Steaming dents can be dicey as to the actual results. Most think that all sorts of wonders can be performed with an iron and a damp cloth. And usually that simply is not the case.
If the grain of the wood is broken at all, it will not steam up. And the age of the damage comes into play a lot too. The more recent the damage, the easier it will come up. In my opinion, when refinishing a stock, steaming dents does not fully remove them, but more lessens the amount of sanding needed on the piece of wood. Steaming is best done on raw, unfinished or stripped wood.
And steaming on a finished stock will most definitely compromise the finish, requiring it to be redone or at least touched up.
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B. Dudley
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