How do you steam dents out of a stock?

[Ku-winda]

I read with great interest today as @cash_tx made a comment in his twin .375 Whitworth's thread about steaming the dents out of his brother's stock. I didn't want to hijack that thread and ask then, but it peaked my curiosity. I would like to hear from those in the know what that process looks like, how hard is it to do and what pitfalls, if any, do you need to avoid. I have a few rifles that might be candidates, but certainly don't want to do anything to screw them up if this is something better served by a professional.

 

[cash_tx]

Thanks for the @ mention; and to be clear, I very much consider myself an amateur at this. There are plenty of good videos on YouTube and other sites that will show you how to do this; but the basic principle is that you use a household clothes iron on top of a damp cloth, and exercise the principle of "Less is More" when applying steam to the wood. I originally learned about this in my high school years when I observed my Dad do it to my Browning Safari Grade rifle that I foolishly carried around all day in the rear window gun rack of a friend's pickup truck, and my dad used this technique to remove impressions from the wood that were put there by the gun rack.

A couple observations and lessons-learned that I'll share based upon my brief experience:

1. Again, I can't stress enough that "Less is More". You definitely want to start with too little heat and steam rather than too much. You can increase the contact time and surface area "as needed".

2. The above principle takes the form of applying steam to as small of an area as possible per application of the steam; basically, just enough steam on the dent itself and as little of the surrounding area as possible. After some practice, I modified my technique to place the edge of my damp wash cloth just over the dent so that I knew exactly where it lay underneath the cloth; and then I would try to put just the tip of the iron on the wash cloth's surface. If I put too much of the iron on the cloth, it would unnecessarily steam the area around the dent. The steam tends to not only lift the wood fibers of the dent, but it also can take off the top layer of oil finish; so you don't want to do that in any areas where not needed. Of course, if you are refinishing an entire gun stock; then this doesn't matter, but in this case I was trying to just do some targetted dent removal. I'll go in and touch up the finish on those areas afterward.

Again, I am just an amateur at this; so hopefully some of our more experienced members will chime in shortly. Perhaps if you shared some more details of what you're trying to accomplish, they can guide you more specifically. Good luck!

 

[Ku-winda]

Thanks @cash_tx for the insight - that's good stuff and very much appreciated! I've got some rifles with your normal run of the mill safe dings along with dents from being out in the field, etc., but was always under the impression I was just stuck with those .... until I read your post. They are nothing major by any stretch, but I know they are there and if there is a way to correct without doing any further harm, I just might give it a whirl. I will obviously start and "educate" myself with one of lesser value. Many thanks again for the tips!!!

 

[cash_tx]

Sounds good, and good luck. We are all in a constant learning process with our firearms (or at least we should be), and it is amazing the restorative work that some of the experienced folks can accomplish with wooden rifle stocks.

 

[Ku-winda]

Thanks. Forgot to ask - do you have a preferred oil you like to use? BTW, love your license plate - way cool!!!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have refinished and restored many stocks. My technique is exactly the opposite of cash's. It requires a very hot iron and a very wet rag to generate enough heat to lift the dent. Repeat as needed ... and several repeats are usually required. The finish will be lifted. That's a given. If it's acrylic or urethane, you will have trouble patching it up. May as well strip and refinish the entire stock.

Yesterday I finished stripping, restoring, and refinishing this stock.

In the final stages of rubbing out the last coat of oil finish, the stock got away and fell off my Gun Butler cradle with fore end striking hard on the edge of finish lid jar underneath. Crap! Left a nasty dent in the perfect checkering. Not something I can sand out. No choice. I had to strip the oil finish from that spot and try to steam the dent out. It required several attempts but finally the dent was barely visible. Actually, the dent was gone. What remained was broken grain in the wood which often retains the appearance of the dent even though surface is flush. Optical illusion. I lightly brushed the naked wood with fine steel wool and then used an artist paintbrush to touch up the bare spot in checkering with oil finish. I use my finger to rub in the oil finish on flat surfaces, then after about forty minutes I rub out that coat with paper towels. Checkering is different. The rest of the stock can take up to a dozen coats rubbed out before grain is filled. Meantime the checkering remains untouched and stripped. It gets only one coat when the rest is done. Anyway, here is the section of fore end checkering that was repaired. Can you see the dent?

 

[Ku-winda]

Thanks. Sounds like the actual process itself is very similar to the technique described by @cash_tx, with the only difference being you go hotter longer, correct?

 

[WAB]

Are you refinishing the stock? You can do some dent removal on an oil finished stock without refinishing the entirety, you cannot on a plastic/varnish finish.

 

[Ku-winda]

Oil finished stock only and nothing major - minor cosmetic at most.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Thanks. Sounds like the actual process itself is very similar to the technique described by @cash_tx, with the only difference being you go hotter longer, correct?

