Broken stretcher bars

Ever since I picked up Scottlee again, the fact that the frame is warped has been bugging me! You can see it in some of my pictures - one corner looks like it's not square in the pics. So, I took the piece off the frame.

Hey, look at that - the bars are actually starting to break! This is my first time using Evertite stretcher bars, and I really appreciate not having to restretch the canvas all of the time. Wait a minute, these things are pretty pricey - why are they breaking on the first project?

On the pics, you can see a shiny spot near one of the cracks. I tried, unsuccessfully, to use super glue.

My next resort was to try to find some information on the company. Google quickly led me to the web site. Wow - the company actually has decent contact information right on the web site. (That doesn't always happen!) So, I sent off an email, explaining the problem and asking about warranty information.

Within a couple of hours, a reply was sitting in my inbox, explaining that since wood is a natural product, it's not always easy to see where defects might arise after manufacturing. The same email asked where the replacement bar should be sent.

WOW! What customer service!

I replied with the pictures and my address. The maker replied that he had never seen them break like that, and that my bar would be in the mail tomorrow.

I am so impressed with the way this was handled. Thanks, Evan!!!

If the bars breaking truly was a fluke thing, and they hold up fine through the rest of the project, I will certainly invest in more Evertites for future large projects.

As a result of all of this, I obviously did not work on Scottlee yesterday. I stitched up one of the kissing pillows, instead. 3 down, 2 to go.