How can you take a dents out of an oil painting canvas?

A favorite oil painting of mine was accidentally bumped by a sharp object and left with an annoying large, protruding bump in it. Is there any way to take this dent out?How can you take a dents out of an oil painting canvas?
Your Answer:


The best way to remove dents in paintings on canvas is to take a wet - but not dripping - sponge to the back of the canvas ( i.e, the side with no paint ), while at the same time holding a very flat object to the side with the paint on. Push the two sides one against the other very tightly for a minute. Leave to dry.





I assure you that it works and that it does not damage the painting at all.





When I was in your situation and someone did this to one of my oil on canvas paintings, I almost died! I could not believe something like that would work...but it does, beautifully,





If the dent is very big, you might have to repeat the process.





I promise...it works!








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ExperienceHow can you take a dents out of an oil painting canvas?
I had a dent on my canvas that protuded about 4mm. I tried the warm water and hairdryer method and it worked - there is no sign of it now. So glad I did a google search and found this!

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You could try ironing it very, very carefully. You would need something supporting the canvas on the other side, and a layer of thick cotton on the top to protect. Try just laying a heavy book on it overnight to see if that will help. If it doesn't, iron on a very low heat and very briefly, or your picture will melt. The problem is that, the shock of the bump may incline the paint to flake off the canvas, no matter what you do. If it's a valuable painting, please take it to a professional restorer.
Spray the back of the painting with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water, let dry and repeat as required to tighten the canvas.
never did it but it seems like you could take it out of the frame and put a little steam to it keeping it flat on something