We shall start with a 48 inch Vistagraph. Instructions for an 8 foot Vistagraph follow these instructions. Any art store will stock or can order stretcher bars for you. The cost is about $16 for a typical 48 inch Vistagraph. Each corner is assembled by slipping one piece into another. You may wish to use a mallet to make sure it is in tightly. If your vistagraph is 48 inch, you will be using a 46 inch stretcher bar. One inch will wrap on each side. The bar in the middle is optional and may be used for stability, especially if your Vistagraph is larger than 48 inches. Place the image side down on a clean table or floor. Place your assembled stretcher bars on the back of the canvas. Peel back each side so that the image is centered. Staple at midpoint of each side as indicated by numbers 1 through 4. Turn your Vistagraph over to make sure it is centered and that image covers the sides of all four bars. Gradually staple each side about six inches apart until you get to each corner. The corner needs two folds. The first fold is a 45 degree angle. Hold and staple. The second fold will cover this fold and is 90 degree. Make sure you are satisfied that the corner is covered before your final staples. Congratulations. You have just museum wrapped your Vistagraph. Read on for larger Vistagaphs. to contact us about these instructions if you have a question. Framing your large canvas Vistagraph: Ask any framer and you will learn there are more expensive ways to frame a quality canvas print, especially a large one., What I will describe below is the least expensive. Assume you are building a frame for our 8 foot wide vistagraph. This method requires 3 eight-foot 2x4s and eight 4-inch screws. Cost about $6 and you will have leftovers. Only tools needed are a screwdriver and drill. Unless you have a rip saw and chop saw, you will need to have the lumber yard "rip" the 2x4s and cut the eight 45 degree angles. The cost for this is less than $10 compared with factory made stretcher bars which may need to be ordered and shipped with a cost closer to $300. Start with a 2x4, ripped at an angle. This allows that the canvas will only touch the peak. (Assume you actually use an eight-foot 2 inch by four inch piece of lumber.) If your vistagraph is 96 inches wide, cut a 45 degree on each end of a 92 inch piece. If your vistagraph is 36 inches high, cut a 45 degree on each end of a 32 inch piece. Place the ends together. A clamp may be used but you could temporarily screw the assembled pieces to a work table. Drill two holes through the 92 inch piece into the 32 inch piece. (Drilling prevents the wood from splitting.) Screw them together. Glue may be used but is not necessary. Don't use glue if you want to take your frame apart one day, if you move for instance.) You are now ready to stretch your canvas onto the frame. Stretching your Vistagraph to the Frame: 1) Roll your vistagraph canvas on a flat surface, image side up. 2) Place your assembled frame carefully onto the canvas, flat side down. Make sure the amount of image outside the frame equals or exceeds the thickness of your frame. 3) Fold the image along side the frame. This will verify that there is enough image to cover the sides of the frame. 4) Find and mark the center of the image (all four sides). Now find and mark the center of the frame's four sides. 5) Remove the frame, turn the canvas over, center the frame flat side up. 6) Peel the center of the top of the canvas and staple to the back of the frame. (you should see very little image on the back of the frame and no white on the sides.) 7) Peel the center of the bottom of the canvas and staple to the back of the frame. 8) Repeat this for both sides.Remember to keep the canvas stretched as you staple. 9) Repeat this procedure so that your staples are about 6-8 inches apart. 10) Roll and fold the corners twice. The first fold should be at a 45 degree angle. Staple to hold canvas down. 11) The second fold will cover the first fold. 12) Make sure the edge looks like this: 13) To fascilitate hanging, add two braces, each one third from the ends. Affix string between both braces and use two hooks in the wall. This makes leveling easier.

Now you can order my Vistagraphs as prints in a range of sizes
on a variety of quality papers and also have them professionally framed at:
American Frame

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