"Figure Skate Sharpening Myths" - Rocket Skate Blogspot

[FigureSpins]

Read this and found it interesting: http://rocket-skate.blogspot.com/2012/02/figure-skate-sharpening-myths.html

Experience counts . . . sharpening, mounting and aligning skates since 2001, Rocket Skate owner, Scott Noble, has worked with and learned from several highly regarded skate sharpeners. These include the assistant equipment manager for the Colorado Avalanche on the hockey front. On the figure skating side he worked with the Technical Sales Representative of GAM skates and the lead technician for Fleming Gray Skate Sharpeners (who sharpened for several Canadian Olympic skaters). Two of Scott's articles on skate sharpening are part of the permanent collection in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

[eillie]

Thanks for posting this.  It was an interesting read.  I'd heard the thumbnail rule from a few places, but it never seemed to work for me, and I guess my suspicions were right!

[Robin]

Here in my area, we have a dearth of good skate sharpeners (which is kind of surprising considering that we rival Canada for hockey enthusiasm and figure skating is huge). I have had more than one pair of Gold Seal blades ruined by people who even champions swear by. I did have the good fortune of having my skates sharpened exquisitely up through college, but they've all since died off! I do know what it feels like to have good edges. With that in mind, I became really, really frustrated. And I can't afford to drop 600 bucks because some inept shyster convinced he's God's gift to the skating world has given me a concave curve where the secondary radius should be! I was about to send my skates to a guy on Long Island. Fortunately my husband, a machinist all his adult life and one who knows metal, started sharpening skates. As a machinist and one who's been grinding metal for a living for decades, it was an easy transition for him. After doing some research and consulting with a number of sharpeners, we bought a brand new Blademaster machine (one of the ones the article recommends as well). He did a few old pairs of skates. He really did measure them with a micrometer! I inspected his work, and had him do my Gold Seals as his third pair of skates. Well, it was like butter! Skating has never been so smooth! (And I'm not just saying this because I'm married to the guy. If they weren't good, I would have told him that he needed a little more practice. But because I was fed up with everyone else, I had nothing to lose.)

[Query]

It would be more impressive if you married the guy because he sharpened well! 

[Robin]

It would be more impressive if you married the guy because he sharpened well! 

How true! Imagine the reality show now: I married my skate sharpener!

[AgnesNitt]

Here in my area, we have a dearth of good skate sharpeners (which is kind of surprising considering that we rival Canada for hockey enthusiasm and figure skating is huge). I have had more than one pair of Gold Seal blades ruined by people who even champions swear by. I did have the good fortune of having my skates sharpened exquisitely up through college, but they've all since died off! I do know what it feels like to have good edges. With that in mind, I became really, really frustrated. And I can't afford to drop 600 bucks because some inept shyster convinced he's God's gift to the skating world has given me a concave curve where the secondary radius should be! I was about to send my skates to a guy on Long Island. Fortunately my husband, a machinist all his adult life and one who knows metal, started sharpening skates. As a machinist and one who's been grinding metal for a living for decades, it was an easy transition for him. After doing some research and consulting with a number of sharpeners, we bought a brand new Blademaster machine (one of the ones the article recommends as well). He did a few old pairs of skates. He really did measure them with a micrometer! I inspected his work, and had him do my Gold Seals as his third pair of skates. Well, it was like butter! Skating has never been so smooth! (And I'm not just saying this because I'm married to the guy. If they weren't good, I would have told him that he needed a little more practice. But because I was fed up with everyone else, I had nothing to lose.)

I want a husband like that...

[AgnesNitt]

Also, rooting around, I found this site which has a lot of information and links.

http://home.comcast.net/~shshockeystats/skates.html

He discusses 'flat bottom' hollow, which I'd never heard of before.

I think the site is very old, since he charges $3-4 for a sharpening.....

Anyway, some interesting discussions....

[Skittl1321]

I don't think there is anyone around here that sharpens on anything but the $600 machines in their garage. No one does 10+ pairs in a half day, and I bet most don't do that in a month. 

They sure are a nice step up from the rink counter kids.

[Query]

I think I can do at least as well with hand tools, for my own skates, for around $100. But it takes more time. Time is money for a pro shop. Either way, you need practice and knowledge to get it right. Expect to make mistakes at first.

BTW, some of the cheaper power tools aren't adjustable in enough ways, or aren't adjustable easily enough, to be worth it.