Fixing a dent with steam

Dan Erlewine is a walking encyclopedia of "how to's" when it comes to guitar repair. And of course a close personal friend

If you have a guitar dent that's bugging you this might be the quick fix that puts a smile back on your face.

Does this work for the guitar neck too? I have too many dents on the back of my guitar necks. Also does the soldering iron char the wood?

Increase the dreadful phobia!

The technique is easier on a flatter surface but should work anywhere if given some care in following the contour of the curve and not resting too long in one spot.

The purpose of the damp cloth is to prevent direct contact with the wood, and of course provide water for steam generation.

As long as you keep the cloth wet and and you are creating steam there would not be any charring. That can only happen if the iron tip is in direct dry contact with the surface.

In that case you would probably melt or burn the finish before damaging the actual wood, also not a good thing!

I would also remind you that this is a method to help fluff up relatively minor dents, i.e., the surface finish is still intact.

If you're looking at more serious breaks and the wood fibre is exposed perhaps that would be better served by drop filling and sanding.

The steam would raise the grain and require sanding in any event so best to avoid creating more damage in the first place.

Thanks for the clarifications! It makes sense how it is safe from charring now, what a stupid question I asked 

I most likely will do the bare minimum carefully just to get a slight improvement without much risk.

Increase the dreadful phobia!

There are no stupid questions, we were all once noobies and trying to make sense of it all.

You're right to take it cautiously until you get the hang of it.

The worst that can happen is a warm, wet neck...with a dent!

Speaking of which, one of my older guitar's necks (jackson) was slightly damp and moist for a week or two. I worried it would somehow rot the wood or something. 

When there was fire in the oven, I dried it in front of the heat, and it seems perfectly fine since then, but I wonder what the results of long term damp necks are.

Increase the dreadful phobia!