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http://skatingforums.com/index.php?reportsent;topic=8453.msg103406#msg103406 Re: Wissota powered skate sharpener review
« Reply #108 on: April 10, 2021, 01:40:27 PM »
During the years I have tried so many different chemicals to improve surface finish. I have tried example, pure water, WD-40 + several other spay oils, Chemico valve lapping paste, ski waxes, Accu-Lube stick, Blackstone Fine Shine, metal polishing wax, etc. etc. Main conclusion has been that almost all of them improves less or more surface finish. They main issue is that most of the ingress very deep in to the wheel and you need dress quite much from the wheel before it gets clean. For this reason I prefer to use "cutting oil" which viscosity is close to water.
I know this is anyhow wheel type and size dependent. Example Blackstone Fine Shine didn't work in my IE, but in Blackstone and hockey skates it worked well. Its viscosity and consistency was very close to 10W-30 motor oil. I have to say that Fine Shine bottle was not mine own, so I cannot be 100% sure if content really Fine Shine or has the skate tech filled it by him selves.
Unfortunately I have quite many big projects ongoing so I could not make you comparison with / without polishing wax finishing. Here is anyhow link to picture where I sharpened one pair of skates by using different polishing wax on both blades. In right foot blade used wax which is for aluminum and left foot blade I finished by using wax which is for silver and gold. I could not identify any differences on the surface finish. If you can see some differences in the pictures, it is impossible to say if they are from different view angle, light reflection or camera´s own adjustments. I should have some fixture which would ensure that pictures from left and right foot has been taken as identical setup as possible. Even this is not 100% perfect test, I can confirm that polishing wax was not bad at all. It is not anyhow going to be something what I use.
It is recommeded to download the picture so that you can zoom in to different areas of the blades.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0alp5m8ev5aobnu/Polishing%20wax%20test%20IE%4050Hz.jpg?dl=0What comes to the surface finish, I would say that its quite obvious that chatter-marks and coarse grinding will not improve the glide. I have one skater whom used to bring his skates for me. From my proposal they started to sharpen skates in one another skate tech (due long distance). Skater was happy for his skates until they did come to competitions which were kept by our club. Father of the skater did see me on the rink and he asked if I would have time to sharpen their skates. There was some hassle why their skates were not sharpened well before competitions. I said that I can do them, but there is always risks if you change the skate tech just before your competition day. They said that skates are so dull that they rather take the risk than try to survive over the competition with the dull skates. In next day I asked their feelings about the skates. They said that skates glide is so much better that the speed what you can gain is almost scaring. I didn't change ROH, so mainly improvement did come from the better surface finish. Since that they have used again my sharpenings.
It is anyhow fact that quite many skaters don´t recognize any difference in the skates even you believe that improvement what you have made is so remarkable that skater should notice the difference already in the first stroke. This should not anyhow be any excuse for skate techs to make poor quality. Unfortunate fact is that too many skate tech makes sharpening s just to earn money and not to help skaters with best possible sharpening what they can do.
Added after the original posting:
I tried some new mixture for another pair of Wilson blades. I was more satisfied to this new mixture than metal polishing wax. Link to new picture:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hhg7ihzeb7g7bjd/Polishing%20test%20IE%4050Hz%20-%20own%20mixture.jpg?dl=0