Time to resharpen???

[WaltzJump413]

My skate fitter recommended resharpening after 30 hours of skating. I've just about reached that point.

My concern is that I might temporarily "lose" my stops (I might be wrong, but I thought I heard that freshly sharpened skates can make it hard to stop at first). I am trying to learn the hockey stop.

Should I wait a bit longer so I have more time to get comfortable with the things I'm working on (3-turns and hockey stops) since Gamma's only been going on for 2 weeks? Or would the 3's maybe be easier with a new sharpening?

I have Riedell 121's with just the recreational blades they came with, nothing fancy.


Thank you!

[nicklaszlo]

I think 30 hours is too soon, but it varies.

It could take a long time to get comfortable with hockey stops.  Blunt blades will make stops harder.  After sharpening, you may have stopping difficulty for an hour of skating.  With a good sharpener, there will be no difficulty at all.

I suggest having a coach look at your blades, but even there you will get differing opinions.

[skategeek]

I've discovered that I can only go about 15-20 hours between sharpenings (Jackson Classiques with the stock blade); I can't manage edges after that.  Last time I got them sharpened, everything was great for the first class, but the next week I couldn't do snowplows- it was like the blade just bit right in without letting me slide my foot out to "plow."  The week after, though, everything was fine.  So in my very inexperienced opinion, if you're working on skills involving edges, it might be better to sharpen and just deal with any short-lived problems with stopping. 

[WaltzJump413]

Thanks nicklaszlo and skategeek.

I will definitely talk to my coach about it. I honestly am not sure--these are my first skates and my first sharpening.
And I will be working with edges (outside 3-turns) so I'll keep that in mind.

Thanks again!

[sarahspins]

Unless you are showing signs you need to get them sharpened I'd wait a little longer.  I don't personally go by an hourly total, I have always just gone by how mine feel.. if you are struggling to hold edges or find yourself skidding on elements that previously felt secure, then it's probably time to sharpen.  Usually for me I can tell when mine need to be sharpened by how my spins feel - the entrances start to feel a little off when my blades lose their sharpness.  If I wait until I notice it on jumps then I know I've gone way way too long.

[WaltzJump413]

Thanks. I think I will wait...I'm only skating once a week for around 3 hours, so I could probably go a bit longer.
I will pay attention to how things feel, though.

[sampaguita]

Most of the time, if my schedule can afford it, I just sharpen my skates when I feel like they need it. If I can't hold outside edges properly anymore, then it's time to have it sharpened.

If my schedule doesn't match with that of the sharpener's, and I have to predict when my skates will be dull, I use the fingernail test. If I run my fingernail perpendicular to the length of the blade (i.e., starting from the sharp edge going towards the sole of the boot) and there's no residue left, that means I have to have it sharpened soon.

Keep in mind that the edges don't wear out uniformly. In my case, the right inside edge wears out faster than the other edges.

As for stops -- if the sharpener is good, there's no need to worry. However, since you are still in Gamma, you might want to practice stops at lower speeds than normal just to get a feel of the sharpening. Also, sharper blades slow you down, in general, so don't be surprised if you find yourself having to stroke harder after a sharpening. However, post-sharpening is the best time to practice consecutive edges.

[WaltzJump413]

Thanks so much, sampaguita.

I didn't really have trouble going from rentals to newly sharpened skates, so I'm thinking my stops will be fine when I do sharpen them.

I'm guessing my right blade will go dull earlier, since I snowplow stop with that one.