Tightening a Loose Artists’ Canvas Using Canvas Tightening Keys

If your art canvas is beginning to sag over its frame, tighten it up and make it stiff with the canvas tightening keys.

Canvas keys usually come with stretched canvases; they serve the purpose of tightening a canvas if and when it sags on the stretcher. Canvas keys are the 8 little wedges of wood or plastic that are either available in a packet when you buy the canvas, or are fixed already into the corners of the canvas frame or the stretcher bars. If they’re not already fixed to the edges, all you need to do is insert them into the slots provided in the corners of the stretcher bars if your canvas becomes loose.

Two canvas keys should be slotted into each corner of the canvas. Slot them tight and wedge them deep into the holes provided making sure the same amount of pressure is applied for each of the pairs of keys in each corner to prevent the stretched canvas form buckling. A small hammer can be used to gently tap in the keys, but be careful not to split the stretcher. This Expands the stretcher bars a little and makes the canvas rigid.

You can also buy artists’ canvases that are already tight and don’t require keys to be wedged in. These canvases don’t come with the keys and also don’t have any holes in the corners to slot them in. It must be ensured that these canvases are tight enough when purchased. If you’re making stretcher bars for the unprimed canvas you’ve bought use the keys to tighten the canvas only if you find it necessary after priming it, this is because the priming process will tighten the blank canvas.

Tightening a loose artists’ canvas using the tightening keys can help you concentrate more on the painting you are working on, without worrying if the canvas would sag. Your finished painting can also be mounted on the wall and displayed without the canvas appearing loose. These tiny pieces of wood or plastic can make all the difference in making your canvas and your painting look great.