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Blades feel wrong after sharpening - ROH problem?

Started by TreSk8sAZ, October 30, 2012, 01:54:00 PM

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TreSk8sAZ

Okay, so I just got my blades sharpened on Saturday (Phantom parabolics). First time I skated on them was today. As soon as I got on the ice, they felt wrong. I feel like I can't roll up the rocker at all. My waltz, sals and loops were TINY because I felt like the blade was flat and I just couldn't get "up". Moves felt off as well. Flips and lutzes were okay, but I still felt like I couldn't get much spring. I have really been focusing on my waltz/axel take offs of rolling up to the toepick to spring off, and even at the boards it felt like I couldn't get up there at all. Loops it felt like I was jumping from a completely flat blade.

Now, of course all of this is happening 1 week and 5 days before my first competition back in four years. So I'm freaking out.

Could a different ROH cause this feeling? Normally I get a 7/16" sharpening. Normally, this is done at my sharpener's store. However, he was at the rink on Saturday with his mobile sharpener and I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't set for what I normally get? If it was just a ROH problem, I wouldn't think that the blades would feel "flat". Which makes me wonder if it's a problem with the rocker. But, when I look down the length of the blade, I do still see some curve.

I'm planning on taking them back in, but won't get there until Saturday afternoon. I have two more practices before then. If it's a ROH problem, could using my profiler in the mean time fix it until the sharpener can? Is there a way I can tell if it's a ROH or rocker issue? (No, I did not trace my blades when I got them.)

sampaguita

Sorry to hear this. I think that the best thing that you can do is to go back to your sharpener and ask him what he did.

Are the blades new? If so, that could also be the reason. If they are not, my guess is that the rocker was altered somewhat, or maybe some portion of the toepick got removed.

TreSk8sAZ

Thanks. Definitely not new blades. Toepicks look fine. I'm kind of scared that it is the rocker, which is why I was asking if a change in the ROH could cause the same feeling or if it strictly sounds like a rocker problem. I am planning on taking them back to him, but like I said, can't get there until Saturday.

Is the only fix for changing the rocker profile (if that's what happened) new blades? Or is that something that can pretty easily be changed back?

sarahspins

You can't put back metal so if the rocker profile has been too far removed or damaged then likely the only fix is replacing them.

hopskipjump

You have tapered hollow ground blades, i am wondering if he wasn't able to secure them well when he was grinding them.

TreSk8sAZ

Quote from: hopskipjump on October 31, 2012, 04:05:57 PM
You have tapered hollow ground blades, i am wondering if he wasn't able to secure them well when he was grinding them.

He did it at the rink, so he had a portable sharpener. He had some sort of metal thing that he laid the blade on, the put another metal clamp on the top to hold th blade in place. However, not sure how loose these were or if it allowed the blade to move at all when he was grinding. If it wasn't secure, what damage could have been done?

It also seemed like he was doing them much longer than normal, as in more passes. I know he had one blade done (not sure which) and he looked at them, then had to redo that one a bit more.

Thanks for the replies. Definitely confirming what I thought, and very worried about it actually being a rocker problem. No way I can get new blades in time for the competition (and not sure anytime soon, they're not cheap), so I'll have to suck it up until then and just see what he says on Saturday.