repairing new "enhanced" wood stocks

[jwm]

Please forgive if this is a double post...can't seem to find the original I did yesterday!

Can anyone tell me how to repair damage to one of the new wood stocks that has been treated with a film-type coating to enhance the appearance of the wood grain?  I'm looking at buying one of these guns, it has a small nick/dent smack-dab in the centre of the cheekpiece that looks like crap.  Obviously it's going to pick up more of these as time goes by, and I need to know how and if they are repairable.  I've steamed out dents before, and stripped and oil-finished a couple of stocks, but that's it for my wood-working skills and knowledge.  The only thing I can think of for this stock is to completely sand off the film coating and refinish.  Any other suggestions?

Thanks

John

[gunnut69]

Simply steel wool and/or scrape the finish away from the dented area and steam out the dent. Then allow the area to ir dry a few days and re-finish the spot. Plastics finishes can usually be repaired as one would an automotive finish. I so use the 'rubbing' poly as its easier to apply several coats with just a finger cleanup..

[Rangr44]

That is a "dipped" film application/finish, and the only way to repair that type is to remove it entirely, repair the damaged substrate, and re-dip the stock in another film bath.

If you simply repair the local area, it will look worse than the small divot that's there now.
If you strip the film off the stock, with the intention of staining and finishing the stock as you would any other, I would caution you that you're most probably not going to like what you find under that concealing film.

If you strip it & fix the dents, etc - Bell and Carlson will dip it in the camoflage pattern of your choice (out of about 12 choices) for $60.

If you're handy, the easiest/best way out for you would be to fill the depression flush and use an artist's brush & paints to blend in your repair with the rest of the finish's appearance.
.

[jwm]

Thanks, Rangr44 and gunnut69 for your input.

The more I thought about it the less I liked the idea of this finish.  This is not a cheap gun, at least not by my standards, and even if the finish was guaranteed bullet-proof for life I still think that it's just about as appealing as painting the wood.  I ordered the same gun with an oil finish for the same price, and when it came in it far surpassed the look of the phony wood finish.  Frankly, I don't see how they'll ever sell a lot of those stocks.

Thanks again for your time.

John