Getting "dings" out of wood stocks

[hakx]

IIRC, I read somwhere that steam can help remove dings, dents, and otherwise unsightly marring on wood stocks.

Can anybody provide a quick tutorial?

Hakx

 

[coltfan]

To sweat out any dings you can use a soldering iron and a wet cloth. Lay the wet cloth (folded over a few times since you don't want to burn the wood) on the ding. Now use the iron and lay the tip on the wet cloth over the spot or ding . This may take some time. The heat from the iron will cause steam, which may help sweat the wood out in that spot.
Be aware that there is a danger in ruining the finish of the surrounding area...this is best done when a refinish is part of the plan..

 

[beretta boy]

That same clean, white cotton cloth ... and the Mrs.' steam iron works well too. Perhaps not as fast, but somewhat more controllable.

 

[stocker]

Finish needs to be removed above the dent before steaming. A standard clothes iron (on dry not steam) over a wet cloth probably will be easier to use.
If you just want to do spot steaming use the tip of the iron sole.

 

[Orvis]

The clothes iron over wet cloth works fairly well for most small dings.

 

[sunray]

Steaming will work for dents, but won't fix any gouges or spots where the wood fibres are cut. The cloth and clothes iron works best.

 

[finn_ethan]

Steam will raise dent but only so much per day. Use the iron and t-shirt trick and if it doesn't come out try again tomorrow.

 

[crunchiespg]

the best i have found which works unbelievably well is the shot glass method.. ive got some real deep dints out in the past.

what you do is put a drop of water in the dint, then rub it hard with the side of a shot glass. (i mean a drink glass)

the slight friction caused generates enough heat to make the water heat (you wont see any difference yourself) and it causes the dint to swell out.

plus it wont damage the finish like using a hot iron can.. do it a few times over a 3 or 4 days, and ive got dents even a few mm deep out..

 

[englishman_ca]

I do restorations on milsurp rifles that sometimes look like that they were used as a cricket bat. Wet cloth and the cloths iron works well on light dings, but for many that I tackle I need to use a tea kettle on the stove and put the dent right over the spout. The steam swells the fibres and pushes them back out. Several treatments over several days is sometimes needed. Steam removes the finish and makes clean patches.

Even more drastic is my steam chamber, a wooden box with a hose fed from a pressure tank on a coleman stove. Heat helps sweat cosmoline preservative out of the wood and raises 99% of the dings.

In extreme cases where the woodwork is all but lost, I use a hot cycle in the dishwasher. Not recomended on delicate or thin sections of stock as warpage could result. Milspec stuff seems to return to normal shape after drying for a few days. Warpage or poor fit have never been a problem.

As mentioned, if the fibres are cut or gouged, steaming might improve but won't remove.