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11
The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by tstop4me on March 09, 2024, 03:55:45 PM »
Kaitsu,  your conclusion is that your polishing tool reduced friction, but rounded the edges.  There are some details of your friction tests that we could get into, but I don't think those are important.  With respect to the rounding of the edges, what happens if you then use your ultrafine-grit whetstone along the edges (on the sides outside the hollow)?  Does that restore sharp edges?

Alternatively, I had previously given details for burnishing the edges (both inside and outside the hollow).  If you have tight control of ROH, it would be interesting (after grinding and polishing) to burnish the entire hollow, as I discussed previously in

http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=8855.0  Reply# 10.

You can 3D print a proper chassis (holder) for the commercial tungsten carbide rod.
12
The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by Kaitsu on March 09, 2024, 01:32:32 PM »
Here you can see printed tool in action. https://youtu.be/aVAc4zSBo4M?si=pU46lCWhbRH1-Ifc
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I get confused easily. I thought it took a year for Harlick customs to be made? Or is this not the custom pair?

Oh… it is still the same custom pair I ordered at the beginning of October 2022.   
I’d have posted photos here already.   ;)  Soon now though!
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I get confused easily. I thought it took a year for Harlick customs to be made? Or is this not the custom pair?
15
My mother talked to Sophie at Harlick for me yesterday, because I can’t call from here, and my boots are supposed to make it to NY in time.  I’m really excited! 

Hopefully I can break them in enough to wear at the competition, but I’m not sure.  That’s a new experience to me to have brand new boots, and I was told by the fitter to expect a month… back when I was skating many more hours a week than I do now.   :-\  Perhaps I’ll just put them on for photos.   ;D
Coach Cheerful says she’ll help me with the break in during lessons while I’m there.  All I know is to wear them with guards at home, and it seemed like briefly doing some stick & puck was amazing for knee bend.  So, I’ll see if I can do that.


The new dream are skates modelled off of an Edwardian pair of that go farther up the calf and button for the upper half.  Saving up for those, but I guess it’ll be a few years…
16
The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by Query on March 02, 2024, 03:26:37 PM »
Perhaps the woodworking tools I was talking about using, which cost a fewl thousand dollars, are less available without high expense to the average skater than adequate quality 3D printers? Hard core woodworking hobbyists buy such tools, but perhaps few skaters.

I don't know is how accurate the types of 3D printer are that are widely available to the general public in public libraries. The 3D printer I saw used was consistent to a mm or two. But someone said that was poor.

A high end skate blade holder I've seen allowed adjustment of the blade height - which directly affects the centering of the wheel on the hollow - by 1/2000 inch. But I think that is overkill, that the tool need not be shaped that accurately. I doubt woodworking tools could do that well.

I use Pro-Filer by alternating skate or tool orientation every few strokes, to compensate for tool asymmetries and irregularities. And I use enough tape to fit the blade quite snugly, which locks down the geometry, so gravity doesn't matter, and I can hand-hold the tool at any orientation. I think it gives excellent consistent results, by feel, though I don't have the highest accuracy tools to check it.

Using those techniques, would library quality 3D printers do well enough?

Blademaster only offers 2 ROH's, 1/2" and 3/4", and their website suggests both tools are for hockey blades, which are much thinner.

If Kaitsu makes his specification files available to the public, and creates files for many different ROH's, maybe they could go to a public library and make their own tools in the desired ROH, that are good enough, for people who use those techniques. Or he could sell his tools to the general public?

17
Spectator Skating Discussions / Re: LiveBarn video privacy and safety issues
« Last post by AlbaNY on March 02, 2024, 06:26:54 AM »
There was a coach at my old rinks who really complained about it, and she didn’t like my filming very much either.  Otherwise it seemed accepted and even useful if a bit weird when thought about. 

I subscribed and used it to help remember choreography plans or to check on things out of view of my phone, but I did not find it as useful as my friend does.  She uses it all the time to catch clips of herself that she sends to me, some of her coaches, or puts on social media. 
Once it a while we (coach, myself, friend, and rink staff) did use it to eavesdrop on drama or to sort out what happened.  Like, one time a hockey team stole a trophy, and we could pinpoint who did it.

My coach’s mother made a point of watching my lessons and even practicing.  She was cute about it and just enjoyed being able to.

When I tested or competed I hoped to view from LiveBarn, but most of the time it was blacked out.  That really bummed me since I didn’t get to catch my very first competition.   :'(

The rink staff set it to black out the practices and such of certain hockey groups (youth,) and certain other times also out of some of the concerns that you mention.
18
The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by Query on February 26, 2024, 06:48:00 PM »
The problem was that my eyes are now full of steel dust and I can't see if the blades were scratched and if the scratches were on the mounting screws or which skates I even sharpened.

I hope you use protective goggles when sharpening with the powered sharpening machine, or working in a machine shop. Many people do. I admit I don't when using Pro-Filer but I've never had that produce dust that got in the air. I have used goggles while using a drill or saw.

tstop4me - but my concern is only on scratches that might conceivably add extra drag while skating.
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The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by tstop4me on February 25, 2024, 04:43:17 PM »
No, not the chrome plated area, unless you wear down your blades a lot more than most people do before replacing them. Only the part of the blade that touches the ice matters.

But the concern about scratches that other skaters have addressed have been specifically on the chrome-plated surfaces.  Scratches on the chrome-plated surfaces are readily visible; whereas, those on the chrome relief are not (here we're talking about typical scratches picked up from a sharpening operation, not aberrant deep gouges).
20
The Pro Shop / Re: Pro-Filer Redirects to Wissota
« Last post by Kaitsu on February 25, 2024, 01:52:08 PM »
Thoughts, ideas for improvement?

Yes, I have a lot of thoughts. Please implement this ingenious plan of yours and come back afterwards to tell us how your wooden tool works and if you got within the 0.01 tolerance you mentioned earlier.

In the meantime, I'm going to the eye doctor. I did grind the blades with the tool I printed. Enthusiastic about the given tips, I printed a jig that holds the printed sharpener in place, with the groove facing downwards. I lie on the floor with a skate in my hand and move skate against the pro-filer above me. It was a bit difficult. The problem was that my eyes are now full of steel dust and I can't see if the blades were scratched and if the scratches were on the mounting screws or which skates I even sharpened.

When my eyes are recovered, I have planned to print Profiler type of sharpener which has same profile as the blade what I am sharpening. Means it has same lenght as the blade I am sharpening. I can tune the profiler so that I can do 3 or 4 sweet spots and many other cool things. Unfortunately I cannot describe how it works, but its going to be revolutionary.
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