I would like to raise a couple of small dents or dings in a wood stock .
Do I have to remove finish first before steaming , then refinish , or can I apply steam directly as is ?

The steam will penetrate better with no finish, but if you try it with the finish still on, it will still work to some degree. So try it as is first and you will be surprised. It is a lot of work to remove all the finish just for a dent. I use a regular steam iron and a washcloth.

Put a pin hole in the center of the ding. Add water to fill the ding, cover it with a band aid. Let it sit over night and then use the steam. The pin hole allows moisture to get below the finish into the wood.

Thanks guys , I will try your suggestions .
Somewhere my wife has this mini steam generator , for cleaning purposes .
I was thinking of trying that , with a piece of cloth on the wood

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Somewhere my wife has this mini steam generator

Most of those won't allow you to simply focus on the spot. damp cloth and the tip on an iron.

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Originally posted by ramrod340:

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Somewhere my wife has this mini steam generator

Most of those won't allow you to simply focus on the spot. damp cloth and the tip on an iron.

Or an electric soldering iron.

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Or an electric soldering iron

Yep I've used the broad soldiering tip as well. Doesn't upset the boss either.

Thanks guys
I was wondering if an old electric soldering iron would work ! I think i'll try that !
Bob

I use a mini-steam cleaner. Works wonders.

I've used the iron over a damp cloth before with limited success.. I think it matters if the dent "broke" the fibers of the wood.. if it did, it doesn't steam out very well. I've found this doing a lot of military stocks.

but on the matter of "dents and dings"... My go-to Rifle, my 1980 vintage Rem 700 in 30-06, has been to 4 states as well as Africa... and has accounted for many deer, antelope and some plains game.. Every dent and ding to me is a reminder of the memory of a fun time I had hunting with that rifle.. If you saw it on a table at a gunshow, you probably wouldn't give $400 for it... but i wouldn't sell it for $4000..

I like my "dents and dings"!

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I think it matters if the dent "broke" the fibers of the wood

You are 100% right. Steam will allow you to normally raise a "DENT" back to the original surface.

If the wood fibers are cut or if some wood is actually missing steam can only do so much.

So take a close look and verify if you have a dent then set your expectation accordingly.

But I'm with you there are a couple rifles I own that I can tell how each mark happened and plan to keep them just as they are.

Finally got a picture of it:

If the dents are small and or the grain is cut, steam often won't pull them up. I generally fill them with crazy glue. Well, the industrial stuff like HotStuff. I then use the super catalyst spray and stand back about 16 inches and give it a light sweep. If you use to much catalyst the glue will boil and turn white. After you build up a small puddle of glue it's a simple matter of cutting it down to the finish height with 600 wet & dry and water and then buffing it with steel wool or rubbing compound. It takes me about 20 minutes to do. Practice on an old stock first.

Yep, super glue is backup plan