Steam Out Dents on Neck?

[KevinB]

Hello all,

Last night due to carelessness on my part my D-03R fell and suffered a couple of dents on the neck.   The dents do not really affect playability, but are definitely annoying as I play.   I know the conventional wisdom is that such things provide "character" to a guitar and that I should play it for a while to see if the dents continue to bother me, but I am trying to educate myself about repair possibilities.    I have seen some information about steaming guitar dents out and am wondering if anybody on this forum had any success steaming dents out of the neck of a D-03R or similar neck guitar.      Thanks in advance.

Kevin

[TrinityGuitars]

Kevin  Steaming out dents is a tricky process and not one I would recommend as a home project. It is likely that after the steam repair that the surface will not fully recover and that you will still be able to feel the dents. In that case a finish repair would be needed. For beat results form the streaming process to work there need to be a break in the finish for the water to be absorbed into. You have to have the heating tool, I use and old iron hot enough to create steam. Problem is this it hot enough to damage most finish. A tricky combonation to work with.
Jim Holler

[SMan]

Hello all,

Last night due to carelessness on my part my D-03R fell and suffered a couple of dents on the neck.   The dents do not really affect playability, but are definitely annoying as I play.   I know the conventional wisdom is that such things provide "character" to a guitar and that I should play it for a while to see if the dents continue to bother me, but I am trying to educate myself about repair possibilities.    I have seen some information about steaming guitar dents out and am wondering if anybody on this forum had any success steaming dents out of the neck of a D-03R or similar neck guitar.      Thanks in advance.

Kevin

That may work but I doubt a deep ding in a neck would completely come out.  I have drop filled with cyanoacrylate (super glue) and micro-mesh sanded dings successfully in the past.  unclerob would be a better resource than me on this.  

[KevinB]

Thank you Jim and SMan.  I think I will not risk the repair and try to live with it.

[unclrob]

Jim said it all.I will add DON'T DO THIS YOURSELF.Smans suggestion is the best way to go,BUT if you've never done it I suggest that you practice on something other then your guitar or bring it to a pro.

[KevinB]

Thanks, Rob.   Based on the sage advice of you and the other experts, I will not attempt steaming.   

I will never sell this guitar, so it's just an issue of playability. And it's not a huge deal to me at that.   Though I always take my guitars to luthiers for setups and serious problems, this is just an annoyance and not worth spending $100 or more to have a professional repair.  I have seen some folks recommend using a wax crayon to fill the dents.  Any thoughts about whether that is a suitable workaround?

[tadol]

Wax crayons will work on furniture and such, but I don't think I'd recommend it on a surface you'd be running your hand over regularly -

Take it to your tech and get their opinion about what might be best.

[unclrob]

No crayons please.There is a post in the Larrivee guitars section about a guitar being attacked by crayons,it wasn't pretty.Have your tech/luthier check it over weather you have work done or not.

[TrinityGuitars]

Thanks, Rob.   Based on the sage advice of you and the other experts, I will not attempt steaming.   

I will never sell this guitar, so it's just an issue of playability. And it's not a huge deal to me at that.   Though I always take my guitars to luthiers for setups and serious problems, this is just an annoyance and not worth spending $100 or more to have a professional repair.  I have seen some folks recommend using a wax crayon to fill the dents.  Any thoughts about whether that is a suitable workaround?

 Do NOT put wax in the dents. This is a soft material and it will not stay for long. It will also make a proper repair much harder to do. The wax will prevent the correct materials for adhering. I would fix it like this
1) remove as much of the dent as I can with steaming.
2 Flatten the surface with 400 grit once the wood is completely dry from the steam.  The removes and raised areas around the dent.
3) prime the area with French polish. The French polish will adhere to the current finish and nitro lacquer will adhere to the french polish. The French polish will be put in a larger area than the area to be filled. The excess cleans off fast with denatured alcohol later.
4) drop fill the remaining holes with thickened Nitro lacquer,  don't ask me where to get this I make it. I make the French Polish also.
5) Flush the fill using a razor blade as a scraper. Finish sand to 2000 grit. Clean off any excess French polish . Buff with steel wool to get the best sheen match. It will likely be more glossy than the current finish. Low gloss is very hard to match.
  This is why a well done dent repair cost what it does. It take a fair amount of time to do right.

Jim Holler

[KevinB]

Just thought I'd check back in to update everyone.   I took the guitar to my favorite luthier.   He steamed the dents and it made a big improvement.   Not perfect, but much better.   There was no damage to the finish.    Thanks for all the advice.

Kevin