Quote from: Qsior on October 05, 2026, 03:01:22 PMKaitsu ,
What would You advise? Reducing the thickness of the 2mm matrix support?

I'm a little unclear about what the actual problem is and what you're trying to achieve. Doesn't your machine have enough height adjustment to position the 8 mm thick Matrix blades low enough? Or are you aiming to have two separate skate holders—one for 4 mm blades and another for 8 mm blades?

How tall is the part you bought? Is it 66 mm, like mine?

I love this machine, but the customer service...
First they used lousy belts, and now someone made a mistake and swapped the carriage supports—and somehow it's all my fault.

Kaitsu ,
What would You advise? Reducing the thickness of the 2mm matrix support?

In practice, however, I did not have enough adjustment range for 4 mm thick blades. I concluded that the underlying cause was probably the additional eccentric adjustments built into the guide-rail system. These adjustments can be used to balance the overall skate-carriage height so that sufficient adjustment range remains available for both blade thicknesses.

I did not want to start changing the guide-rail adjustments for two reasons:

I did not want to disturb the existing machine alignment.

The difference in lever position required to compensate for 2 mm of height is very large. I did not like having the levers at such different angles for the two blade types.

With a 2 mm shim, the height-adjustment levers remain at almost the same angle with both blade thicknesses. This makes height adjustment much easier, especially because there is no scale and muscle memory is effectively the only reference. This is probably much easier to understand if you have used an IE yourself.

Personally, I do not like the 0.14-inch eccentricity, which provides approximately 3.6 mm of height adjustment. It makes the adjustment extremely sensitive and makes precise micro-adjustments difficult. The rubber friction elements in the levers make fine adjustment even more challenging. I would prefer less eccentricity and a finer, more controllable height adjustment.

The IE has been sold as compatible with Matrix and Paramount blades and conventional steel blades for at least ten years. As you probably know, the chassis of these aluminum chassis blades is approximately 8 mm thick, whereas conventional steel blades are approximately 4 mm thick.

This 4 mm difference in total thickness shifts the blade centreline by approximately 2 mm. Therefore, the component you ordered for your skate carriage must sit about 2 mm lower than it did in the older machines, or the height-adjustment levers must have enough eccentricity to compensate for the difference. In the past, the problem was that the skate carriage could not be lowered far enough. On my Matrix-compatible machine, this component is approximately 66 mm high.

Because the blade centrelines differ by approximately 2 mm, the height-adjustment levers must provide sufficient adjustment range. I have written confirmation from Sid that the designed eccentricity is 0.14 inches, or approximately 3.6 mm. I do not know what the lever eccentricity was before the machine was modified for Matrix compatibility.

Approximately 2 mm of the available 3.6 mm adjustment range is already needed to compensate for the difference between the two blade thicknesses. In theory, the remaining 1.6 mm should be sufficient for setting the blade to the correct height. Continues..

Qsior,

I believe the "new" holder is to correct the over-reformed of the height of the holder for the accommodation of Paramount/Matrix blades. So it is no need to shimming washers at the bolt as my version of holder(just about 4 years ago). However, if your holder is of the most recent one, you might be buying the same thing in different name.

Regards.

I posted a whole reply the other day and now it has gone... no idea why.  I'll try to remember and replicate later today when I have more time.

I ordered a Modified Figure Skate Carriage Support for the Paramount and Matrix blades ($130). "No shim required, just unbolt what's on the carriage and bolt this new piece on" - that's what they wrote.
 I got it,
 It's the same as the regular one, what can I do? CNC?

Perhaps it isn't perfect, but I've used moleskin for years.

But I'm a low level skater. Maybe it wouldn't work with high level jumps?

(3) Moleskin and molefoam are intended for temporary use; they are not durable enough for long-term use.  For some skate remedies (e.g., tongue liners and DIY insoles), I use industrial Poron.  But I would not recommend it for your issue.  The specific mechanics work against you.  If you attach a foam liner to the heel pocket of your boot, what happens when you stick your foot in?  Your foot will catch the top edge of the liner and push it down.  Even if you use a stronger adhesive than the standard self-stick stuff, after several times, your foot will dislodge the liner.  You can get a custom insole with an extended heel cup; that may work, but that gets pricey.  Or you can wrap molefoam around the heel of your foot and cover it with a gel sleeve.  That may work, but that gets messy, and you have to redo it every time you skate.

(4) In summary, there's a big difference between whether you can and whether you should.  If you're stuck in a country in which you only have a choice between skating with ill-fitting gear or not skating at all, that's one consideration.  If you've already shelled out $$$ for custom boots, they don't fit right, and the fitter won't take them back (or, in another scenario, the fitter would take them back, but the skater was leaving the country and couldn't wait for them to be redone), that's a second consideration.  But to intentionally buy used boots with heel slippage because you think you're saving money, that's a third consideration (here, you do have other options).