How do you steam out dings and dents from walnut stocks?

The factory was processing newly machined, dry wood and dunked them on racks into a tank/bath of whatever mixture of oils/solvent they were actually using, and then let them hang. Stocks soaked up what they wanted. Any new stock from CMP or Dupage can be duplicate the original finishes, using the same base finish.

The "water bathtub process" is not my idea, and I must say that I learned it here from Bob S's postings here, long ago.
I may have taken it to some extremes, but what the heck, if not successful, I could still grow tomatoes.

I have been studying the wood artists on line who can take really great wood and repair it--gouges, cracks etc. Mark Deprez of Rochester works on high end trapgun stocks and has done amazing and virtually un-detectible repairs to gorgeous wood that has been dropped onto crushed stone, etc. I am talking $10,000++ guns here. He has done stock work for me. Adjustable comb's etc.

I have another stripped and sound, long throat with no finish right now, but with no good GHS left on it at all. Still has a good circle P. It too came out of the recent batch of ugly stocks from wherever, this past summer.
It too had plenty of dents but no extensive sanding as far as I can tell, as it is still proud around the buttplate. It got bathtub soaked too. It will look great; needs another soak, but It has a rough sliding gouge, the between a quarter and a nickel in size on the middle of the right side about .050-.075 deep, that did not entirely come out--has lost some wood there. I am going to have DePrez look at it and possibly do some magic to the gouge, before refinishing it.
Traditionally sandpaper, has been used to get rid of such gouges in the rebuild shops.

Here is a Rem '03 stock that I got from Peconga a while back with handcut RLB. It was pretty dinged up. I finally did the soak to it and finished it about a year ago. It is still darkening up and eventually I will be satisfied. It actually looks too good but matches the overall condition of the gun. It is a restoration, not an original, like many out there--a Greek return.

Beautiful job, Redleg. I was always amazed that the bathtub method brought up proofs that were hardly visible and enhanced those that were just OK.

Redleg,

Quick note on sticky. That happens due to high humidity or the stock not being wiped off enough. I was taught way back to use a drop or two of Japan drier in my mix in little dish's like commandant plastic cups which I know by by the case. Works wonders

Jap drier? B-29 brand? I will look for some! I use small tuna cans for the mix, because I can get my fingers into them. Thanks for the tip!

Any Home Depot or Lowes should carry it. I have had a can now for 10 years and it is half full. You will use very little of it. I dip a Q-tip in and stir it into the mix until the q-tip is void of the dark color. So for me that is one Dip in Japan Drier to 1 or 2 oz of Boiled Linseed oil. I use 1 inch squares of old Sweat shirts to rub the oil in. Rubbing by hand and getting it to hot will cause stickiness also. You want it to dry naturally from the inside out. Some times getting it to hot from over rubbing and not removing enough with T-shirts or similar you will cause it to be sticky. Hope this helps. Rick B

Klean-Strip Japan Drier, Pint - Rockler Woodworking Tools