Yes. As long as the rag is wet there is no concern about harming the wood. Steam heat won't hurt it. It may lift the finish. @WAB is correct, you can try steaming out the dent of oil finish without removing the finish. However, if the oil finish is stripped from the spot, the steaming is more effective. It is usually easy to patch up an oil finish afterwards. UNLESS the stock was stained or the oil finish had stain in it. Then it will be very difficult to make the repaired area match the rest of the stock. Easier to strip and refinish the entire stock.

The above stock came with a fairly significant dent on the comb just behind the wrist and a few smaller ones behind that dent. Probably caused by a gun rack in rough riding vehicle. I anticipated steaming them out but by the time I had finished stripping and rinsing the stock the dents were gone! I use "Circa 1850" chemical stripper. It's more toxic than the environmentally friendly orange peel stuff Home Depot now sells ... and also 100x more effective than that crap. Instructions say to rinse with mineral spirits. Don't! Use water. Scrub it clean with soft brass brush and running water. But make sure your work area is well ventilated! When the water hits the stripper the gas that is produced is kinda overwhelming. Let the stock dry between stripping attempts. When it's finally cleaned of finish and dry, you'll need to de-whisker it. Water raises the grain. Use medium steel wool to take off the whiskers. I prefer steel wool over very fine sandpaper. Sandpaper plugs up too easily. Do not use sandpaper on checkering! Steel wool is a bit messier. Just make sure your shop vac is handy. Steel wool fibers if they get wet will rust rapidly and stain permanently. Clean the stock thoroughly before proceeding to finishing stage. Also, remember when working with steel wool that it is highly combustible. Light a match to some in a grill and you'll see what I mean. Take a smoke break somewhere else. Then when stock is smooth and ready for finish, rub in the coats of oil as per above, skipping the checkering until last coat. I apply only one thin final coat of oil finish on the checkering using a good quality hair bristle artists paintbrush. Don't use synthetic bristle paintbrush when applying oil. Once the grain is filled, you can build up a couple of coats without buffing out for a very glossy deep finish. Looks pretty (like some of the gals I see standing on the street corners when the ships arrive in port), but easily deflowered (like the gals on the street corners). That glossy oil finish shows fingerprints and scratches. Once the grain is filled the stock will have a smooth satin appearance. The feel of it is so nice, you won't want to put the gun down. The glossy finish just doesn't feel as nice. And you have to deal with dust getting on the finish during very slow drying periods between coats. Screw that!

I use Linspeed oil finish. Some guys on here have poo-pooed this product but I have had very good luck (60 years using it). Glad it's being made again.

 

[Ku-winda]

Thanks for the follow-up and additional detail!

 

[HankBuck]

I have refinished and restored many stocks. My technique is exactly the opposite of cash's. It requires a very hot iron and a very wet rag to generate enough heat to lift the dent. Repeat as needed ... and several repeats are usually required. The finish will be lifted. That's a given. If it's acrylic or urethane, you will have trouble patching it up. May as well strip and refinish the entire stock.

Yesterday I finished stripping, restoring, and refinishing this stock.
View attachment 600542
In the final stages of rubbing out the last coat of oil finish, the stock got away and fell off my Gun Butler cradle with fore end striking hard on the edge of finish lid jar underneath. Crap! Left a nasty dent in the perfect checkering. Not something I can sand out. No choice. I had to strip the oil finish from that spot and try to steam the dent out. It required several attempts but finally the dent was barely visible. Actually, the dent was gone. What remained was broken grain in the wood which often retains the appearance of the dent even though surface is flush. Optical illusion. I lightly brushed the naked wood with fine steel wool and then used an artist paintbrush to touch up the bare spot in checkering with oil finish. I use my finger to rub in the oil finish on flat surfaces, then after about forty minutes I rub out that coat with paper towels. Checkering is different. The rest of the stock can take up to a dozen coats rubbed out before grain is filled. Meantime the checkering remains untouched and stripped. It gets only one coat when the rest is done. Anyway, here is the section of fore end checkering that was repaired. Can you see the dent?
View attachment 600543

Ontario - that’s some very fine work, takes patience and skill….looks nice

 

[supergrizzly]

For very small dents I often use a wet piece of t-shirt and a soldering iron.

 

[Nhoro]

My experiemce, hottest iron + wet cloth. I have needed lots of heat and steam. I have done a few stocks including an old(70 years?) Brno .22 that looked like someone had hammered tent pegs with it. I havent managed to burn any wood but often had to really wet a cloth and the wood and iron it heavy and hot. The water has to get into the wood and then steam and puff it out. @Ontario Hunter is correct. I have tried gentle warming but always have to really steam it to lift dents. You can lift dents but cut or broken fibres will lift but still show the break/ scratch/cut.They look better but not perfect. But dents can steam out almost perfectly.

 

[Ku-winda]

Many thanks, Sir - great insight!

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Mark Novak (channel is Anvil)has a section in a video on steaming dents out on a fairly beaten up rifle he was conserving
gumpy