Steaming stock dents?

[tjj]

I have a CZ 527 wood stock that has a couple of depressions/dings/fugaboos that I would like to minimize or eliminate. One is on the pistol grip area and one under the forearm. I've done a search and there were several references to steaming dings out. I understand the idea of moisturizing the wood grain and swelling up the wood grain to raise the ding but I have never done this and have never seen it done.

Do you remove/sand off the ding to expose the wood surface first?
I assume the steam will ruin the adjacent finish and an enlarged area would have to be refinished. Is this correct?
I wanted to avoid a full stock refinish if possible. I have made stock repairs before by sanding down, touch up staining to match and blending the stock finish with True Oil or urethane stain finisher but these dings are too deep to pull that off without removing too much wood.

Can anyone who has done the steaming repair offer any tips? Do I need to buy a steam generator or are we talking steam from a hot water rag?

Suggestions / tips ?

 

[Chawbaccer]

Use a needle and poke some small holes in the area of the dent before you steam, you may get away with out having to refinish the dent area, just give it a rubbing after.

 

[rcmodel]

+1
Use a wet rag over the dent, then place the hot iron over it for a few seconds.

Unless the wood grain is cut, it will almost always raise them.

Follow with a light application of Tru-Oil rubbed out to a sheen.

rc

 

[tjj]

Thanks for the replies fellas. Gonna give it a try.

 

[Oyeboten]

Making deep very very thin Pinholes in the dent area is important...as is allowing Water applied to the dent, to have time to be to be absorbed, prior to Steaming.


And a small piece of slightly wet Bath Towel, layed into or on the Dent...is very good once ready with a Hot Iron ( regular Ironing Board Iron is fine )...


Often, such a treatment, will not only raise out the old dent, but can even have it a little proud.

Super thin Pins may be had of any Sewing or Fabric Store for pennies...

 

[tjj]

Well, I done the deed.
I took three 2x2 cotton cleaning patches and wetted them down with water. Then I took my soldering station and turned it down to 475 watts. Covering the damaged area with the wet patches I rolled the soldering pencil over the patches back and forth to make steam and then covered the patch with some blue masking tape to keep the steam and heat in over the damage. I did that about three times. The soldering iron was hot enough to make steam but not hot enough to discolor or burn the cotton patch.
After a few hours of drying I sanded down the area with extra fine sand paper, wiped down and applied the first coat of stain to begin the color matching process.
The steam treatment helped a lot on the deep ding on the pistol grip area. The forearm was more of a scrap to the finish from a bad set up on a front rest. Both areas are now leveled and ready to finish.

Thanks to all for the tips.

 

[Oyeboten]

Oooops...forgot to say...

You should wait a few days before doing any leveling...since the newly brought up areas are swelled with high levels of interior moisture, and have not realized an equalibrium with ambient humidity...

Consequently...if leveled too soon...once finally 'dry', they can in-effect end up being sunken in...

 

[tjj]

Now you tell me. Well, next time I'll know.
I thought I should have waited another day but I had today off from work and it's my son's rifle that I just bedded. Kind of rushed the job to finish this week.
I'll take the stain off tonight and let it dry out some more. At least it's in an air conditioned environment. Maybe that will help.

Thanks for your followup Oyeboten.