lay out your stretcher frame pieces on a surface you can easily work on, like a solid table or the floor. Array them in a rectangle. Each of the four pieces has a ridge. The ridge runs along the outside of the stretcher frame. Its purpose is to suspend the canvas off of the frame. Place this side of each stretcher piece down.
- 2). Slide the triangular tongue (it sticks out from the end of the stretcher) into the groove on the adjacent stretcher piece in your layout. The tongue of the other piece will simultaneously fit into the groove of the first one. Push the pieces together firmly, until a 90 degree angle is formed.
- 3). Repeat the procedure for the other pieces. The stretcher frame is assembled.
- 4). Cut your canvas. The canvas should be about 2 inches longer than each edge. The canvas must be able to reach the back of the stretcher frame, with enough slack that you can comfortably staple it.
- 5). Lay your canvas on the work surface.
- 6). Place the stretcher frame in the center of your cut canvas. The ridge must be facing down.
- 7). Pull the canvas to the back of the frame. Start in the center of one of the frame pieces. Staple the canvas there.
- 8). Pull the canvas on the opposite edge, applying a firm pull, and staple it to the back of the frame. Repeat for the remaining two pieces.
- 9). Work your way around the frame, stapling, from center to corners. Pull with enough force to keep the canvas taut. Fold the corners in the mode of a gift wrap, and pull the excess to the back of the frame and staple it.
- 10
Align one of the keys so the longest straight edge is on the inside of the stretcher bar, next to the small slot on the inside of one of the corners, with the point of the key pointing at the slot. Gently push it into the slot. - 11
Repeat for the remaining keys. - 12
Gently tap each key in a bit farther with the rubber mallet or small hammer. This will tighten the canvas. Should the canvas become loose, repeat as needed to tighten.
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