steaming out small dents & dings

[Bob Hammond]

Hello, sometimes one finds a small dent or crease in a place that the eye might notice instantly. e. g. the side of the upper bout.

Here's what I did to limit the effects of steam treatment.

Fill a syringe with water from the catfood bowl. Place the
blunted needle, and then use a woodburner iron to boil the water in the needle, so as to direct the steam.

Choose a needle gauge that fits the need.

[David King]

Bob,
That's a very clever trick.
I usually just use the sponge in my soldering iron tray and get it pretty wet. I'll lay the corner of the sponge over the dent and gently roll the tip into the corner always keeping a layer of wet sponge between the wood and the tip. It never works all that well so I'm looking forward to trying your trick.

[Jason Rodgers]

Yessss, might try thisssss. (Get it.... ssssteam.)

[Mark Swanson]

Hmmm, for a moment I thought Gollum had begun to post here Jason!

[Dave Stewart]

Didn't use it a lot, but certainly one of the handiest tools when I was building was the Weller pistol-grip soldering iron fitted with a spatula tip. Just put a soaked folded swatch over any dent/blemish, pull the trigger & hold the tip on it a few seconds ('till it steams a while) and gone. Instant fix.

[Chuck Tweedy]

That's what I use as well - a Weller pistol grip iron with the appropriate tip. Heat's almost instantly.

[Barry Daniels]

I use an old household iron. Obviously a lot bigger than necessary but it heats quickly and has a sharp point on front for steaming dings.

[Arnt Rian]

I use an old household iron. Obviously a lot bigger than necessary but it heats quickly and has a sharp point on front for steaming dings.

That's what I use too, a vintage model with a solid sole (no steam holes, if that's what they are called?). I usually put a moist, folded up tissue paper over the dent before I touch it with the tip or the iron. The trick is to direct the steam right on the dent, and avoid scorching it.

[Peter Wilcox]

I use the tip of an old clothes iron and damp paper towel too. Mine has the steam holes, but since there's no water inside the iron it makes no difference. It takes a couple of minutes to heat up, but I do all the dents at once just as I'm finishing the final sanding. I don't do them as they appear, because I know more will appear later, as if by magic.

[David King]

I see a theme developing. Does we have tricks for lifting dents under the various finishes we see?

[Jason Rodgers]

I see a theme developing. Does we have tricks for lifting dents under the various finishes we see?

Yes, this got me thinking, too. I have a dent in walnut under shellac and tung oil. The iron and wet towel trick probably wouldn't work, as the steam can't penetrate the surface (at least not without blemishing a large area), but the hypodermic needle steam injection might. Then it's a matter of repairing the finish when everything is dry, and oil would be easy. Would be different for other finishes, like poly or lacquer, but those have their repair tricks, as well.

[Barry Daniels]

Actually, steaming through a finish does work, somewhat. I wouldn't try it on shellac but I have had some success on other finishes.

[Bob Hammond]

I wonder if a very fine gauge needle could be inserted. I think the smallest that I seen in 36ga (hypodermic needles follow Stubbs gauge classification).

[David King]

I've resorted to using a sewing needle to make many tiny pin-pricks through a thin impervious finish to get the steam through.
Has anyone tried the chair leg swelling swill on a dent?
http://www.westernwooddoctor.com/chairloc.htm

[Bob Hammond]

I've looked at that stuff with a jaundiced eye. Here's a thread from a world of lilliputian craftsmen:

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/top ... eful-glue/

[Greg Martin]

Ive used an iron for years, but find on spruce you can add divots with the edge or tip if not very careful--it happens. Im going to try the well,sounds like a great idea.

[Ken Whisler]

I used to steam out dents with the tip of a clothes iron and a damp paper towel, but it always discolored the shellac. The Milburn tutorial in the FAQ section instructs to put a small dab of pumice on the FP pad and work it into the ding or scratch. I tried it and it works. I have heard that Tom Humphrey did pretty much the same thing except with plaster of Paris.

[Clay Schaeffer]

I've been using an iron and wet rag, but I think next time I might try the steam kettle and basketball needle setup I have for steaming out necks. Thanks Bob!