Doug,
What everone seems to be saying is "be more careful". Ultimately, that is the only solution. I, however, was born with two left hands. (One of them looks like a right hand but don't let looks fool you) The vast majority of the scratches and dings that I get in my tops have no known source. They just magically appear! Of course, I put them there but I don't know how or when. How do you learn "not to do that again" when you don't know what you did?
Did you know that a stray drop of super glue will turn a carpet fiber into a lethal weapon? Inspect your carpet pads frequently and trim off anything that is hard or pointy. Vacume your carpet pads before every use. Nipped off fret ends will lie in waiting for the right moment to strike. Don't let the fact that you were ten feet away when you were nipping frets fool you. Ten feet is nothing to a flying fret end bent on escape.
The moment you see a ding, steam it out. Place a wet paper towel or soft rag over the dent and touch a soldering iron or iron tip to it. The is will not burn the top unless you accidentally bump it with the iron. (Did I mention that I have two left hands?) I haven't done that in awhile so I guess I can be trained.
Once you have steamed out the dents and done your final sanding on wood, wipe naptha on the top and inspect it under a bright light from every angle you can think of. Then sand out the new scratches that you missed the last time. Repeat. Then put a coat of shellac on the top. This prevents the top from getting dirty and seems to help with little scratches as well. If you don't French polish you can get a can of Zinnser Seal Coat. It keeps for a long time and you don't have to worry about dissolving flakes. It really isn't quite up to being a French polish but it is good for sealing and base coats.
I think Michael Payne is too cavalier with his tops.
Don't treat them like a fragile piece of cut crystal. Treat them like they are made of frosting. But don't dispair, My fifth instrument was ten times cleaner than my first and I wasn't conciously any more careful when I built it. My carefulness was, however, efficent and directed. Even an Olympic calibre klutz, like myself, will get better with practice.
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