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1
The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by Query on March 27, 2024, 09:49:41 PM »
I did notice your video showed a fair amount of what I think is sandpaper abrasive grain removed from the sandpaper. Much more than I've noticed with the Pro-Filer.

I wonder if sandpaper holds the grain less well than the abrasive grains embedded in the resin cylinders. Of course, there might also be different quality sandpapers, and different quality abrasive cylinders.

I don't know if the removed grain matters much.

I'm really impressed by the elegant simplicity of your method of making a substitute for Pro-Filer. How good a job do you feel it does? Is it much slower than the professional grade powered sharpening tools you've got? Do you plan to offer your 3D printed tools for sale?

Have your eyes healed? How did the steel dust get into them? Did you wear eye protection? (I admit I usually don't with Pro-Filer either, though I used to.) Or did it get on your hands, and you rubbed your eyes?
2
The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by tstop4me on March 27, 2024, 04:32:06 PM »
I should also find some volunteer whom allows me to test these tools to his/her blade. One important thing would be that skater would be skilled enough to give reliable feedback.

Given the variable ice conditions from session to session, it will be difficult to do A-B (polished-unpolished) comparison tests.  I think you'll need an advanced skater, equally adept on both feet, to skate with an unpolished blade on one foot and a polished blade on the other foot (and repeat tests interchanging the foot with the polished blade and the foot with the unpolished blade to check for bias). 
3
The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by Kaitsu on March 27, 2024, 01:39:34 PM »
Thanks to Marc sharing some improvement ideas, I was able to tune my 3D-print so that edge rounding is not happening so easily. Support surfaces are now 5mm taller (more in chromed area) than in Profiler and I added bigger chamfer to the intersection of the cylinder and guiding groove. With this tool I was able to polish blade hollow first time without rounding the edge. One problem in taller support surfaces is that they scratch chromed side surfaces. Protection taping is still needed. I printer three tools to get 400 800 and 1200 grit tools. I need to collect more experiences if one print works better than the other, even they should be identical. I should also find some volunteer whom allows me to test these tools to his/her blade. One important thing would be that skater would be skilled enough to give reliable feedback.
4
The Pro Shop / Re: Location of blade on sole
« Last post by Kaitsu on March 27, 2024, 01:25:39 PM »
Here is one example where I mounted blade ~3mm from the tip. https://youtu.be/6Ld-ej-OtEE

Main reason in this specific case was that the skater changed boot from Edea Ice Fly to Graf Edmonton special. I didn't check if the new and old boot sizes were same, but blade was a bit too short for these Graft boots. It´s common that if you change from the Edea to some other brand, your blade might be too short or at least shorter to sole than most of us has been used to see.

Skater changed boots because Edea didn´t fit her foots. She skated one month with Ice Fly´s, but they were causing too much pain. She has used previously other Edea models, but this Ice Fly wasn´t good for her. They went back to figure skate shop where they did buy Edeas and end up to Graf boots. Strange is that this professional figure skate shop didn't ensure that their existing blade has correct length for the new boots. Pro service...or maybe not.
5
The Pro Shop / Re: Uneven sole issues?
« Last post by Query on March 23, 2024, 08:04:12 PM »
Of course, reasonably good skate techs usually don't make that mistake.
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The Pro Shop / Re: Uneven sole issues?
« Last post by Bill_S on March 23, 2024, 10:46:50 AM »
Just FYI, It's easy to get reversed high/low edges along the blade length if the sharpening setup is off. This can happen if the sharpener's skate holder is adjusted high on one side and low on the other.

If a skate tech is not aware that this can happen, it's pretty much guaranteed to happen. It's one of the things that I check several times between passes as I sharpen a pair of blades.

EDIT: I should add that a blade bent along its length will also exhibit a combination of high vs. low edges on any given side. Check for bent blades with a straight-edge place against the side of the blade near the edges but below the chrome-relief grinding.

7
Dying the laces isn't much of a bother actually.  I glued crystals on Daughter's heels for her last pair, and that took a couple hours? 

Rainbow is nice, and that's why I bought them, but not for this pair right now especially with competing ahead.  It doesn't go well with my outfit.  Too bad I nearly sliced a lace today when it untied and went under a newly sharpened blade.  More arrive later in the week, but I need to get through the weekend!

Thicker laces don't seem to be a problem.  The holes look the same as on Klingbiels if nothing else to compare to?

Today Too Sharp kindly finished the permanent mount of the blades for me.  I felt so good in the new skates that I can barely imagine using the old pair.   :o  I brought both today expecting to switch to the old before my (cancelled) lesson.  Then I found myself steady and happy from the very start.  Spins have suffered, but they are coming back faster than I expected, and the one month break in seems more like a one hour.  Awesome!

I still need to write more and post photos, but not tonight.  We have a nasty winter storm beginning that may ruin my plans for a lesson tomorrow morning or evening or even any practice.  If that is the case I'll be so unprepared for the competition on Sunday that I could cry.  Yikes.
8
The Pro Shop / Re: Uneven sole issues?
« Last post by Christy on March 22, 2024, 09:04:09 PM »
I'm confused at what you're doing.  In the blade level checker I described (and similar one-piece blade level checkers), the "level" is with respect to a virtual horizon perpendicular to the sides of the blade, independent of how the blade is mounted to the boot.

You have a Matrix blade, correct?  If so, you won't be able to use standard two-piece blade level checkers (with a separate reference horizon): Paramount sells a special one.  As an alternative, you'll need to get hold of someone with a machinist's square and adept with it's use.  The HDI gauge won't work on Matrix either.

I think this answers the question as that is what I was using as was the rink guy. We both put the level on certain points of the blade, and it was showing that one side / edge of the blade was higher than the other, then after I moved the blade it showed the other side / edge was higher. I was wondering if it meant the sole wasn't flat, but it sounds like we were using the wrong tool to measure with.
9
Dying your laces sounds like a lot of work! :)

I've noticed a lot of skaters recently adding sparkles to their clothing and boots. And they spend a lot of work doing it, gluing one sparkle stone at a time. (There must be easier ways to do that! Like some way to add a sheet full of evenly spaced sparkles at once...)

Would rainbow colors be so bad?  ::>)

Anyway, glad you are happier now. I guess that if you have brand new boots, you don't want to spoil the appearance with laces of the "wrong" color.

If you use boot covers, you can avoid making marks on your new boots. I used to do that. But after 20 some years with my current broken down boots, it stopped seeming worth it.
10
The Pro Shop / Re: Uneven sole issues?
« Last post by Query on March 21, 2024, 07:54:59 PM »
I'm sometimes not good at figuring out what people mean.

Do you just mean the edge (e.g., 1 mm or so, at the very bottom) is tilted at an angle, which is easy to fix using a flat stone, or tat a large part of the blade is bent over? The former sometimes occurs if you sharpen the blade very sharp (i.e., a sharpening burr), but don't correct the edge with a flat stone, or if you step off the ice without a blade guard.

Or do you mean the sole is tilted, or the mounting plate at the top of the blade?

If it isn't just the bottom mm or so, could you provide a picture? If you try to unbend a big change like that, you could easily break the blade. And it is likely to be a manufacturing defect, and the blade manufacturer might be willing to replace it at no charge, but maybe not if you break the blade.
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