Sole damage in Jackson Freestyles

[sampaguita]

I never waterproofed the soles of my Freestyles because it was coated anyway. However, I just noticed that there seems to be a crack in the coating below the metal plates. It seems that the metal plate of the blade is beginning to sink into the sole (not much, but beginning to). I can't sno-seal it because the blade is still attached.

Is there any way to detect how much damage has been caused by this? If so, any suggestions on how I can stop the damage, preferably without removing the blade? Thanks!

[sarahspins]

You can safely remove the blade - you won't hurt anything.  I think you were told back when you got them that the sides still needed waterproofing despite what your pro shop told you.   They will need waterproofing any time you notice the soles soaking in water (either as spots or completely wet) after you skate.  For mine that has been every 3-4 months.

[nicklaszlo]

I never waterproofed my Freestyles.  The uppers broke down but the soles are still in pretty good condition.

[sampaguita]

They will need waterproofing any time you notice the soles soaking in water (either as spots or completely wet) after you skate.  For mine that has been every 3-4 months.

Hi sarah! I'm a bit confused, sorry. I waterproof the sides regularly using Sno-seal whenever I see them getting dark after a skate, but the soles seem to have this waterproof flesh-colored paint on it. Do you mean that you see dark spots in that flesh-colored paint, or are you talking about Jacksons without that coating?

Nick: glad to know Jackson soles are pretty durable!

In any case, I'll drop by the pro shop to ask if it needs special attention. Hopefully it's not that bad.

[sarahspins]

No, I mean dark spots on the sides where the leather is exposed.  The painted surface can crack but only after a significant amount of moisture has gotten into the leather - it happened to my daughter's freestyles but she used to just take them off and leave them by her bag while I was teaching LTS, so they would sit wet for a while before I got to them.  She got a long lecture about taking care of her skates and how she needs to dry them off any time she's not skating even if she's planning on skating again later.

I've never had any issues with my own boots - my old pair were worn for 2 1/2 years and aside from where I plugged holes to mount a different pair of blades, the soles still looked perfect.