Museum Bars®
(Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bars)
Worldwide, museum conservators have found that our "Museum Bars®" eliminate the need for restretching as art fabric relaxes over time. It's museum conservators and discerning fine artists who most appreciate the ability to gently expand or contract the stretcher bars equally in both directions, always keeping the painting square. To meet their needs, we put precision mechanical hardware in our Museum Bars® to allow infinite control and adjustment of every intersection. These expansion bolts control fabric tautness with unparalleled precision. Adjustable joints are located at all four corners of the stretcher bars and also where braces meet the outside stretcher bars. This means the stretcher bar positions can be infinitely refined to a maximum expansion of 3/8" per joint, or 3/4" per dimension.
The overall beauty in the design, workmanship and materials of our Museum Bars® has led to many to tell us that we should hang it on the wall as a work of art in its own right!
Painters should realize that much like a human face, the art fabric on stretcher bars is effected by gravity and sags over time. Both linen and cotton duck show their sensitivity to heat and cold by expanding and contracting. This happens twice a day or more in most environments. Over time, the fabric fatigues and begins to loose its resiliency. Traditionally, the wooden keys hammered into the corners of the stretcher bars have been used to further expand the stretcher bars, enlarging them so they take up the fabric slack. Wooden keys allow the choice of direction in expanding the bars, but can take a painting out of square, or worse yet, damage the painting because of rough handling. Our Museum Bars® are the solution.
One of our most popular product lines, our Museum Bars® come in custom sizes from tiny to huge multi-piece installations. Larger sizes can be truck freighted or sent to you disassembled as a kit.
We offer four profile thicknesses (depths) to allow for a variety of framing options in various applications. Our most popular, the E3 & E4 Wraparound Museum Bars® are designed for art fabric to be wrapped around the edges of the stretcher bars. This means the sides can be painted (gallery wrap), eliminating the need for framing. The design of the E3 and E4 bars is an interlocking t-section created by insetting, glueing and nailing the inner and outer pieces of wood together. This design makes an extremely rigid stretcher with three times the tensile strength and warp resistance of a single length of wood. The front face of the "T" design has a beveled edge which raises your art fabric off the face of the stretcher bars. A recess in back of the stretcher makes it easy to tack art fabric edges, allows for tighter corners, allows space to inset a backing board, while still maintaining room for a hanging system.
The incredible strength of our Museum Bars® design is further enhanced by:
* Two copper-plated internal steel dowels in each junction. They keep each joint aligned, provide rigidity and prevent any chemical interactions with the metal or wood.
* Strong, integral bracing that prevents twisting, sagging and warping -- guaranteed.
* Extra width (over 3") that provides strength where stretcher bars need it most.
* Like all our stretcher bars, Museum Bars® are fabricated from knot-free, kiln-dried basswood, a very light weight and straight grain hardwood with an almost neutral PH.
* Plus like all our stretcher bars, you have the option of shellac sealing the bars and braces. This barrier prevents any interaction between the natural resins of the wood against the art fabric.
 For an even closer look see our YouTube --- How to Assemble our Museum Bars®
$ $ Click here for Museum Bars® pricing. $ $
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Testimonial
Dear John Annesley,
I have been a professional painter for more than thirty-five years. During that time I have used canvas stretcher bars manufactured by many reputable companies. I must tell you, however, that your Museum Bars are, by far, the best that I have found, and I use them for every major painting. Thank you for your practical innovation and excellent craftsmanship. I heartily recommend them to every serious artist who desires the best that is available on the market today. My sincere best wishes to you and your firm.
Stephen Gjertson
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Past President, The American Society of Classical Realism
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