Repairing damage on wood scales

[Diggerdog]

I finished a knife today and was so careful not to damage the wood scales. I peened 3 rivets without a problem but was so upset to see that I had damaged both sides near the back from the vice. I was ready to re-do the scales but thought I would try to rehabilitate the wood by soaking it in water. Wow. After about 5 hours soaking it came out as good as new. No sign of the damage that I caused with the vice. Made me feel that someone was on my side. Hope this tip can help someone else. Dave

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Let it dry and touch up with fine sanding (you will probably have raised the grain after a 5 hour soak),you should be OK.One concern with that long a soak is how much water got into the tang area.Depends on the type of wood,glue, and steel used as to how much this may cause a problem.
Another good trick is to place a damp cloth over the ding and use a hot iron to "steam" out the dent.
Stacy

 

[bigbcustom]

Let it dry and touch up with fine sanding (you will probably have raised the grain after a 5 hour soak),you should be OK.One concern with that long a soak is how much water got into the tang area.Depends on the type of wood,glue, and steel used as to how much this may cause a problem.
Another good trick is to place a damp cloth over the ding and use a hot iron to "steam" out the dent.
Stacy

I finish gunstocks quite often, and the damp cloth/hot iron technique has worked very well for me.