Beginner finishing

[Albert Wagner]

I am building my first project, a pine bookcase. There are several dings and drag marks scattered about the surfaces, that sanding does not remove without taking off way to much material. What is a good way to deal with this? Is there a putty that will take a stain such that a filled in ding is not noticable?

[John Kain]

Try distilled water and a hot iron. Sometimes it will raise the dents. Most times it doesn't work too well.

[Dave Falkenstein]

You could go with the "distressed" look and just leave the marks. Lots of pine furniture is beat with a chain to give that look. Or you can try a wood filler - I use Zar and it takes stain pretty well. Try the wood filler on a piece of scrap to see how you like the result. In either case use a pre-stain conditioner before applying stain, and the wood will take the stain more uniformly. Pre-stain is particularly useful on softer woods like pine.

[Mark Pruitt]

The steam iron trick might work if the dent is not too deep. Place a cloth over the workpiece before hitting it with the steam from the iron.

Since you are getting started in finishing, there are some books that you will likely find helpful. One is Wood Finishing Fixes by Dresdner (click HERE (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561585912/qid=1152543925/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-1275080-7349467?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)); the other is Understanding Wood Finishing by Flexner (click HERE (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762106212/qid=1152544133/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/103-1275080-7349467?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)).

Mark

[Carl Eyman]

Albert: What the others have said about steam + stay away from any filler if you are not painting. If you have a router you might try an inlay tool to put in an inlayed piece. If the ding is very small (1/2") you could bore a shallow hole and put in a plug made with a plug cutter, or you could sand yhe area making a "dished" depression. This last will not work with a gloss finish. If any of these "solutions" (if they can be called that) appeal to you, I'll be glad to furnish more details. Meanwhile welcome to the world of pine. I worked with it for years before I got into the hardwood rut.

[Albert Wagner]

Many thanks to all who replied. I will certainly try the steam trick as well as some filler on some scrap. Thanks to Mark for the book suggestions. Both are on my Amazon wish list now. The distressed look will probably win out; I've never owned a piece of furniture that didn't end up looking distressed : )