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Thanks for the reminder Peter, i'll see to that

Some thing to keep in mind is that the broken, cut or crushed fibers will be toward the top or open end of the dent. The damage will go from crushed fibers to mashed and bent the deeper in the dent you go. The lesser the damage the more the wood will swell with the steam. The reason I mention this is that steaming may not raise past the mashed fibers. So if the impact was hard enough you may not be able to steam it all out. However .160" is way way to thick for this top. Sand it down to at least .125" I believe the dent will be gone at that time

Serge, after you get the top thinned down, if the dent is still there, try the steam again. Don't sit the whole iron down on the top, though. I don't hold the heat there any time at all. Just rub the tip of the iron over the dent area only. Just a second at a time and look at it to see if more is needed. You'd have better control with a woodburning pen or a soldering iron. The iron will work, but only use the tip and just swipe the dent. Careful not to poke another dent with the tip of the iron.

Ron

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Ron Wisdom

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Thanks Michael and Ron, i do feel lucky i had stopped sanding at 0.16" which leaves me room to sand down and make it disappear, o.135 should be the mark where it's going to happen, i should then be able to sand the rest from the back of the top plates, down to 0.125, i 'll look through my stuff, i should have a wood burning pen or a soldering iron hidden somewhere to raise the fibers a bit more, Thanks guys!

Serge, remember all of the things you need to here. You have a rosette to worry about also so you can't remove too much from the entire top surface or you will sand through your rosette (Maybe!). The dent is at the outside edge of the lower bout so you can do a bunch of localised sanding, it is sometimes good to sand the edges thinner anyway to make the top come alive. But steaming a few times is what is needed, you will be amazed at how successful you are. As for the glue, it will soften when heated so just clamp your top as if you were gluing the together while you heat this spot and the glue will harden again once you are done with likely little effect. That are is supported again by your tail block anyways.

Good Luck my friend!

Shane

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Canada

I use a Monocoat iron from a radio controlled airplane shop. It's shaped like a regular steam iron only it's about 3" long with a long handle.

Al

Shane, i did exactly that! Lucky me, me and my wife were coming back home fom our trip to home depot and decided i was gonna take a look at it tonight even though i was supposed to let it rest untill tomorrow night. For some obscure reason, my hand picked the finishing sander and i started it. It'as if i had always done that, i just sanded in light pushes over the dent and it disapeared completely, the glue joint has closed back in and the yellow spot from the steam is gone also

I only have one problem left to solve, the plates are now curving up, probably due to the induced steam, they are curving in a "U" shape, the rosette being inside the "U". What should i do now to straigten them out?

Let it dry with something flat on top, but do it carefully You don't want to dent it again.

Al

Also, when you glue down the braces, it should take on the shape of the 25 or 28' radius or what ever your doing there.

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Thanks Al and Rod, should i lay it with the rosette facing down since the rosette is at the bottom of the U ?

Either way works. Be sure that whatever you use is clean and has no wood shavings on it ( the voice of experience speaking) or you'll be steaming it again!!

Al

Thank you very much Al, you rock, i'm goin' down to the shop right away, wil be back in a flash!!!!

I am coming in here late but it sounds like it has worked out well. I didn't notice if someone mentioned this but Another way of dealing with dents for the future is to put a drop of water in the dent and then touch a hot soldering iron to the water. The water evaporates and raises the fibers just like steaming but just in the one spot. I always ding up my tops before finishing so use this a lot.Interesting the thicknesses people talk about here, I often go as thin as .1 and have gone as thin as .09, that was a little thin mind you but the guitar is still holding up great.arvey38813.9805902778

.09" WOW. Well I guess i was a sissy for stopping at 0.16" Thanks Richard, this incident is all going to be detailed in my guitar notebook !

Thanks to everybody who reached out to help me on this one, one great bunch you are!

Just remember Serge, like a hair cut, you can always take more off, but it sure is hard to put it back if you've taken off to much.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Serge,

Now that the top is togther and the rosette is in place and you are getting ready to brace I would start storing your top in your radiused dish. That is what I do anyway. Just keep it face down with a bit of weight on it to keep it in place. I would though thin that puppy down to .110 or so. That is what mine is, 120 grit to .110/.108. It will be even thinner when it is done and it is the same Lutz as that top of yours (I think!). At this thin dimension it dries out very fast, a matter of hours under just a light bulb. As Rod says, that curve will easily bend out when you satrt to brace also.

Shane

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Canada

Now it`s time to slow down, Serge. Take your time, dude!
Don`t wanna be a bull in a china shop now! (or should I say Bear)

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Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Well Done Serge

One thing I like to do is coat the rosettes side of top with a thin coat of shellac to protect in from finger marks etc, and help make the binding cut quicker. I leave the shellac on right until final sanding when the body is assembled and bound.

Might be something you want to consider.

Russ

Thanks Rod, Shane, Coe and Russ, all great advice that i will be following to the iota! Slow but sure i hear ya Rod and Coe! The sanding dish advice is a great one Shane, i'll be PMing you tonight for things i'll need too. Hey Russ great idea too, i was just wondering the same thing after remembering how nice Alain Desforges's guitar looked after putting some shellac on. Can't wait to see how my top looks when all coated with it!

Thank you guys so much! Serge Poirier38814.762962963