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Removing dents in wood.

BOBBYWINS
I think it's refered to as "Sweating" or "Ironing" out the dents.Has to do with an iron and a wet rag or somethin'.

I picked up a couple of oldies over the weekend that would look 10 times better with some of the dents "Ironed out".

Thanks,
BW

IT'S WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT MAKES THEM AFRAID.
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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • bobski
    yep, you are right. i use a heat gun as the iron. (the kind usd for putting in linoleum tile floors.) wet he area and it will rise just like dough. needless to say, the whole stock will have to be refinished. i do the sweating after the stock has already been stripped bare.

    former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, former navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction. NRA certified instructor.
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  • Pinhead
    I have been refinishing military rifle stocks for over 40 years now(my own and friends) and I use the process to get the dents out. Take the finish down to bare wood and let dry or dry it. Put a drop or two of water on the dent and let set until it soaks into the pores of the wood. Take a damp piece of cloth (cotton is best) and heat an iron or any flat piece of metal will do and lay it on the cloth and hold it until the cloth is dry. Remove the cloth and check to see how much the wood grain has raised and repeat as many times as it takes to raise the dent completely. This works just fine on dents but any wood that has the grain crushed or cut will not raise up like a dent will. Jim
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  • gruntled
    A steam iron & a cloth works well too. Just be careful not to burn the wood.
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  • Madman
    ...a drop of water on the bare stripped wood is the trick, then get the girlfriend to use her little steam cleaner to steam the dent. Been doin this for years and she is really good at it by now. Then let it dry thoroughly. Wipe down with a wet cloth and heat it again with a propane torch or hot blow dryer to get the wood to "whisker" now hand sand to a smooth surface and refinish as desired.

    Paul
    Mountain Magic Gunsmithing
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  • BOBBYWINS
    So,I'm assuming from these responses(which are very much appreciated) that the stock would have to be stripped in order for this to work.That's all fine and good on a couple of oldies that need refinishing anyway,but will it do any good at all on those that have a nice finish,but just a couple of small dents?

    Thanks,
    BW

    IT'S WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT MAKES THEM AFRAID.
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  • firstharmonic
    Try it on the dents that you're asking about without removing anything first. Depending on the finish, the denting process may have damaged the finish at that spot to the point that steam or water can penetrate. Or, you may have to remove the finish carefully just in the dent. If you think about it, you will probably have to refinish the dent anyway, so that's not really a big deal.

    Noli Illegitimi Carborundum
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