18 December 2005, 07:47
BPreglerStock Damage
I recently shut the door of my safe on my most prized shotgun stock. It has a dent about 3 inches long and looks as if some of the finish came off. Is this fixable? and for what cost?
18 December 2005, 08:19
Rick 0311Some dents, depending on the depth and if the wood fibers have not actually been broken, can be steamed and raised...but don’t expect miracles from the process.
18 December 2005, 09:34
GSP7Thats terrible. It would have been better to damage the stock slamming it against some volcanic rock while you fall during a chukar hunt

18 December 2005, 21:05
reindeerOld dents won't raise as high as fresh ones, so the sooner you steam it out, the better.
I have tried to raise dents in many ways and have found this to work best:
What you need is a (chemical) bottle of heat resistant glass, a foam paint roller and a thin glass or metal tube.
Cut the paintroller in half, stick the tube through it, put some water in the bottle and close the bottle with this 'cork'
Bring the water to a fierce boil, so that lots of steam is produced. You will see it coming out of the tube. If you would use a cork, the bottle will explode, as I found out, so that is why I recommend the paintroller!
Aim the steam directly on to the dent, as close as possible, wipe away the water and continue until the dent has disappeared. If the woodfibers have not been cut or damaged, the dent will almost completely disappear.
18 December 2005, 21:12
ramrod340I simply lay a wet cloth on the dent and heat with an iron. Smaller areas I use and old style soldiering iron.
18 December 2005, 21:12
iwzbeemanI've done a couple of good jobs with a plain old steam iron.
18 December 2005, 21:17
rootbeerSounds a good reason to buy a new shotgun...