ChuckBarnett
Well-known member
Best guess is I goofed when clamping this down to cut binding channels. Used steam and it helped some but this dent is still pretty deep. Any ideas?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Big dent repair
- Thread starter ChuckBarnett
- Start date
That is a pretty deap dent, isn't it? How many times did you steam it? I would also try dripping water into the depression and letting it sit. If this helps, (even if just a little) do it more.
What kind of finish do you use. I use poly and have had success with smaller dents that I couldn't raise with water being leveled with finish. I add a bit of finish to the dents, let it dry, lightly sand flush and repeat until the entire dent is flush.
Others may have better ideas. Best of luck with it!
Red Cliff
Well-known member
You could try filling the dent with water as suggested and putting the tip of a soldering iron in the water. But you have to be really careful. It's tricky. If you fill it with something clear like a varnish then you will still be able to see the dent, it will just be a flat surface. The prominent grain makes it really tricky to fill, but you could try matching a shellac stick and filling it flush with that? Other than that then it is either a patch time, or routing off the top and replacing it unless you can live with the error.
Last edited:
tparse
Well-known member
Chuck
Glu Boost might be what you need to fix this. Do some research and if you have any questions after that ...get back to me or call the Glu Boost people. It might not be totally invisible when you are done but it will look good. It will be like us.. a little scar here and there but we still do ok. I fixed an uke that someone had punched his finger through the top. It left a small scar but the top is still smooth.
Glu Boost might be what you need to fix this. Do some research and if you have any questions after that ...get back to me or call the Glu Boost people. It might not be totally invisible when you are done but it will look good. It will be like us.. a little scar here and there but we still do ok. I fixed an uke that someone had punched his finger through the top. It left a small scar but the top is still smooth.
Poul Hansen
Well-known member
For the water/steam trick to work, you must remove all laquer or the water won't penetrate the wood
Doc_J
Well-known member
Maybe put a interesting inlay there.
ChuckBarnett
Well-known member
I had not thought of that! Worth thinking about.
I also thought about sanding around the perimeter to get the footprint of the ding down. It would still be there though. Not sure that's a good idea.
I also thought about sanding around the perimeter to get the footprint of the ding down. It would still be there though. Not sure that's a good idea.
I've never had steam fail me when it came to removing simple dents like that. Although sometimes you need to get creative. I like to let some water soak in, then pool some water in the dent and put a cotton rag over it, then steam the water out with a soldering iron. I find the rag helps keep the heat in the wood versus just immediately boiling the water away, and it helps prevent the iron scorching the wood.
ChuckBarnett
Well-known member
I'll review the process from youtube videos. But I tried the same method with some improvement.
ChuckBarnett
Well-known member
I wondered about that possibility. I will give it a second try before I choose any other option. I'm probably going to end up with doing an inlay but it's worth a shot. Thanks again! I love this forum!
Timbuck
Well-known member
Maybe this is appropriate 
ChuckBarnett
Well-known member
Yes, indeed! It seems I'm hurrying to catch up to those who've gone before me.
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