Broken mount

[nicklaszlo]

I snapped a screw in half and pulled out the other two screws in the heel of my landing boot.  One of the screws took a bit of leather with it.  I landed the jump, though!

The boots are abut eight months old.

[Bill_S]

No screw should ever snap in half on skates. Get some good quality stainless screws (try McMaster-Carr), and make sure that the heel screws are about 3/4" long.

Instead of plugging the boot holes, you might try going up a screw size, i.e. from #6 up to #8. Many blades can take the increased diameter screws without having to enlarge the plate holes.

[nicklaszlo]

No screw should ever snap in half on skates. Get some good quality stainless screws (try McMaster-Carr),

There is no McMaster-Carr in Australia.  Blackwoods is similar but just not as good.  I'm paying the skate tech to fix them because he is easier to deal with than the hardware store and I cannot wait for the mail.

[Query]

Congratulations on landing the jump!

Is the broken screw steel? (If so, it would stick to a magnet. Aluminum screws don't rust, but may not take as much stress. Oddly enough, the highest grade marine stainless steel screws aren't very strong either, because there is a trade off between strength and extreme rust-resistance.)

Is the broken screw significantly rusted?

If it is steel, and not very rusted, you must be incredibly strong!

I guess in the long run, Bill_S's suggestion of using a good grade stainless screw, in a larger diameter, makes sense, even if you use the skate tech for a fast repair. Especially if the same skate tech mounted the blades with a poor quality screw in the first place.

Of course your boot soles and heel should be well waterproofed - that might help a little. What brand of boot was it?

It would be interesting to know what type of glue the skate tech uses to repair the heel. I've played a little with "Shoe Goo", but that might be a U.S. brand, and I'm not certain if it is as strong as the original leather and the glues that commonly hold heels together.