I slipped last year going up a creek bank and somehow got the riser of my longbow between my hand and a rock. Needless to say, I had a nice big dent in the ipe riser. I took a washcloth and got it wet but not dripping wet. Wring it out like Kip said. Also, I found that a round metal rod worked better than the iron. Use a torch to heat the rod up. Heat it til the metal starts turning, not red hot. Lay the rag on the dent and roll the hot rod over the dent. Be sure to cover more than just the dented area so you don' t scorch the dry area of the riser. I managed to get a lot (80%) of the dent out but did not push my luck as I did not want to take the chance of having the glued sections of the riser get hot and come apart. Start out slow and careful. You should be able to make a big difference in the dent. What little is left is a reminder of where I was and what I was doing.

If all else fails, use this to your advantage and throw the ol' guilt trip on the wife and before you know it, you' ll have a new bow on the way.

Good Luck,
Strutter