Expandable and contractible frame for stretching fabric material, and

Abstract

A lightweight frame for stretching or blocking fabric material comprising elongated metal side frame elements detachably coupled together at their adjacent ends by a coacting pair of corner elements which are selectively expandably movable and contractibly movable relative to one another, so as to increase or decrease the frame size. Rotatable actuators coacting with the corner elements provide for the selective expansion and contraction of the corner elements relative to one another, to thereby cause said expansion and contraction of the frame. By providing a series of different lengths of side frame elements, substantially different frame sizes can be expeditiously provided. The paired corner elements and the coacting side frame elements have means thereon for rapidly detachably coupling the frame and corner elements together, as well as for rapidly securing fabric material to and removing fabric material from the frame proper. The various parts for forming various frame sizes can be expeditiously packaged in kit form. The frame is particularly adapted for stretching painters' canvas and artistic needlework, and the component parts are preferably made of anti-corrosion metallic material (e.g. aluminum).