Heating water you have dripped into a dent can often raise its level.
If youve done much woodworking, its very likely that you have experienced some dents and gouges. Both are defects in wood. They are different things, and should be treated differently.
Dents are compressed wood. The wood fibers are still intact, just pressed down or indented. They can be steam steamed. Gouges are also indentations, but the wood fibers have been torn and usually some of the wood has been removed. These indentations must be filled with wood glue or another filling material. Sometimes the indentation is not clearly a dent or a gouge, so you can try steaming before resorting to filling.
To steam out a dent, drip some water into the depression using an eyedropper or syringe. If the dent is shallow, the water may swell the wood enough to bring it level with the rest of the surface. If the water itself doesnt work, try steaming. Drip some more water into the dent and cover the surface with a dry cloth. Apply a medium heat iron to the cloth. The hot iron causes the water to turn to steam, which enters the wood and swells it. You can do this several times.
Use water or steam to sand the wood. This will remove any raised grain.
Water raises the grain of wood so it is best to not lay a wet towel on large areas of the wood before heating the iron. This will cause more sanding. It is best to keep the area wetted as small as possible.
You will need to fill in any indentation that is larger than a normal gouge. Fillers dont take stain like wood (no matter what manufacturers claim), so if you are staining, you should use a filler that is already close to the color of the stained wood. Practice on scrap to get a close match.
Wood putty may not match perfectly after several years. This is because wood may change in color.
The problem is that woods can change their color over time. This means that even if you have a great match initially, it may not be as good in a few years. Theres no way around this. Don’t gouge the wood.
Product Recommendations
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. Although we may be compensated for sales made through our links, these products have been carefully chosen for their utility and quality.
