Steam dent out of gloss top?

[Henning]

Hello guys, is it possible to steam a dent in the wood of a gloss top. Is the procedure different in any way?
My ukulele had a dent in the top while I removed the bridge that was coming loose. It is in ceder and with a thin gloss finish. I haven't yet done any dent steaming. But have heard and read about it.

Regards

[mirwa]

Typically for steam to work you have to remove the finish.

sometimes the application of any heat source is enough to soften the fibers and allow them to raise up when an impact has occured

Steve

[Fathand]

I have had some luck swelling a dent with water without removing the finish. I won't say it works as well though. It will also depend on which finish and how much was used.

You have little to lose by putting a drop of warm water or a soaked cloth on the dent overnight and see if it helps.

[runamuck]

Originally Posted by Fathand

I have had some luck swelling a dent with water without removing the finish. I won't say it works as well though. It will also depend on which finish and how much was used.

You have little to lose by putting a drop of warm water or a soaked cloth on the dent overnight and see if it helps.

You have a lot to lose if the finish is lacquer and some other finishes by leaving a soaked cloth on overnight.

[Glen H]

I have done it many times (I ding a lot). I follow these steps.
http://frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/...steamout1.html

[Fathand]

Originally Posted by runamuck

You have a lot to lose if the finish is lacquer and some other finishes by leaving a soaked cloth on overnight.

Not my experience but obviously it should be taken slow and checked regularly. Distilled water is a good idea too

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Glen H

I have done it many times (I ding a lot). I follow these steps.
http://frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/...steamout1.html

What temp do you set the soldering iron to? I want to try this on a my stage guitar which I just put a dent in!

[Glen H]

We’ll I actually don’t have a soldering iron. I have a wood burner iron. It came with a bunch of tips and one is round and flat. Works great. I seem somehow to ding every guitar I build. Sometimes during build (unfinished wood steams out nearly perfectly, even on hard wood) and sometimes after. I just finished one Friday and was just thinking of bragging to myself that I finally did one without a single ding. Then I dinged it. Luckily it will be covered by the pick guard, so no steam.

[Henning]

Does it matter for how long you wait to take action after the dent happened.
For instance with spruce and ceder. Is there any difference?
What is your experience, please?

[redir]

Originally Posted by Henning

Does it matter for how long you wait to take action after the dent happened.
For instance with spruce and ceder. Is there any difference?
What is your experience, please?

No it doesn't matter if you do it right away or a month later. Spruce/Cedar also doesn't matter. If it's torrified that does matter.

[Henning]

Great, thanks

[phavriluk]

A useful tool for me is a 'covering iron' used to attach and shrink plastic covering to r/c model airplanes. They're all thermostatically controlled, temperature is adjustable, and the shoe is big enough to heat much larger areas far more safely than a soldering iron which puts a lot of uncontrollable heat into a very small area. And inexpensive, cheaper than a lot of soldering irons.

[Hexcore]

Frank Ford (who wrote the bit about steaming out dents) has more experience, touch, skill, and acute judgement than any dozen of us taken together. If you decide to do the process he describes, please note that he emphasizes heat control many times, describes hundreds of touches rather than a few, and repeating the process by underdoing, not overdoing or rushing, the work. Note that he describes expert work on the finish after the process. Note that he had an unexpected and unwanted result once (though he fixed that.) Note that he examined the wood fibers involved to determine if steaming had any chance of working at all. I mention these things because while the writeup is short and the process is simple, it is not easy. I'll try anything I can fully understand, but I never assume it will be easy or that success is guaranteed just because my mind grasps the work.

[Henning]

Thank you all once again. I tried this weekend. I managed to get some of the dent parts out. But then on the other hand there seem to have developed what seems like small crests in the lacquer. Frank Fords eyes, hands and experience for the process had been handy to me. Perhaps a gloss surface is harder to succeed with.