Help please! How do I fix this goof!

[Joe Unni]

Hey all,

I really goofed up.

After this pretty complicated glue-up of some coopered panels, I realized that one of the clamping blocks dug into one of the already faired surface. It seems a bit deep to just sand away. I thought of maybe inlaying a dutchman, but I'm certainly open to suggestions.

The panels
PICT0400aw.jpg
The goof
PICT0399aw.jpg
A bit hard to see, but the major damage is between inch 2 & 3.

Please help!

Thanks,
-joe

[Jim Becker]

Try a steam iron...

[Greg Cole]

Once again, Jim said it right (and first).

[Glenn Clabo]

I'll add to Jim...wet it and then use the iron.

[Joe Unni]

It's a bit hard to see, but the damage is more then just a dent. The damage is splinters and crushed fibers. Some of the splinters actually had to be peeled away to where the depth in need of repair is between 1/16 and 3/32. Will an iron raise the wood enough to then sand smooth?

[Joe Chritz]

I have had good luck raising dents that deep but nothing to fix a cut or broken fiber.

You won't be out by trying it first and seeing what you get. If the iron doesn't work move on to something else.

Joe

[Ray Bersch]

Gosh, this is one area where I actually have experience. Ok, if he iron does not work, and with splintered wood it may not, go ahead and try the Dutchman - it looks to me that you should be able to match the grain very closely with scraps - and practice a few times on your scrap pieces. One way to do this is to peal away the first layer of the matching plywood, lay it over the damaged area and tape or temp glue it down good. Then use a sharp razor knife to cut through the patch and the damaged area - the fit should be perfect. This is nothing more than a veneer patch. The the trick is to remove the damaged area carefully by pealing away the first layer without damaging the cut lines that you made. You can always use a filler to make up for the deep cut areas - then glue in the patch.

I have done this a couple of times and always hate the process because you always worry about what is going to go wrong next....or you continually think about how stupid it was that you made the mistake - you know the kind of stuff we all repeat in these situations. but I have found that the patch is noticeable only to the craftsman - others never see it so don't tell!

Ray

[Doug Shepard]

It's a bit hard to see, but the damage is more then just a dent. The damage is splinters and crushed fibers. Some of the splinters actually had to be peeled away to where the depth in need of repair is between 1/16 and 3/32. Will an iron raise the wood enough to then sand smooth?

Any chance you saved those splinters? I always try to find the torn out pieces and glue those back in if I can. The fit and grain match dont get any better. It might not take care of the entire problem but might get you close enough to raise the area with the iron and sanding technique.

[Jim Becker]

What Doug said...

[Joe Unni]

...The the trick is to remove the damaged area carefully by pealing away the first layer without damaging the cut lines that you made...

Great suggestions Ray, but this isn't plywood. I guess I'll have practice my "precision paring on a curved panel". But I think this will do the trick.

Thanks everyone,
-joe

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Hi Joe,
If you do decide to do some steamin', be aware that the area you steamed may not accept stain the same as non-steamed areas. If you're applying a clear finish, or only a light stain, you're probably OK.

On another note, are you going to smooth the inside radius of the panels (that is, the concave side)? If so, how do you plan to do this? I'm in the middle of making coopered panels and haven't decided whether to leave the panels as coopered or to try smoothing it.

-Jeff