Steaming Dents and Compression Marks Out

[Cowboy]

I know that this topic has been hashed out in the past but I'd like to bring it up again for myself as well as those who have never heard of such a thing!

I will admit that I've never tried it before? I also like to buy well used Muzzleloader's to refurbish for winter projects. In the past I would strip down the stocks and sand out any imperfections and then re-stain and finish.

Some of the stocks I refinished didn't look all that bad if it were not for those dents the compression marks.

Would like to hear again from those who have used the steam method to raise the dents and compression marks out?

I would also add that protecting the existing finish would be a big bonus!

Respectfully, Cowboy :thumbsup:

 

[Dane]

If they are just dents, no wood missing, I've had good luck with a wet rag and your wife's iron.

 

[rijerolmon]

Very common practice in furniture building or refinishing. I have had good luck making sure there is no finish left in the low spot and then just a drop of water in the dent and then heat. This will often raise the offending spot and not the area around it as well. A damp press cloth to prevent scorching and a iron from Goodwill will work great.

 

[Artificer]

I have forgotten how many hundreds of stocks and handguards I have sometimes steamed out dents for refinishing.

Be advised this NEVER works when the dent or ding causes the grain to be cut or broken across the grain, the dent will NEVER steam out. Even dents that do not cut/break across the grain rarely if ever come back up to the original surface of the wood. It can cause the wood to come close to the old surface, but never ALL he way back up. Still that can require less scraping or sanding when refinishing a stock.

You can use your steam iron to do this BUT always use a clean rag or patch that is wet and DO NOT turn the rag over once you steamed it or it will bake the oil/stain/dirt onto the surface of the Iron. Then cleaning the bottom of the Iron is difficult and GOD HELP YOU if you don't clean it before your Lady uses the Iron.

I do so much of this work that I purchased a Brownell's Stock Iron a couple decades ago. This has an extremely non stick surface and is easier to use than a standard steam iron, but unless you do enough of this work, it is not really worth buying. http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...k-dent-repair-irons/stock-iron-prod13120.aspx

BTW, once you use the Steam Iron of any kind, the original finish over the spot you steamed will be steamed off. It only "saves" the original finish and stain OUTSIDE the steamed area.

The problem with dents/dings/gouges for refinishing stocks is to determine ahead of time how much wood you will to remove from the surface to get a smooth stock after refinishing. I've done so much of it on walnut stocks and handguards that I can pretty much tell when steaming will work and when it will not. However, when it won't work or if I'm not sure, then the best thing to do is fill in the dent/gouge in the stock.

With most muzzle loading stocks, there are plenty of places you can not scrape/sand much wood off to smooth the surface up. Filling those dents/gouges above the surface of the wood around it with epoxy is the way to go. Then file/sand it down to the surface of the wood around it. You can stain some epoxies to some degree, but it is pretty difficult to impossible to get an exact match. I've found that most often I either use clear epoxy or stain it black, for the least noticeable patches. Surprisingly, the black color often blends in better with a finished stock than the clear or clear epoxy that is stained.

Gus

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Wet cotton ragain and soldering iron. :thumbsup:

 

[LRB]

:thumbsup:

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have been reworking a Renegade stock that looked like it went through a war. A little steam and a rag got most of the dings out. I think I gave $2 for the iron at a thrift store.

 

[JohnN]

Would a heat gun work or does it have to be something that makes contact with the wood ?

 

[LRB]

Chances are, you would char the wood with a heat gun. It is the steam that does most of the lifting of the fibers, and the iron and wet rag is the safer way to go. Unlike Gus's experiences, I have gotten dents out higher than the surface a few times.

 

[Cowboy]

Thank's for the replies everyone! I have more than a couple Muzzleloader's set aside for this winter's project's. I have a few in mind that I want to try raising the dents/compression marks out. We'll see how she goes?

I'll send pics of each one as I go. Thank you!

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

 

[Tinker2]

I have two of the BROWNELLS - STOCK IRON and they do work great, worth the price.
For odd shaped place that are not flat I make a piece of steel to that shape and heat it.
I use wet paper towel folded over two to four times.

It does take patience but you can remove some bad dents.
I had a nice stock that had been stabbed multiple times with a screw driver, they all came out.

A lot of very old guns the dents can come out higher than the surface.
It is, from what I can surmise, the wood has worn away from handling after the dent was made.
I have seen old military guns that looked like they had warts.



William Alexander

 

[Col. Batguano]

For shorter stocks like M1 Carbine and Garand stocks I've put several of them in the dishwasher for a cycle or 2. That removes the oil finish, and steams a bunch of dents out.

 

[B.Habermehl]

From my model airplane building days I have my monocote iron for covering the wings and such. Along with a wet rag it steams dents up as nicely as any tool I have used. BJH

 

[Cowboy]

Ended up buying me a cheap steam iron at the dollar store. We'll just see how it's gonna do?

It'll definitely save my ass from being in the dog house if I screw around with the wife's iron!

When I get the first stock done I'll post some pics.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

 

[kansas_volunteer]

I've reached a point where I do not consider scraping and sanding to be part of the refinishing process. When I was dumber, younger and didn't know any better, yes, but no longer. Now I only clean and steam. To clean I wash a stock with mythel alcohol and 0000 steel wool, or a white synthetic pad. I follow that by steaming dents with a damp clothes and common clothes iron. Dents that caused broken grain cannot be steamed out entirely. Scratches never. I leave them. They add character.

Following cleaning and steaming I apply BLO. I've never had the problems with it others have. I end up with a refreshed stock that appropriately shows it's age, but on the other hand youthful, just like the guy who did the work.

 

[Cowboy]

Great tips! I'll keep them in mind. Thank you.

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[Timothy199898]

I have used a heat gun, but it probably doesn't work as well as a clothes iron. You would need to make sure to have a large enough wet cloth to prevent burning of the surrounding area.

Timothy

 

[kansas_volunteer]

I recently refinished my first rifle, a Savage 22 bought in 1963, by washing with alcohol. The original was a single coat of very scratched varnish. It came off easily. The wood underneath was in near perfect condition. Sanding wouldn't have accomplished anything more. In this case I used a paste made of beeswax to recover the surface. Looks really nice. I find the beeswax finish I use is very hard and resists wear and other issues quite well. Beeswax is a very old HC/PC finish for any era going back many thousands of years.