Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Steaming out a Dent
Steve Bellner
>What is the best procedure for steaming out a dent in unfinished wood? The wood fibers are not torn, so I presume I can raise the dent with a steam iron. Do I wet the wood first, or apply the heat to a wet rag? I've got an old clothes iron to help out with this process. FWIW, the wood is red oak.
Steve in East Tennessee
soldering iron
bill tindall, E. TN
>Make an absorbant rag drippy wet. I like to use cotton as it won't melt. Place a rolled up portion of this rag on dent ( something resembling a wick). Add soldering iron and turn on the juice. When it quits steaming rewet rag and repeat. It may take several applications to do as good as you can. It can be very satisfying(relieveing) to see the dent swell back to a planar surface
Don't mess with area steamed for a day so that added moisture can dry away. If sanded to soon a depression will result when it all dries.
Now all this is theoretical information as I have never dropped a hammer on a project or ran a piece into to door jam or table saw moving it.....well maybe once. Is that my nose growing?
Re: Steaming out a Dent
JL
>Depends on how serious the dent is. I've had some luck with putting a small piece of wet paper towel over the dent and leaving it overnight. For more "serious" dents I've borrowed the steam iron. I put a damp piece of paper towel or shop toweling on the dent and "shielded" the rest of the surface with something heavier duty (sand paper, glass-cloth, etc.) and then put the iron on low heat and dried out the paper towel. Both ways raise the grain of course.
Try a little experiment on a piece of scrap. Make a dent about the same size and see which works for you.
Re: Steaming out a Dent
Sam Scalzo
>I have taken a wash cloth and an iron. Dampen the wash cloth and apply the iron. Check and see how it is doing. Works for me. Allow the wood to dry befor sanding
Re: Steaming out a Dent
Edward in Vancouver
>To keep the ah, domestic peace, you can also use a soldering iron...
Re: Steaming out a Dent
Art Liebeskind
>A little known but veryv effective way to swell a dent is to put a little lighter fluid on it with a small brush and immediately light the area with a match. Sunds wild but it really works. Be ready to blow it out if you have made it too wet so there will be no scorching.
Art Liebeskind
No need to get steamed!
Lee Schierer, McKean, PA
>The easiest way I know to raise a dent is with a few drops of water. Place the drops directly in the dented area so the entire dent is covered. Let is sit until it dires and the dent should be gone. You can do this several times if necessary. I prefer to use distilled water to avoid potential mineral marks if you have hard water (or high iron content if the wood is oak). Once the wood is dry you can sand and apply finish.
Lee
Re: Steaming out a Dent *LINK*
Derek Andrews
>I use a hot air gun, the type normally used for stripping paint. A hairdryer would probably work too.
The ToolRest - a blog for woodturners
Re: Steaming out a Dent
bill Andersen
>The old cabinetmakers used to put some wet shavings on the dent and just leave it til it rose up flush. Maybe took more than one application but it didn't cause worry about using live flame or electric irons/soldering guns etc. Bill