Permanently mounting blades on my own

[sampaguita]

Pro guy was so busy he suggested that I ask my father to do the permanent mounting for me (my skates already have temporary mounts). This is especially exciting, since I've been wanting to see how the whole mounting procedure is done.

I've seen the instructions by Bill Schneider (http://www.afterness.com/skating/mounting_blades.html). I think my father can do it -- but I'd like to know what are the possible risks.

1. Have you every tried mounting your own blades? How was it?
2. What could go wrong with doing the permanent mount, if you already have the temporary mounts on?
3. Bill S.' article said that for the front plate, only plug in the topmost screw and the one diagonally opposite to it in the bottom. Is it possible to just do it this way? (each line corresponds to a particular row of holes in the blade)
<top of boot>
mount left screw
mount right screw
leave both screws on temp mount
no screws at this level
<start heel of boot>
mount right screw
leave both screws on temp mount
<bottom of boot>

Thanks!

[Query]

Just be brave. It's not that hard. Bill's instructions are great.

If something goes wrong, it's no big deal to fill a hole and start again. If you strip the top of a screw, you can always add an extra screw, rather than buying a fancy tool to remove the stripped top screw.

The screw positions aren't that critical. What you say will work fine, though diagonal helps hold the mounting plate on the leather. If you do remove the slot hole screws, don't remove them until the new screws are in place! (  Please don't laugh.  ) If you want to be extra cautious, use extra screws.

Use flat top screws with countersink (a conical bottom) in the round mounting holes, to mesh better with the countersinks that are built into those holes. As per Bill's description.

As with any time you use countersunk screws, center the countersink of each screw on the countersink of the hole on the mounting plate, not on the hole itself. (Believe it or not, some major blade manufacturers don't always center countersinks on the holes.)

Pick a screwdriver that fits the top of the screw tightly, press down hard on the screwdriver as you screw the screw in, and don't screw it in too hard. These are because you don't want to strip the top of the screw, or strip the leather screw hole.

[Kim to the Max]

Don't use too long of screws...my dad did that once and I had a screw tip in my foot!! Ouch!!

[sarahspins]

Yes, you can definitely do it yourself, but I'd caution against doing it unless you're 100% sure that your blades are in the correct place (if you did need to move the blade later, you could still use some of the holes you didn't use yet).  If you are sure your blade position is correct, then go ahead and put the extra screws in.

I would also leave the holes empty between the toe holes and the temp mounts, and put the 2nd screw you're adding to the sole plate in the lower set of holes you have listed as empty.

There really are no risks to doing this yourself, beyond what query mentioned.

[jjane45]

Don't use too long of screws...my dad did that once and I had a screw tip in my foot!! Ouch!!

And?... 

[sampaguita]

Thanks everyone!

I bought the same screws that were included in the original package, but in stainless steel (the one that came with the skates were galvanized iron screws).

Query: thanks a lot for the inputs (I will definitely not remove the temp mount!). What do you mean by "center the countersunk screw at the hole of the mounting plate"?

Also, do you have to waterproof the holes before putting the screw in?

[Query]

It makes sense to waterproof first! Otherwise, you would have to remove the screws, waterproof, and re-screw.

Centering the Countersink: This is best explained by a machinist or engineer, but I will do my best.

On a countersink screw, the screw head has a convex conical bottom surface, not a flat surface. It fits into a hole in the mounting plates of the blade that has a concave conical top surface. Screwing the screw tight makes those two conical surfaces lock against each other, holding the mounting very firmly in place on the outsole of the boot. Both conical surfaces are called countersinks.

On a reasonably well machined screw, the entire screw and the countersink on it have the same vertical center, so you don't have to worry about them being different. On an optimally machined mounting plate, the mounting plate holes and the countersink on it would also be vertically aligned. But, a certain company that I will not name, which happens to make most of the world's figure skating blades, does not always machine things that carefully.

The rest of the hole in the mounting plate has no contact whatsoever with the screw when the screw is tight. Hence, if you center the screw on the hole - by, for example, pounding a punch into the leather in the center of the hole, then drilling the guide hole centered on the dimple you create that way - the pressure between the two countersink surfaces will push off-center, so plate will not be properly locked in place, and may shift around or come loose too easily.

What you must instead do, if it looks like the concave surface at the top of the hole is not centered on the hole (in which case, the top periphery of the hole is not a level circle, but is distorted in some way), is to guess where the center of that concave surface would be, and pound your punch into that spot. Just do the best you can.

I hope that was clear.

I didn't realize the problem existed until a pro showed me that typical mounting plate countersinks are not properly centered on the holes.

For a while, I thought of it as unbelievably shoddy workmanship, just as I considered the use of Phillip head screws, whose heads are so easily stripped, to be shoddy workmanship - before I realized how difficult it is to find #6 hex or square head screws.

It seemed poor workmanship to me because some of the people who mount blades at pro shops, have no more than a few minutes of training on mounting blades (much less than you have not spent trying to understand this), and can not be expected to figure all this out.

But now I recognize that such judgments by me are entirely unfair - after all, I'm not a machinist or engineer. Perhaps centering the countersink is a terribly complex operation.

If there are any machinists or engineers reading this, perhaps one can explain why it is so difficult.

[sampaguita]

Thanks Query. My dad told me to just let the pro's handle it -- we don't have the right equipment.

Regarding the holes, how do you waterproof the holes? Bill's instructions don't include that...

[Query]

You can pound an 1/8" (I think) dowel into the holes with a hammer. Then when you apply the wax (e.g., SnoSeal), it will finish sealing things. Or you could use any caulk that will stick - e.g., Shoe Goo.

Bill is an expert and knows how to be careful and not burn the leather. So, use a hair drier, not a heat gun, to melt the wax.  If you use Shoe Goo, heat will also make it harden quickly - you don't need to wait 72 hours or whatever Shoe Goo suggests. Such slow cures are probably only needed to re-attach soles to shoes, which Shoe Goo is designed for.

If you use the Silicone that Bill says is a longer lasting alternative to wax, I wouldn't be surprised if it does a good enough job to fill the holes too - I've not tried it. (E.g., Silicone gasket maker tubes is in automotive stores.)

Stop futzing around. Just do it! If you mess up and have to start over, it's no big deal.