Dyeing / Painting Skates

[FigureSpins]

I'm sure the parents of skater boys and synchro skaters will know the answer to this...

I have a student who needed new skates.  The pro shop had a pair in stock that fit, which is great, but HE and his parents will have to figure out something to do when he outgrows this pair in a few months.

Last night, I almost suggested buying him a pair of white skates and changing the color to black, but I just let it go because I honestly wouldn't know how to do that!

Let's say you find a good pair of white all-leather skates, like a Jackson Freestyle.
How do you dye or paint the leather upper and the sole black?


Another good question is: are boys/girls mens/womens boots sized differently?

[sk8dsmom]

Yes, boys boots are sized differently -Boys Size 1 is generally equivalent of Girls Size 13.  Fit also varies from make / model as well as width.

Dying I've heard costs upwards of $80 or more -not sure how the sole would be handled.  It's more effective to purchase for that price.

If your pro shop can order in, he can be sized and then boots ordered in -I've found generally 1 - 3 weeks they can have them in (most shops won't stock small boys skates due to lack of demand but the distributor should have them or can order them).

Depending on what your skater is working on, the stock blade (Ultima Mark 4) may be sufficient, otherwise the blade needs to be upgraded.  We found for my DS that the stock blade wasn't sufficient as we were sharpening it every 12 - 16 hours and moved him to the Coronation Ace (lasting about 20 - 25 hrs).  DS is < 60 lbs in size 1 Freestyles working on doubles.

Freestyle can be ordered with or without the blade.  Next boys boot up in Jackson/Gam line is the Jackson Premier (as the Competitor is not available for boys and GAM has nothing available).

If ordering in new is not an option and used boys is not available, you can always use black skate tape -and tape them like the synchro boots.

[Query]

I've never tried recoloring boots.

Lady's and men's sizes are different. Both by number (length) and by width (lady's shoes and skates are normally thinner, but there may be multiple widths for each). It is a good idea to try on any stock boot before buying.

I'd try black shoe polish.

Reidell and maybe some other companies sell black skate color in spray cans for about $10, I think. But I imagine it is basically shoe polish.

Either way remove the laces first. I imagine you will want to buy black laces to match.

[jjane45]

Will the boy be REALLY embarrassed putting on white skates along with black boot covers?
That way the boots will be easier to sell when he grows out of this pair?

[sk8dsmom]

Will the boy be REALLY embarrassed putting on white skates along with black boot covers?
That way the boots will be easier to sell when he grows out of this pair?

Absolutely YES, it is embarrassing!  If it's a young child (ie. < 4 yrs old and parent is involved in skating already and wants the child to start figure skating this has been done), but older children will not tolerate it.  It's the same as asking a girl if they would wear black skates.  If the skater is competing, this is not a good option.

As for shoe polish -the boot leather is sealed so it would not absorb much of the polish.

[Sk8tmum]

We used to get girls' skates dyed; it worked fine. However, polish won't work - it will just rub off, and it won't cover. Find yourself someone who does shoe repairs, and ask them to dye them. Generally, the skates need to be "baked" to set the colour, so, be careful if the skates are heatmoulded. It may not be easy to find, however - it took us some time. It's also a bit expensive if it is done right - we paid around $65 a pair, and that's a long time ago.

We tried the skate tape idea - it didn't work well- it's too shiny, and it peels off, and it looks odd (the strips going around - and we won't discuss how hard it is to manage with the lace holes.

We had our son's skates custom-made with natural soles; they look great. However, if the soles are sealed, it's hard to paint them and it will rub off.

Boys skates cost a bit more than girls, but not a lot; there is a wide range of them out there, easy to get these days (I wish it was that easy back in the day) - Jacksons make a decent assortment, Riedell an even wider range ... why not just go for the boy model instead of trying to dye white ones?

BTW: Jackson Competitor is gone, but, the next level up that replaces it (sort of/kind of) is available in black.  However, I'd go a level or two below Freestyle for a beginner ... particularly if it's a lightweight/young kid ... or look at Riedell, who has a wider selection. Haven't been impressed with the quality of the boy's GAMS that I've seen, but, never looked at them too closely.

[jjane45]

Absolutely YES, it is embarrassing!  If it's a young child (ie. < 4 yrs old and parent is involved in skating already and wants the child to start figure skating this has been done), but older children will not tolerate it.  It's the same as asking a girl if they would wear black skates.  If the skater is competing, this is not a good option.

As for shoe polish -the boot leather is sealed so it would not absorb much of the polish.

It's certainly done by others, judges won't see anything. Skater does needs to be strong enough to deal with peer pressure while changing, and mature enough to see parents sacrificed a lot for his passion. Of course if painting works out it would be a win-win situation.

[FigureSpins]

sk8dsmom - you're right about boys' awareness growing at six or seven years old.  This family could deal with the stigma: Their younger daughter plays hockey and their son does figure skating - they're all very well-adjusted, but the boy is really shy and self-conscious about his skating.  Not so much the sport itself, but his being in the spotlight.  He doesn't like having all eyes on him, so the more he blends in, the better.

I had the sweetest little five/six year old boy in a parent/child group lesson last year.  He wore shiny bright-white Riedell Medallions and was proud as punch about them.  I didn't want him to be self-conscious so I told my helpers to keep quiet about the color and I did the same. 

