Can a small tear in a Canvas be successfully repaired?

I'd be very interested to know this too wendy - the place I'm exhibiting at seems to have damaged one of my paintings but it's such a big rip I may just have to chuck the painting. Lucky it wasn't one of my favourites but even so...

Does their insurance cover it?Or yours if you have it?I am waiting to see what parcel force have to say although I have a gut feeling something is not quite right about it all.

Restore that heirloom!
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I found this



Repairing Tears and Holes
Tears or holes in the canvas can be repaired by flatten the existing canvas, applying a new piece of canvas to the back and touching up the paint.
This canvas can be applied over, just the torn area, or hole, or in case of badly deteriorated canvas, over the whole back, which then is often called re-canvassing, but more generally known as re-lining.
One first flattens the edges of the tear or hole by applying a piece of canvas to the back with a Beeswax and Damar mixture.
Tears can be tightened by waxing narrow longish strips across the tear, first on one side, and after cooling on the other side while pulling the tear close by the end of the strip.
If one uses strips of say, 1cm or 3/8" wide, then apply the first one across the center of the tear and then one on either side of this center strip, leaving a gap the width of a strip for later insertion of a strip, and, pulling alternatively from the opposite directions, ensuring an even pull across the tear.
After those are done, insert strips in the gaps so that the whole area is covered.
As each section is done check that the fibers of the canvas lay in a natural position and are not doubled and stuck underneath causing unsightly bumps.
Crooked fibers can be straightened using an old heated dentist tool (metal hook).
Check from the front when the whole area is covered that it appears "natural" e. i. so that is doesn't pull or have wrinkles.
Remove any excess wax from the front, using turpentine and let the picture "rest" for a while.

If the picture needs complete re-lining the apply paper as in "Re-Canvassing or Re-Lining"
Then after the paper is dry and properly adhered across the tear or hole, remove the strips before the re-lining, by slightly warming the canvas strips, so that there is no doubling up of new canvas.
Which after a while would be showing from the front of the picture.

Once the hole or tear is repaired with canvas the painting can be restored at the front.
Fill the hole or tear with ground which can be made by, dissolving some fish glue or gelatin in warm water and then adding chalk to thicken the ground to a putty like substance.
This may then be applied with a spatula and left to dry, remove any obvious excess before drying and remove excess on the painting with warm water directly upon drying.
The coloring may now proceed, most restorers prefer to use just pigment and egg yolk for the coloring.
This not only dries much faster then oil paint but is also easier removable if the restoration is deemed, non-sympathetic, upon examination of the whole.
Once one is satisfied with the repair, one can finish the restoration by revarnishing the painting.

That's good info Wendy,

I'm gonna save it somewhere for future use.

Nice one mate

thanks for that Wendy never know when you might need information like that