Ive divided problems with wood into dents, gouges and missing pieces. Dents, which are compression of the wood fibers are a good candidate for steaming. I made a new head out of brass for my hand held soldering iron. I take a cotton patch and soak it in water then cover the dent with the patch and with some pressure press down with the iron and force the steam into the wood. Remember this only works on finishes that are in the wood.
Gouges have lost wood and need to be filled. On this last rifle I tried a new way to fill the gouge that was explained to me by my friend Bryndon. Instead of mixing fine sawdust with epoxy as I have done in the past I used super glue. I put the stock in the vise with the gouge up and outlined it with painters blue tape. I put a layer of super glue in the bottom and dumped in the sawdust and pressed it down with my fingers. I then brushed out the loose sawdust and repeated the same, five times, until it was proud of the tape. I then filed & sand papered it down to the stock, colored it and oiled it. What I like about this method is you can work with it right away and not have to wait a day for the glue to dry.
A person with more skill than myself might have inletted a new piece of wood into the area.
Missing pieces of wood Ill cover later.
