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Are Canvas Keys Necessary: Common Questions Answered

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What are canvas keys?

Canvas keys are thin pointed wooden wedges that are used on the back corners of canvases to keep the canvas taut.You simply slide these wedges into the slots that are located in the corners of the canvas.Each corner requires 2 canvas keys.

Do you need canvas keys?

If the fabric of your canvas appears to be too loose and not tight enough for your liking, you can stretch it a little more with the canvas keys.

Canvas keys are not required, but if you prefer a firmly stretched canvas, they can be a great addition to your painting process.

How to insert canvas keys:

1. Slide the canvas keys into the slots with the pointy longer side against the canvas frame. This process must be repeated for each corner, resulting in a total of 8 canvas keys being used per canvas.

2. Once the canvas keys are in the slots, check to see if they are too loose by wiggling them slightly; if the key is loose or moves around easily, simply replace it with another. Make sure the keys are snug in their slots to ensure the canvas has a good stretch.

Do you leave canvas keys in?

If you remove the canvas keys after your painting is finished,the canvas will revert to its original state.If you want to keep the canvas stretched,leave the canvas keys in place.

I hope that this post successfully answered some of the frequently asked questions about canvas wedges, shedding some light on their purpose and use.

Thank you for reading this post!

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