Steaming Dents out of a Weihrauch (or any brand) stock

[Bad News Beeman]

Hi all. Welp, I made an idiot mark on the stock of a recently acquired Beeman HW97K. I accidently rubbed the butt end against a zipper on my jacket which somehow managed to leave a light dent trail on the side of the comb. Quite frankly I'm amazed that this casual act managed to cause such a pressure mark, but here we are.

Its light enough that taking a clear photo was challenging, but it sticks out like a sore thumb to me everything I look the rifle over. I'd like to steam it out without having to refinish the entire stock. My fear though is that applying a wet cloth and hot iron will destroy the finish in and around where dent is. Has anyone tried this? And if so, what was your experience and the results?

 

[Filnez]

I doubt if you'll be able to steam it out through the stock finish, the steam probably won't be able to penetrate the finish and get into the wood.

 

[A.G.R]

It works great on oil,sanded oil finishes not so well on sprayed. .. there is a good chance it will cloud the area with a heat blush as that’s a sprayed on finish. .. take a smooth round object., like a 1/2 inch extension socket. Put a bit of baby oil.. on the area and use the rounded edge to smooth it down. Deft touch and work outwards . You will be able to gently push down enough to even it out. THAT BEING SAID , ITS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.. use the gun ,enjoy the dents,dings and scratches.. it’s more fun shooting them with out worry than glass bubble type life .

 

[FLgunner]

If you know the type of finish, you may be able to apply a small amount over that spot, wipe it, let it dry and repeat until it's filled in, then just buff itwith a soft cloth. But, I would want to make sure I matched the finish material so you weren't layering on mixed finishes.

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

As tiny as that is, you might end up making things worse to try and steam it or heat it. The finish usually needs to be removed to get the steam into the wood and swell it back up. That also means the area around the damage will raise as well and typically needs to be sanded back.
Personally, I'd leave that one alone and I'm OCD about my wood stocks myself.

 

[Scotty1]

What dent?

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

It's got character now

 

[Richely]

New car, new rifle, new anything, first scratch or dent is the worst. Ditto on advice given that any ‘repair’ on so small a mark likely to be more noticeable.

Use the rifle, knowing it will accumulate more marks. Take care and there will be few, but some are unavoidable. For now tell yourself you’ll refinish the stock when there is too much wear. I would wager after awhile this mark won’t bother you nearly as much as now.

 

[AirNGasman]

The more closely you approach being so aggressive you damage the finish, the better results you'll likely achieve.

As Dirty Harry would say, "You've got to ask yourself one question- 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you Punk?"

 

[JimD]

I agree that steaming is unlikely to work because the finish is probably poly and seems to still be intact. So the water will not reach the wood. If you try it I would not go crazy on the amount of heat you apply. If you are careful and go slow, looking to see if anything is happening I think there is a good chance you will not make things worse.

I would try and examine the hardness of the wood used. Either take the action out of the stock or take the buttpad off and see if you can dent the wood with your fingernail. If it is beech, as is often used, you should not be able to. If you can dent it with your nail it helps explain what happened and also lets you know you probably should get used to it. The softer the wood is, the easier it is to damage it. I just make a stock out of softwood, however. I know it will dent easily but I wanted to kind of do a trial run on restocking my P35s so I used materials I had available without cost. It turned out nice enough I plan to use it. But I cannot expect it not to get dents.

 

[Chukar60]

If the finish on the wood is not rubbed oil and nothing else you will make the situation worse. Much worse. you many get the dent out, but you will haze, blister or remove the gloss finish and will have one heck of a time trying to match it.
The more you disturb that surface the bigger the problem is going to get.
I realize we all see defects from different perspectives, but that is so minor it is not worth the risk

 

[Bad News Beeman]

Seems the general consensus is to leave it and move on, which I'll do. I'm no expert wood worker so the risks of attempting a spot treatment will likely lead to bigger problems.

Its more may attempt to diffuse the frustration of having put a mark into a gun I hadn't owned for more than 24 hours, let alone didn't even shoot yet. And all because the dang thing brushed up against my clothes, of all things. I'm amazed such a light strike caused a dent. Figured beech wood was tougher than that!

 

[KitCarson16]

Best choice is yes leave it alone. One thing you could try that will not hurt anything is a furniture wax repair kit. You can get a set of various wax sticks from Amazon and other places. Lightly rub the wax in and polish until you fill up the scratch.

Kit

 

[Rawroots]

Hi all. Welp, I made an idiot mark on the stock of a recently acquired Beeman HW97K. I accidently rubbed the butt end against a zipper on my jacket which somehow managed to leave a light dent trail on the side of the comb. Quite frankly I'm amazed that this casual act managed to cause such a pressure mark, but here we are.

Its light enough that taking a clear photo was challenging, but it sticks out like a sore thumb to me everything I look the rifle over. I'd like to steam it out without having to refinish the entire stock. My fear though is that applying a wet cloth and hot iron will destroy the finish in and around where dent is. Has anyone tried this? And if so, what was your experience and the results?

I did the iron trick just yesterday, the finish on yours is too nice to f it up, purchase a butt stock cover or leather pouch to cover up , or better yet put a bigger ding in it to make this one seem not as bad.

 

[maxtrouble]

That is called "patina". You have raised the value of the rifle. Springers scream to be used, they like to shoot.

 

[Bad News Beeman]

That is called "patina". You have raised the value of the rifle. Springers scream to be used, they like to shoot.

Love the positive reinforcement fellas, really appreciate it!

I'll look at as my mark of ownership. The gun already had a former life, so I'm just adding to the history at this point.