Making the Grid: supporting the canvases v3.0

The first two attempts to support and contain 16 canvases, as one unit, were short-term solutions at best.

The first (foam core and toothpicks), and second (plywood and nails) couldn't withstand the repeated tapping and movement of the brush across the canvas.

Happy to announce, that this version, version 3.0 appears to be holding steady. It is made from a sheet of 2' x 4' precut, 3/16" pegboard , some bolts, nuts, and washers. The top of the bolt is on the back of the pegboard and is a round head bolt to minimize sharp edges. The bolt goes through the back of the peg board and is secured at the front with a nut and a washer. Using two bolts per canvas, the canvas stays relatively stable while painting. The length of the bolt is sufficient to provide support to the canvas stretcher frame without touching the canvas fabric itself.

It did require a bit of trial and error to test out the spacing of the bolts and placing the canvases. But a couple hours later, 32 canvases, and 64 bolts, nuts, and washers, we have a workable solution.

As an extra precaution against errant canvases, I stretched double-sided velcro straps 12' in length around the outer perimeter of the board and canvas as an extra support, but it appears this isn't really needed.

Lessons learned:

1. The 3/16" pegboard at this size and weight of canvas tends to bend in the middle.

2. A future version may benefit from more exterior framing against the back with 1"x1"s or 1" x 2"s

3. Prior to trying the bolts, I did try to use dowels, but quickly realized these would work themselves free like the nails had in version 2.0

The beauty of version 3.0- no nails to catch on fingers, fabric, or other canvases in the studio.