"Dented" Canvas Fix?

[canvasjockey]

I hope this is the right forum to post this:

I have some streched canvas I bought last fall, we moved a couple months ago and when I went to take one out is had a couple dents, or wrinkles in it. It likely got knocked around in the move, as much as I tried to baby all my precious art supplies !

Is there a way to fix this? I'd like to use the canvas soon, and hate to throw things away. It's a standard Aaron Bros. brand and 18 x 24.

This is exactly why I have rarely used stretched canvas. This happened once to a piece that was completed, only much worse. That's when I switched to using primarily canvas board and masonite for my acrylics. I'd like to try to use more stretched canvas, though, and maybe knowing how to handle these problems will give me more confidence!

Thanks!
Carole

[jolie]

I've found that when I spritz the back of canvas with water, it usually fixes any dents or looseness in the canvas. It dries tighter, which evens tension and pulls the dents out. If that doesn't work, you can always texture the piece with acrylic gesso or texture paste, so that it camoflages the problem.

Jolie

[Enchanted]

Originally Posted by jolie

I've found that when I spritz the back of canvas with water, it usually fixes any dents or looseness in the canvas. It dries tighter

That would also be my recommendation, but I would use a sponge saturated with water and give it a much more thorough wetting than just a spritz. I've had this occur any number of times and the wetting has always done the trick for me. Good luck! (note: wet the back and not the front!)

[canvasjockey]

Thanks Guys!

I sprayed the canvas with water (and yes, I almost sprayed the front before actually realizing the back made more sense - duh ). I did spray it liberally enough to soak the area, so it was like I sponged it.

Anywho, it worked like a charm!

Carole

[Marc Hanson]

Make sure that your canvas isn't primed with rabbit skin glue. Would be a lead primed or possibly an oil primed canvas if it is. The water would destroy the canvas.

I use a product called 'Tighten - up', to take out any looseness that develops, and it will remove a crease like you have. This is available at most art supply stores. It comes in a 'spritzer' bottle and is sprayed on and allowed to dry, as it drys it tightens the canvas.

[canvasjockey]

Marc,

That's a good thing to know - I checked and it is primed with acrylic titanium, so shouldn't be a problem. Now that I know about "Tighten Up" I'll get some for future use!

BTW, I looked at your website - beautiful work! Makes me miss the big MN - I grew up in the Minnetonka area and that ski trail piece brought back memories of cross-country skiing at a local park in the winter. Been a long time, not an easy thing to do in the desert !

Thanks,
Carole

[woodciro]

Would wetting the back present a problem for an oil painting? I guess one with an acrylic ground would be OK?

John

[Joan52]

to remove a dent- put a kettle of water on the boil and whilst boiling aim the spout at the dent on the back of the canvas -not to close- the dent will flaten back immediately

[franz]

All previous advice is sound and will probably work. But it might not; I had a crease/dent in an acrylic primed canvas that just wouldn’t come out no matter what I did. So rather than toss the canvas (it was too large to write off) I decided to incorporate the indentation into the composition of the painting. It was an interesting challenge because it forced me to place a tall thin object–I decided on a tree—dead center in the painting.

A more sensible solution would have been to cut the canvas and restretch two smaller canvases, but I didn't think of that at the time.

[Azay]

Along the same lines as all of the above I have found the following to be instantly effective;

1) on the back of the canvas spray the damaged area with hot water to wet (but not drench)

2) lightly rub with a rag in order to ensure that the water has worked its way into the weave and simultaneously remove excess

3) blow dry

I have no experience with major dents (nor do I want to!), but for minor dings and creases this really does the trick.

[WFMartin]

I vote for the "water" treatment, as well. I often go so far as to wet a paper towel, and tuck it between the canvas and the stretcher bar, if the ding happens to be in the corner of the canvas. I use a putty knife, carefully, to tuck the wet towel into the corner. Then, I remove the towel for the tightening to begin. Whether the water is applied by spritzing or sponging makes very little difference, when you give it a careful "wiping" after the water has been applied. This is all done on the back of the canvas, of course.

I have taken out dents and dings in canvases that are already painted, by spritzing with water, and waiting about 20 minutes for it to tighten up. I have removed dents that I originally thought to be beyond saving.

Some artists claim that this treatment will only work once, but that is simply not true, as I have done such tightening over and over again, and even after it has been painted. I can usually watch the canvas tighten up as I am looking at it, it happens so rapidly.

Linen will tighten in a matter of seconds, and will give the impression that it will break the stretcher bars, when this water treatment is used, because the canvas becomes so tight, when it shrinks.

As was already suggested, don't try this if the canvas has been sized with rabbitskin glue, as it will dissolve, or at least become soft. This is one reason that I don't prefer the rabbitskin glue sizing--it remains water-soluble forever, and to me that seems a great disadvantage.

[Upandaway]

Originally Posted by Joan52

to remove a dent- put a kettle of water on the boil and whilst boiling aim the spout at the dent on the back of the canvas -not to close- the dent will flaten back immediately

Just wanted to say a big thank you to this poster. I started gluing my business cards to the back of my canvas; and let me tell you, bad idea.
I either put too much, or used the wrong kind of glue because it warped and dented the area once it was dried, to the point where I had to decided not to put it up for sale.
After searching online, I came across this post and with skepticism, I decided to give it a try. First I peeled as much of the business card off the canvas as I could. There was still a thick mass of glue under there that refused to be removed. Because of this, I was sure it wouldn't work.

All I did was direct the water vapors under the canvas for a few seconds and voila! It worked! Like a hot damn!

Thank you Joan52!