Restoring a torn oil canvas painting is possible with a few steps.
Old paintings can be an enjoyable and at times exhilarating collection piece when they are appraised with a high value. Sometimes collecting old paintings can be a labor of love done for the sheer appreciation of a work of art. When you come across an old painting with a tear in the canvas, you may be able to restore the painting, not necessarily for sale, but for your own enjoyment with simple techniques.
Instructions
1. Remove the torn oil painting from its frame. Gently lay the painting frame side up on top of a soft blanket on a flat raised surface such as a table or workbench. Write with pencil on the frame, "top" and "right" so that you know reassemble the painting into the frame after repair.
2. Carefully vacuum the dust off the painting and frame. Remove nails with pliers and a flat metal ruler. The ruler absorbs the force of the pliers.
3. Flatten the canvas with stretcher bars. Apply a new piece of canvas to the back of the existing one where the tear is located. Use a warm, molten mixture of beeswax and damar (or you may also use epoxy) to adhere the new piece of canvas to the existing one. Allow the canvas to dry completely.
4. Examine the front of the painting to ensure that there are no wrinkles in the paint over the torn area. Fill the hole or tear on the front of the painting with ground made from chalk and fish glue or gelatin dissolved in warm water. Apply the putty-like substance to the new canvas area showing through on the front and allow it to dry. Remove any excess ground from the paint with warm water after it has dried.
5. Paint the unpainted area around the tear by matching and mixing the necessary paint colors until all empty space is filled in. Allow painting to dry and then reassemble the canvas into its frame.
