Did you know how to...

I haven't got my shop set up yet and although I'm itching to get my hands on some tools and do some woodworking, my wife has other ideas.
We all know which one takes priority.

Anyway, I thought I'd pass on some tips and tricks to save you some money and have some fun fixing your own stuff.

Did you know you can iron dents out of wood ? Seriously. This only works on real wood, not the plastic finish on some of the cheaper stuff.

Let's say your wooden table has a dent in the top. Some folks will think they can just sand it out. Don't do it. By the time you sand deep enough to get the dent out, you'll make a dip in the wood that looks even worse.
Iron it.

First, give the area a light sanding. That will remove any finish and let the moisture penetrate. Get a damp cloth, not wringing wet, just good and damp, place it over the area and with your iron set on medium, iron the cloth. Check every 30 seconds or so and if you need to, re wet the clothe and keep ironing. The heat and moisture cause the wood fibers to expand and you just ironed the dent out of your table. Give it a light sanding [ I use 400 grit ] and apply some finish and you're done. It works very well on small to medium dents and will improve really big ones, but you'll still have a dent, just less noticeable.

One other thing....Don't use Gorilla Glue. That is the worst crap on the market. If you've ever used it, you've seen that it foams. When it does that, it expands, which pushes the joint apart and looks like hell.
Titebond. There are different ones and all are good, depending on the purpose. I usually use Titebond 2 or Titebond 3.
3 has a longer set time, so you can move/adjust things without breaking the bond.

a reply to: DAVID64

I'll have to give this a try. I'm not a fan of sanding. For me, it's the worst part of every project and it's hard to resist the urge to rush through it. Titebond II is what I've always used. Never had any issues. There is a good reason so many people use it.

a reply to: DAVID64

Excellent advice.

You also use heat and steam to de-bond wooden parts that have been glued together.

I restored antiques for many years and the iron/wet cloth technique is the only way to remove dents IMO. It's also the only time in my life I've used a clothes iron....much to my mother's disgust.

a reply to: Flatcoat

The only time I've ever used a clothes iron was to get melted candle wax out of carpet. It's been awhile but I think I used damp newspaper to soak it up. My mom wasn't disgusted though. She gave me her old iron and told me how to do it.


eta: NOT newspaper, but a few layers of dry paper towels.

First, use a knife to get the large chunks out of the carpet, and then a few layers of dry paper towels, so that you make sure not to get wax on the iron. Obviously, don't leave the iron on there very long, otherwise you could end up burning the carpet. Just a few seconds and keep using new paper towels if you need to.

originally posted by: BrokenCircles
a reply to: Flatcoat

The only time I've ever used a clothes iron was to get melted candle wax out of carpet. It's been awhile but I think I used damp newspaper to soak it up. My mom wasn't disgusted though. She gave me her old iron and told me how to do it.

I am marking this for after while .
I dumped a whole scented warmer cup of wax on a spread that was over a 70 years old .
My wife has not let me alone about that one .
Big thank you for this....

a reply to: DAVID64
And thank you for this.
I had used the iron method a LONG time ago on an old desk .
I had forgotten this trick .

originally posted by: DAVID64
One other thing....Don't use Gorilla Glue. That is the worst crap on the market. If you've ever used it, you've seen that it foams. When it does that, it expands, which pushes the joint apart and looks like hell.

Gorilla glue is designed to do that and the use of clamsps or weights should be employed. It is so the glue fills cavaties.

a reply to: Gothmog

It was probably about 20 years ago when I did it. I was packing & cleaning to move out of an apartment, and drinking beer all day(probably non-stop the whole weekend) so my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I do remember that it worked.

I tried looking it up and came across this↓ image. Looks like they're using a dry paper bag. I called my mom and asked her. I was slightly off in my previous post, so I went back and edited it. (she said to get the large chunks with a knife first, then use a few layers of dry paper towels, not newspaper). She also said to leave the iron on the high setting, which kinda surprised me but it does make sense, so that you don't have to leave the iron on there very long.

But I don't know, this↓ paper bag thing might work better than paper towels.

I assume you're talking about something like an old family quilt. As long as you pay attention and you're careful, it should be alright. Just don't let it get too hot.

a reply to: BrokenCircles
It's worth a try ....
And it may just restore my wife's confidence in me .

reply to: DAVID64

Thanks


You learn something new everyday and I will be able to use that one in my line of work handy tip that one and save hours of needless work S&F bud

a reply to: Flatcoat
If you restored antiques you should be recommending the glue you used, Fish glue, stunk like a dead polecat but does the job.

a reply to: DAVID64

I didn't know that, I will have to give that a try. I have lots of tools, including an eighteen inch open end table belt sander to smooth wood, but this technique would be better than sanding a sixteenth inch off of the top of a table or desk and does not require taking the top off and stripping it down. I can get about thirty five inch wide panels sanded with my sander .

a reply to: DAVID64

This is why i prefer working with metal!