Proposed boot/blade calmp to test balance, alignment, fit, and shim

[Query]

In another thread, I thought that a Blademaster boot/blade alignment tool designed to help a skate tech position mounting holes on the outsole of the boot could temporarily clamp the boot to the blade in such a way that you could test balance, alignment and fit, as well as to figure out how to shim the blades so there is no warping force on the blades, before any mounting holes are drilled.

It was pointed out that I was wrong. The jig in question can't do that.

So - let me start over, and try to envision a different type of clamp, that would do what I want. AFAIK, most figure skate boots (except Edeas, and possibly some other very lightweight boots) have a fairly thick stiff outsole. A hose clamp, or equivalent, could be stretched tightly around that outsole, binding it to the boot. Two more hose clamps would hook into the first hose clamp, and go around the sole and heel mounting plates of the blade.

For better or worse, the bottom of skate boots outsoles are not co-planar, which makes wrapping the initial sole clamp around them harder. The heel probably wouldn't matter - it just wouldn't be used. But on most skate boots, the front portion of the outsole bends upwards a substantial amount, forwards of where the bootmaker assumes the ball of the foot to be. I'm not sure if that that would be a problem. I suppose the clamp shape could extend upwards enough at the front to wrap around the front of the outsole - but if you had to do that, since the outsoles of different boots bend upwards by different amounts, I worry that the front portion of a clamp designed to work on all boots might compress the toes in an uncomfortable or unsafe manner on some boots. But maybe it could be made to work.

In any event, I am not sure that hose clamps, or equivalent, could create a strong enough clamping force to hold the boot while the skater is on the ice, even for one foot glides. I don't have a good enough mechanical intuition to be sure. Perhaps the best one could do is to use them to hold the blades on the boots strongly enough for one foot standing balance tests off-ice.

Since very few skaters can balance over a single blade while they are not gliding across the ice, one would have to clip something like plastic blade guards into the blades, that are thick enough, and flat enough, to allow the skater to balance on the floor, but still thin enough to test the proper mounting position for the blade. Much less clamping force is required stand in place than to skate.

Another thing you could do is to check the fit of the foot against the insole. I personally want equal pressures against the left and right sides of the bottom of my feet, as well as against the arch. And I want equal pressures against the bottom of my feet at the forefoot, midfoot and hindfoot.

But I understand that some podiatrists advise some patients to seek unequal pressures.  Whatever is sought, could be tested for in a balanced position.

And you could check how snug the sides and uppers of the boot are against the foot while you are balanced. There is some disagreement about exactly how snug the boot should be against different parts of the foot, but whatever theory you and the skater subscribe to, it could be checked..

And you can check shimming to eliminate all twisting forces on the blade, to prevent warp.

If the initial position isn't right, you could mark the current position of the blade on the bottom of the boot. Loosen the clamps, and move them to a new  position. You can also modify the insole to create the desired equal (or unequal) pressures. And you can modify the shims.

Or at least these ideas might be sufficient to mount and shim the blades using the slotted holes.

One would still need to refine positions (and possibly shims) after one saw how well the skater could do one foot glides on the ice without compensating for imbalance, and whether they still feel the desired equal pressures.

Another thing that could reduce the required clamping force, though I personally don't like it: Some skate fitters don't have the skater stand to test balance, alignment and fit. The skater sits, wearing both boots. They then look at the alignment of the knees and ankles (which should not bend sideways). Since they aren't truly balancing on their blades, they don't need the equivalent of blade guards, assuming the feet are on a rubber floor or mats.  I don't understand why a sitting test is adequate, let alone one where both feet touch the floor, but it is what Mike Cunningham (a very well respected skate tech) did, and what some other skate fitters do, so it must be fairly adequate as an initial test.

[supersharp]

I would rather risk having to re-drill the four slotted holes than have skaters test the blades using hose clamps.  First, I think the blade will probably move (and the hose clamp would have to be padded to prevent damage to the boot), and second...liability.  No, thanks.

[tstop4me]

I would rather risk having to re-drill the four slotted holes than have skaters test the blades using hose clamps.  First, I think the blade will probably move (and the hose clamp would have to be padded to prevent damage to the boot), and second...liability.  No, thanks.

* More likely, the clamps and blades will catastrophically detach from the boots.

* Yeah, if you're a skate tech and foist this gizmo on a customer, you'd better have a good liability insurance policy.  If you're a skater who straps this gizmo on your own feet, you'd better have a good medical insurance policy.

[Query]

I'm not eager to sell this to people. Just thinking through what might possibly work.

But some pro shops aren't inside skating facilities. It is obviously difficult for them to properly balance skates. (I knew one skate tech who added a bit of synthetic [plastic] ice, but I'm not sure how well that tested balance on real ice.) Presumably the costs of adding and running a tiny ice rink inside a pro shop to test balance are prohibitive, even if only operates during the busiest hours.

Obviously, companies that sell equipment need to think very hard about liability, so they mostly try to stay with proven technologies.

I'm reminded of what I think used to be the biggest manufacturer of marine anti-fouling paint. A few years ago, they made a bad batch of paint that did not adequately protect boats from the growth of marine organisms. They went bankrupt.