In chatting with the mom, she said that he had won these skates in a raffle.  It was the first time he had ever won a prize and that's what brought them to lessons at the rink.  He did very well, considering the skates were too big.  Hopefully, he'll be flying on the ice this year, having grown into them. 


I was only thinking about the white-to-black color change from a budget perspective: the skates he's wearing now are Jackson Marquis and they're less than 6 months old, outgrown without a crease!  Marquis skates only come in one width and he really needs a wider boot.  The next step for men/boys is the Jackson Freestyle ($100 more expensive and too stiff), so I thought they could pick up a pair of white Classique/Artiste skates in a wide width.  Skate color self-consciousness and stigma aside, I quickly discarded the idea because I just didn't know how to paint them, ROFLOL! 

Sk8tmum: Sk8tape now comes in wide widths, which would eliminate some of the lines, but I wondered about the eyelets and edges.  Raggedy-looking tape would look worse than badly-colored skates.  There's a shoe repair place in the Mall, I'll ask if they provide the dyeing service for leather, thanks for the tip. 

I thought about permanent marker, but that doesn't really last and the heels would be a problem.

I guess that over-the-boot tights have eliminated the need for synchro skaters to dye their skates, huh?

For this skater, I'll keep an eye out for a pair of used Freestyles in a wide width.  I am concerned that he doesn't skate or jump enough to break in a pair of Freestyle boots on his own, so used ones would be good.  I also know several boys in group lessons, so I'd like to know how to change skate color in the event that it comes up again in the future. Any other ideas or tips will be welcome. 

[Query]

First, I haven't worked up the courage to try this myself. Managers at a couple skate shops told me they have used some of these things successfully - notably a leather preparer and Reidell boot polish - on various brands of skate.

Here is some info from someone else, including the paints/polishes/dyes available from skate manufacturers.

http://www.sportscomet.com/Ice-Skating/235820.htm

Mr. Edge's instructions (and the instructions I got from one shop) include using a "leather preparer" - I'm not exactly sure what that is, but think it dissolves a clear coat layer which seals in the former color, and/or acts as a primer to which the paint adheres. They also include roughing up the surface first to make the paint adhere better.

It would be tempting to just hire a store to do it, though it may be cheaper to just order black boots.

BTW, boot fit is very important to foot health. You can do permanent damage if you force the kid's foot into something that squeezes some part of the foot hard, especially but not exclusively his toes. Ask your doctor if you don't believe me.

---

I have seen a few little girls in black skates. I wonder how much their friends laugh at them?

[sk8dsmom]

...

I was only thinking about the white-to-black color change from a budget perspective: the skates he's wearing now are Jackson Marquis and they're less than 6 months old, outgrown without a crease!  Marquis skates only come in one width and he really needs a wider boot.  The next step for men/boys is the Jackson Freestyle ($100 more expensive and too stiff), so I thought they could pick up a pair of white Classique/Artiste skates in a wide width.  Skate color self-consciousness and stigma aside, I quickly discarded the idea because I just didn't know how to paint them, ROFLOL! 
...

My DS couldn't crease his Jackson Marquis but was able to crease the GAM Astro and Jackson Freestyles -go figure.  So don't worry too much if you think the boot is too much.  Get what fits properly or get them stretched by the pro.

It's only in the past year or so the Jacksons in boys come in wide width -which is why we had to go with the GAM Astro size 1C last season, but could do the Jackson Freestyles size 1C (needed better blades) this season -even GAM/Jackson being the same company the sizing between the 2 brands are different.

Too bad that I sold the Jackson Marquis boys size 12 this fall, otherwise they may have been good for your skater ?   

[FigureSpins]

He's wearing size 3.5 Marquis now, so the 12's would have been too small and, since they're all one-width, they would have been too narrow as well.  Thanks anyway!

[aussieskater]

A long time ago when I was first starting out, DH's old black skates fitted me, but after a while I decided that I wanted white boots like everyone else!  So I changed the boot paint from black to white.

Warning - it was a few years ago now, so maybe more modern boots might not work like mine did.

This is what I used:

A large bottle of rubbing alcohol (available at the chemist)
Plenty of cotton wool
Stuff to protect the non-painted parts and surroundings (I used lightweight plastic bags, newspaper, sticky tape)
Aerosol-spray leather paint in the desired colour (white in my case)
New laces in the correct size and colour, ready to insert when the job was done

This is how I did it:

After removing the old laces, I used the rubbing alcohol on cotton wool to dissolve the protective coating on top of the leather paint, and then to strip the paint.  I changed cotton wool frequently, and kept it quite wet but not running down the boot.

This took ages and was fiddly, especially around the hooks, but care and effort here paid off.  There was some residual paint left which had soaked into the leather and wouldn't come out, but it was covered by the new paint.

Once the boot was completely dry (this took overnight if I remember), I stuffed the boot with newspaper and then used the plastic bags and sticky tape to tape over the parts I didn't want painted.  I also protected myself (breathing mask, face mask, gloves etc) and where I was doing it, as I discovered the spray can fly around a bit and I really didn't want to inhale it!

Then I sprayed following manufacturer's instructions.  Several light coats worked much better than a couple of thicker ones, as a thick coat tended to run and this left an ugly trail.

Once they were dry, I inserted new (white) laces and they lasted without the paint cracking etc for some considerable time after that.