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Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bars
A.K.A. "Annesley Museum Bars"

Much like a human face, the 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 bars and 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.

To solve these problems, we put precision mechanical hardware in our expansion bolt stretcher bar to allow infinite control of every joint. This gives control of fabric tautness with unparalleled precision. Worldwide, museum conservators have found that our "Annesley Museum Bar" eliminates the need for restretching as the fabric relaxes over time. It's museum conservators and discerning artists who most appreciate the ability to gently expand or contract the stretcher bars equally in both directions, always keeping the painting square. Adjustable joints are located at all four corners and also where braces meet the outside bars. This means the 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 and workmanship of this product has led to many to tell us that we should hang it on the wall as a work of art in its own right!

One of our most popular products, the Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bar System comes in custom sizes from tiny to huge multi-piece installations. The incredible strength of our expansion bolt stretcher bars 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.

* And, like all our stretcher bars, it's fabricated from kiln-dried basswood, a very light weight and straight grain hardwood with an almost neutral PH.

For an even closer look see our YouTube --- How to Assemble our Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bar System

Our range of profile thicknesses allows for a variety of framing options in various applications. This product is in use by museums worldwide!

We build to standard, fractional and metric sizes up to 40 feet!

In addition to these museum bars/expansion bolt stretcher bars, we offer two types of traditional wood-keyed stretcher bars:

$ $ Click here for Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bar pricing. $ $

Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bars - Product Details

Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bar, (E1) 3/8" bead
Overall thickness is 1-1/8", 3-1/8" wide. Bracing is 3-1/8". All basswood is used in the fabrication. This profile is designed for the artist who possesses a light touch in their painting technique.

$ $ Click here for (E1) pricing. $ $

Expansion Bolt, (E2) 1/4" bead
Overall thickness is 1", 3-1/8" wide. Bracing is 3-1/8". All basswood used in the fabrication. This profile is designed for the painting conservator, for the restretching of existing works.

$ $ Click here for (E2) pricing. $ $

Expansion Bolt, (E3) Thin Wraparound
This thin wraparound option is a 1-3/4" deep interlocking t-section added to the basswood stretcher which provides added rigidity, as well as allowing fabric to be stretched over it and tacked in the back. This leaves the sides clean, eliminating the need for framing. The face edge of these stretcher bars has a beveled edge which raises fabric 5/8" off the stretcher bars and braces. Artists with a heavy touch will not hit the braces while working. The basswood bracing is not only recessed from the face, but also recessed from the back by 3/8" to allow for the tacking of excess fabric.

$ $ Click here for (E3) pricing. $ $

Expansion Bolt, (E4) Deep Wraparound
Providing a depth of 2-1/2" this product is the same as above with the following differences: Raises fabric 1-1/4" off the basswood stretcher bars and braces, and has a 1/2" recess in back. It tends to make a bolder statement when hanging on the wall.

$ $ Click here for (E4) pricing. $ $

Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bars Kits

We offer these kits because it costs much less to ship the larger sizes when they are dissasembled. The first step when we prepare the kits, is to pre-assemble all the bars. Each intersection is marked A to A and B to B, etc. The parts are then disassembled into a kit. The bars and bases will fit perfectly with one another as long as attention is paid to the markings. An assembly instruction sheet is provided. We also provide an on-line video to assist in assembly.

 For an even closer look see our YouTube --- How to Assemble our Expansion Bolt Stretcher Bar System

Don't forget to order the fabric you need. We have a wide range of linens, cotton canvas and polyester for stretching.