What is the difference between stoning and sharpening blades?

[hopskipjump]

Some parents mentioned that their kids skates were sharpened but that they needed to get them stoned next.  When i bring dd's skates in to get sharpened isn't that part of the process to remove nicks?

[FigureSpins]

They do (usually) use a stone to remove burrs after sharpening, but not every sharpener does because it dulls the blades a little.  In fact, if you have difficulty skating on newly-sharpened blades, "stoning" the edges keeps them from feeling "too sharp."  I've heard this called "stoning down the edges."

However, the term "stoning" also means to hone the edge and make it a little sharper.  It doesn't last very long, but it's an effective technique when there's a skating event for which you don't want too-sharp blades.  Instead of stoning the actual edge, you run the stone along the sides, which makes the edges more sharp.  This used to be called "stoning up the edges."

[hopskipjump]

Thank you!  That was very informative!

[slcbelle]

Yesterday I noticed that my right blade was making a slightly differently, scratchy noise on the ice.  I could feel it, too.  When I got home, I noticed some burrs on the blade.

As a skier, I'm accustomed to tuning my own skis and using a diamond stone to remove burrs.  Do skaters do the same?  Should I take my diamond stone (and a quirt of water) to smooth out the burrs or do we just leave them be until sharpening time?

[VAsk8r]

What do you mean by "burrs"?

I had my skates "stoned" awhile back when I had a competition in a couple of days and my skates had lost an edge. It seemed to do the trick and got me through the comp, but my coach told me to get my skates sharpened as soon as it was over. I hadn't heard of it being used also to dull blades.

I know a few adult skaters who own stones and use them on their own blades. Is it relatively simple to do or something better left to the pros?