Replies

1. 
   Drew_Nyman | Feb 16, 2001 10:15am | #1

   *
   You might consider stripping just the damaged section, steaming out the dent, then refinishing the damaged section, I'm assuming that your piece is of solid cherry. Drew

1. 
   Michael_Richwine | Feb 17, 2001 06:34am | #2

   *Your best bet would be what is known as a burn in. It is easy to do, but requires quite a bit of practice, or a little bit of personal instruction. In a burn in, a resin similar to sealing wax is melted into the dent, then leveled off and spot finished to blend it in. I do them frequently, and more often than not, I can barely find the repair the next day. Since you say the wood is not scratched, you could use clear burn in stick and avoid having to do any coloring.Problem is, you don't want to learn on a good piece. If you can find a good repair person, you might be smarter to spend the money. If you can pick up and deliver to their shop, the repair should cost between $50 and $100.Second best is to use a soldering iron (not a clothes iron) and the corner of a wet rag to steam only the dented area in order to swell the grain back to level. Keep the wet rag between the heat and the wood. The grain seldom comes all the way up, but a little judicious and patient lacquering and sanding will often result in a level surface. A soldering iron, preferably 80 or 100 watt, but a 25 watter will do in a pinch, gives a much more localized heat and doesn't damage the surrounding finish. In doing touchup, it pays to restrict your repairs to the actual damage, as much as possible.Meritindustries.com, Mohawk-finishing.com, and woodfinishsupply.com are sources for materials.

1. 
   Bob_Berner | Feb 19, 2001 08:02pm | #3

   *Hi Ken, I would suggest the you try to steam it out. You might have luck steaming it without having to remove the finish, at least you have nothing to loose trying it. If the finish gets mucked up in the process so what? strip and refinish the section. If the dent doesn't steam out on the first try, repeat and see if a 2nd or 3rd steaming will do the trick. Be careful when you sand the steamed area, you don't want to rub through any of the Patina on the cherry. Bob