Help repairing some nasty gouges...

M

mhbradford86

Aug 15, 2018
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4
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#1
Hey guys!!!

I need some recommendations on how to repair these nasty gouges. I recently scored a 60's classic vibe jazz Bass for $100 and would love to give her some tlc.

As you can see, the gouges are pretty deep. I was thinking that drop filling would work, but that may not be sufficient enough of a build, especially on the headstock.

Thanks in advance, you guys! :)
 

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#4
I have never tried this so can't attest to its effectiveness. You need a fairly large soldering iron and a damp cloth. Lay the cloth over the dents and apply heat. The theory is the iron will cause the water to steam and it will expand the wood fibers where they have been crushed. The one closest to the treble side of the head stock looks like there is wood missing so that wouldn't work there. Be careful not to scorch the wood or paint.
 
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#6
There are a couple of options for the body. The first and least expensive is to steam the dents as recommended above. Depending on the results, some color may be added to cover any exposed wood. Follow by drop filling with CA. Then level, rub out, and buff.

The second option is to use lacquer burn in sticks. This is a favorite of furniture repairmen. However, the kit is around a hundred dollars in 2018 depending on your source. Behlen is probably the most popular brand.

As far as the headstock goes, if the wood is still there steaming might help. Followed by some color and drop filling.

N.B. Drop filling on and edge like the headstock is not a strong repair. If the headstock repair is bumped from any direction the CA can and will chip out.
 
#8
I have to vote for leaving it as is. The time you would spend steaming and drop filling, in my experience, is not well spent as it doesn't bring things back to like new.
 
#11
Steaming only works were wood is compressed, the wood on your headstock is chunked out. The gouges in the body look like they may be more in the finish than the wood and I doubt steaming would do any good with the finish still in the holes. I've steamed out dents in old military gun stocks soaked in linseed oil, but I've never tried it on plain old dry wood.
I believe you will do more harm than good trying to spot repair the body and short of rebuilding the headstock edges with epoxy I can't think of anything you could do that will allow you to regain the original lines and then you will need to refinish (read cover) the patch or it will always look like a repair. Since the body is painted, you could strip it, patch the holes then repaint it, but the patches might shrink and fall out. Basically, you are letting yourself in for a lot of work for little or no gain, but it's your bass.
If it were mine I'd live with it or take the money it would cost to redo it and just buy one in better shape.
 
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#12
Both sets of dents will be tricky to hide.

Colour-matching a white finish is a difficult task. A clear fill will always catch the light differently to the surrounding area.

Colour-matching tinted lacquer on the headstock will be a difficult task, but maybe slightly easier.
 
#13
sissy kathy said:
I have never tried this so can't attest to its effectiveness. You need a fairly large soldering iron and a damp cloth. Lay the cloth over the dents and apply heat. The theory is the iron will cause the water to steam and it will expand the wood fibers where they have been crushed. The one closest to the treble side of the head stock looks like there is wood missing so that wouldn't work there. Be careful not to scorch the wood or paint.
Click to expand...
This technique works well but you're better off using a clothes iron rather than a soldering iron, it has less temperature and more heat. You can get a pin and stab through lacquer too if need be and get through unbroken finishes, just keep that cloth wet so you don't damage the finish
 
#14
Christine said:
it has less temperature and more heat
Click to expand...
While I don't begin to understand this statement, I agree with using a clothes iron. I repaired several dings and scrapes in the neck of an expensive bass this way.

Having said that, I doubt that this will make much if any improvement here. Even if the wood wanted to lift, the finish will most likely keep that from happening. I might try to fill the body dings if I was hellbent on a repair, but fixing the headstock isn't something I'd attempt at all.
 
#16
wvbass said:
While I don't begin to understand this statement,
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Heat is the total energy within an object and temperature is a measure of the average energy with that object. So a tiny soldering iron will have more temperature or more simply it's hotter whereas the clothes iron even though it is cooler has more heat or it won't be cooled down so quickly because it has more mass holding more energy. So heat is measured in Joules and temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius
 
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#17
But here’s the thing about steaming dents out of wood. There must be enough moisture in the wood fibers to turn to steam and push the compressed fibers back out.
As for the headstock, the damage there is missing wood, no amount of steaming will help there. The only way to restore the original lines would be with some type of filler, or cut back and add a block then reshape it to match the original lines. Either way, it stands out like a sore thumb or becomes a major refin just for the headstock.
There is no cheap and/or easy way for OP to hide the “beauty marks” on their recent score.
If it were mine i’d play it while i put money aside for a slick example if that was my desire, but unless this bass was loaded with sentimental value (which BTW would seem to be reason o-plenty to leave it as is), i’d be satisfied with the $75 bass i paid $100 for.
 
#18
Christine said:
Heat is the total energy within an object and temperature is a measure of the average energy with that object. So a tiny soldering iron will have more temperature or more simply it's hotter whereas the clothes iron even though it is cooler has more heat or it won't be cooled down so quickly because it has more mass holding more energy. So heat is measured in Joules and temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius
Click to expand...

Ooooh, you're being all sciencey. I wouldn't understand; I'm just the bass player. :D

(Seriously, thanks for the explanation.)
 
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#19
fhm555 said:
But here’s the thing about steaming dents out of wood. There must be enough moisture in the wood fibers to turn to steam and push the compressed fibers back out.
Click to expand...
Yes exactly, I'm wittering purely about the technique rather than this case. The wet cloth will help get moisture in, also if you use a pin and stab through a finish you can get moisture into the fibres with minimal damage to the finish but it's the conversion of moisture to steam that reinflated crushed wood cells, there is an expansion ration of 1800:1 I believe so you need very little moisture to actually do the job. I've been a furniture maker since 1985 and I've done this lots of times, it is amazing what can be fixed with it to a very good standard. You might need to wait a while to let moisture into the wood through small pin holes but that should be common sense :)
 
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