Painting skates

[SynchKat]

I got a great deal on my current skates but unfortunately they are eight beige and the "in" colour for synchro the past few years is white skates.  Has anyone painted their skates themselves?  I know of a place to take them to but it is all the way downtown and I don't really want to have to leave them somewhere since I don't have any back up skates.

I could tape them but that looks so bad up close.  Any thoughts.


Mod note: corrected current skate color.

[accordion]

Not sure what you mean by "eight".

I would think that white boot covers would be fine.

Is it possible that you could ask the coach?

[AgnesNitt]

First hit when googling 'leather paint'

http://www.shoeshineexpress.com/angelusacrylicpaint.asp?gclid=CPD5o_vmwLMCFQqe4AodOBAAjw

[SynchKat]

Eight should have been white beige. 

Boot covers are not an option.  I don't like the look of boot covers and I find they make my feet feel heavy.  Yes I said they make my feel feel heavy. 

I wonder how hard the painting would be. 

[jjane45]

Now I am confused. What is the current color and what color do you want?

[SynchKat]

Mine are beige.  They need to be white. 

[Kim to the Max]

Skate tape is what a lot of the girls around here use, whether their skates are white or beige. That way all of the whites are consistent.

[Query]

Hope your skates aren't suede! Suede is easily messed up.

Riedell sells polish for skates. But I believe the directions said to prep the surface first, and use a "leather preparer". That might mean removing the current clear coat (which boot makers have said varies in composition by brand), and roughing up the surface to make the new polish adhere. It is also possible that prepping the surface is overkill, unless you are very picky about the finish.

And it is also possible that new Riedell boot polish only adheres to Riedell brand old polish and/or clear coat, and wouldn't work on some other skates. I haven't personally tried it. The tech at a pro shop in Ithaca, NY (at The Rink) said it worked well on several brands. (Caution: that was a fair number of years back.)

If you want the new color to last, you might add another clear coat layer on top. Don't know whether that is needed. Something like an art supply store acrylic? Of course, the boot might not breathe well.

But if ordinary thin boot covers add too much weight  (huh???) wouldn't an extra layer of polish do the same? Unless it is the appearance of boot covers that somehow makes you feel heavy, not the covers themselves.

Is Beige now passé everywhere in synchro, or is that a local phenomena?

[Skittl1321]

What about something like Kiwi shoe polish?

I'd tape them though.

[SynchKat]

They aren't suede.  I refused to do anything to my old suede skates which now sit in my garage looking lovely still. 

Ya I think I might tape them.

The process is stripping the leather sounds a bit scary.  Boot covers I wore ages ago and i swear felt heavy.  I also don't like the look of boot covers. 

And beige has been "out" for a little while now.  I have been doing synchro for 8 years now and it went from over the boot tights (so ugly) to white skates with beige tights in the boot to white skates with beige footless tights and now the rage here is white skates with black tights pulled down over the heel.  I bet beige skates will be back in fashion next year. 

[aussieskater]

I have changed black skates to white, but it took a lot of effort.  Much time and rubbing alcohol to remove the black non-porous paint to allow the white to adhere, then several coats of white to cover the black.  It worked well, but I wouldn't willingly do it again.

How far away is that boot place??

[SynchKat]

Ok Aussieskater that is what I needed to know.  It is hard work.