Should i sharpen new skates

The cross-grind runs perpendicular to the blade of the skate, unlike the finishing wheel. It resets the bottom of the blade to be flat, ensuring that it is perfectly aligned with the finishing wheel. This can, however, remove more steel than the finishing wheel. If your skates undergo a full cross-grind after every sharpening, your blades will have a much shorter lifespan than without cross-grinding.

Despite any type of skates, blades should be sharp. The sharpness of skates is determined through the radius of the hollow. It is ground into the bottom of your blades during sharpening and defines the inside and outside edges. How deep you should have your skates sharpened depends on your skating style and what is most comfortable for you. For tight turns and quick acceleration, go for a smaller radius that will give you more bite into the ice.

However, bear in mind that it will cause greater friction and lessen glide and speed since the edges will dig deeper into the ice. Also, a bigger radius will be less durable and more fragile.

It will cause less fatigue, but also less maneuverability, so choose wisely and consider all the pros and cons of your skating style. Another variable to consider is weight. Generally, the heavier you are, the larger radius you need. Light skaters can tolerate a smaller radius because they do not bear a lot of weight on the ice. Heavier skaters trying to skate on a smaller radius will bite into the ice and have trouble stopping without going over the top of the skates or chattering.

On the other hand, they can hold tight turns. If you are a beginner, you should remember that most skills are easier to learn with a larger hollow radius. As they progress, you can decrease the radius to a normal level. One more thing to consider is the ice temperature. Most ice skating rinks have ice temperature of about 25 degrees Fahrenheit -4 degrees Celsius. A temperature of degrees Fahrenheit -8 -5 degrees Celsius is considered hard ice, and degrees -4 -3 degrees Celsius is good figure skating ice.

There are two common major problems you can encounter after you have your skates sharpened. It is not the end of the world, but either way, the best solution would be to have them re-sharpened. The first major issue is improper alignment. You will have a good bite when you turn or stop in one direction, but going the other way, you will feel like slipping out.

Another way to notice that is to look down the length of your blade. You might see that one edge is higher than the other one. The second skate sharpening mistake occurs when the skates are not fully sharpened. That means that they were cross-ground but not hollowed back out completely.

After flattening the blade from the cross-grind, the sharpener had to pass it over the finishing wheel enough times to regain its edge. Your skates will have a little bit, which will make pushing, turning, or stopping much harder. The benefits of this would be that you get a tighter hold than going through the inside.

This process is quick and easy to complete, as well. After finishing up a skating session, you will want to do more than simply just throw your expensive skates in your equipment bag and be on your way. Treating them properly is essential if you want to get the most longevity out of them.

To start, one thing that you will always want to do is remove them along with all other equipment from your hockey bag and let them air dry. This will help air circulate around them and help them dry faster. You can also use a few sprays of CaptOdor in each one before going on your way.

This spray helps to eliminate odors, keeping your skates fresher, longer. Another helpful tip is to remove the footbeds from the skates. Not only will this give them a chance to air dry, but it will also eliminate the chance of any rust forming on the tops of the rivets that attach the holder onto the bottom of the skate.

These can also be sprayed with sprays of CaptOdor for good measure. Lastly, when removing your skates from your bag and letting them air dry, be sure that the area they are in is not too hot and humid. Storing them in areas like this will cause the drying process to significantly slow down or even stop.

If this is unavoidable, it is recommended to use a blow dryer, on a cool setting, to help speed up the drying process.

Not only are the skates themselves important, but the blades on them are just as important! This prevents against any rust from forming. From there, I like to let the skates lie on top of the blade soakers while I get the rest of my gear off, giving the blades the time to air dry. After this is when I put on my blade soakers. Simply press the grey trigger on the back of the holder, firmly pull up on the back of the blade, and it should pop right out. After finding steel that is compatible with the EDGE holders, such as Step Steel, BladeTech, or Massive Steel, insert the front portion of the blade into the holder first, then move to the back and use a cloth overtop to firmly press until you feel it pop into place.

You will also want to ensure that you select the correct size steel. On the bottom of your holder, you will find a three-digit number that indicates the size steel you will need. At some point in your hockey playing career, you will unavoidably need a new pair of hockey skates.

So how do you know when that time has come? While there is not a set number of hours you should skate in them before it is recommended to get a new pair, there are a few clear signs that will help you determine if you need to purchase a new pair. Typically, it all comes down to how often you skate and the level of competition in which you are participating. Casual, rec league players might go decades with the same pair of skates, while kids playing competitive, AAA hockey will only go one season.

The obvious factor is how they look and feel. All skates, regardless of if they are entry level or pro level, should have some level of stiffness to them. You do not want the boot to bend or change shape much while skating. The other indicator is how they look. Woodworking tools probably won't work - you'll be much more likely to damage the blade than to actually sharpen the skate.

Its not the same as sharpening a knife. Here is a decent article about the how's and why's of skate sharpening. I would bet there are actually more than two places in your town. Is there an ice rink nearby? I'd stop by there and check their board - I bet there are ads on the board from people who have the machinery and who sharpen their skates at home. My opinion is that putting dull skates on kids who have never skated before will turn them off skating for a long time.

If you want them to love the activity, then treat the equipment correctly. I realize that this wasn't your question, but I really, really wouldn't recommend skating on that pond.

Your location says that you're in Spokane, where the weather has been hovering around freezing recently, but has gone above 32F pretty much every day. That means that not only is the ice unlikely to be very thick, it's also melting and refreezing on a daily basis, which weakens the ice. Skating on weak ice can lead to fatalities. Please, please go to a commercial skating rink. It depends on how sharpened they were by the factory prior to shipping.

Usually they're left quite dull, to protect consumers during shipping. Skates that aren't sharpened make the wearer feel like they're sliding sideways on the ice, or worse, they will pull to one side or another -- much the same way your car might if it isn't aligned properly. It's not a pleasant feeling. You can sharpen your own, but I've never done it. I'm unsure if woodworking tools would be appropriate to use. See Skate Sharpening. It's worth noting that some larger sporting goods stores and rinks will sharpen ice skates for you even if they don't advertise the service.

It only takes minutes per pair. BTW, beware of anyone who uses an automatic sharpener. They do apply even pressure down the length of the blade as they grind, but they can cause problems.

You see, skates should only be sharpened from the front of the rocker to the rear -- not the entire blade. Automatic sharpeners use a rotating grinding wheel that works on the entire blade, going beyond the rocker.

This removes too much metal. With successive sharpenings, the blade will be weakened and its contour changed. Sharpen them. I have a scar on my chin from new unsharpened skates when I tried to hockey stop and they had no edges. Unless you like stitches and scars, spend a little bit of time to get them sharpened up properly.