During my tear repair workshop, I was also introduced to the Trecker mechanism for bringing distorted tears back into tension. First, a humidification chamber was built to surround the canvas. Working with fellow students, a small bar with attached threads was temporarily adhered to the reverse of the tear edges. These threads were attached to the Trecker's tensioning devices on the opposite side,  secured to the stretcher bars. The humidity of the environment was raised while tension was applied, encouraging distortions in the canvas to relax. After two weeks of sustained tension, distortion of the gaping tear was greatly reduced, and final repairs could be completed.