Vintage Strauss blades and '93 Harlick "professional" skates

[AlbaNY]

I finally tried skating with this pair (briefly) that I bought to convert into quads.  The boots are Harlick "professional" in 7 1/5 AA from 1993.  I got them because I wanted something like my mother's 55 year old quads but in leather rather than vinyl (and more or less my size.  My two 5-10 year old Harlick pairs are customs deemed as 7 1/2 AAAA and I think AA both in their highest stiffness level.)

They are so small looking compared to modern skates!  They fit and feel like socks, like my mother's quads, which I love, and they look so petite being a thin two layer boot. 

The blades interested me.  Strauss 9 1/2" made in Minnesota.  (I've used 9 3/4" previously but have gone down to 9 1/2" for a while.  I've tried out Phantoms, Coronation Ace parabolic, and Pattern 99s in those sizes as well as having used Aspire XPs.) 
These have no visible "sharpenable zone" just chrome.  They have cross cut but petite picks compared to my Pattern 99s, are tapered, and had very little hollow at all.  They felt super dull to the touch.  The tails look a bit like a hockey focused sharpener worked on them, and the hollow is so flat that I wonder if someone used them for figures?  Maybe?  I couldn't measure it, and I had no way to properly sharpen aside from shipping to Kaitsu which I ended up not doing since I wasn't skating then had more impatience for the conversion recently.  I used my 1/2" Pro-Filer, but briefly, and a stone just to give the slightest edge before trying them out, and I think I will risk a rink sharpening to try them another time next week. 
The rink sharpening machine that is available in summer here is somewhat differently designed than the Blackstone I have used or the Wissota and such that were used by my techs in NY.  Sparx is another option here in winter, but I've never trusted a sharpening here in Germany even if sent to Hamburg or Frankfurt given what I heard from others.  I just don't use them at all...  If I do get a mini job for the Zamboni and sharpening here I may finally use the machine for myself once I get a handle on their RoH options.  The guys there now don't know what they use aside from "hockey or figure."   

Another thing about the blades is that one is noticeably thicker near the toe pick than the other which could be easily felt when I did a few passes with the Pro-Filer. 

To be continued with photos and hopefully a bit of video...

[tstop4me]

Intriguing post, Alba.  eBay has a current listing for a pair of Strauss blades.  10-5/8", though:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124192413340?_skw=strauss+figure+skate+blade&itmmeta=01KX8FND5F16TVQD3B63TNKG3F&hash=item1cea71d69c:g:jQ4AAOSwS7Bew~AR&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA4GfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xDLQ32roNeq%2BrCBz%2FU8e141oQHAKfeM4ETgQJI8Cmj70%2Fvr7flkNFK%2Fd9b2Lu3rL4N8%2Ba%2B3R8MxhcVsk%2BmYgSvGmXNKthF2LybQw6wWgphUvqgoIx5%2BJ8qkwDcYaZep0rUZknMgfR1DDGg6E4%2F5Ux2%2BLor0WvOyhqAeyHe4sxZ0XlQpUtRgHJflXHYeAx5kKip%2FoKk8nmoS5%2BfUa%2BcC2X%2BYOZN3VbU3G%2F4C%2FuFQ39id99AZQlPpM0dRXi4GeJS66JwXq4YyTrv61OeEhwsameDR%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_LS1Y_qZw

[AlbaNY]

I'm behind on my plans to post more, because my mother flew in to visit making me not want to focus on computer stuff, but it is very neat to see that listing Tstop4me.  Those look just like mine as much as I can tell.

I did a little Googling yesterday and saw the long and important history of Strauss.  The most interesting thing I recall noticing is that while the boots are marked as made in '93 Strauss stopped making figure skating blades back in '81.   

[AlbaNY]

Well, I still have to look for the blade tracing for the Strauss and some video, but I do have some shots of the old skates for now.

I wanted to show how different than my current Harlicks.  The '93 pair are two layers without any discernible padding or stiffening beyond the heel cup portion. They don't come up quite as high as I'd prefer for looks, but I like them. 
As for skating it felt strange (like lower heels although not,) but it went well aside from the dullness.  My pronation prone right ankle was actually very stabile and happy.  I wish they had a proper sharpening to try better, because the skiing feel isn't fair to judge them about. 
I could definitely have fun with this setup is the verdict.  Oh, and they feel like socks on my feet which is lovely.  Wearing them my feet look incredibly narrow especially compared to mine which have three layers plus the Thinsulate stuff too.  Both pair are AA width, but boy do my feel look clunky in modern boots! 


For the quad conversion I must put some lambswool on the tongues.  DIY probably since it would get stupid expensive to ship them to Harlick etc not to mention the cost of the work.  I have spare shearling in NY, but it will be annoying to spend on a hide from what I found online over here, so I am planning to cut up some shearling insoles for the project.

[Query]

Just so you know - most reasonably modern skates are mostly put together with glue, not sewn. I don't know the details, but those glues often do not last beyond a few years, even if boots or shoes are not used. The soles and/or heels may separate.

I don't have a good solution.

One of the folks here with an engineering/materials science background could explain this better than me.

[AlbaNY]

Good point. 
Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with shoe construction and know about the glue situation.  These are not sewn.  My intent with them is to learn very basic stuff and to learn with their nice flexibility without having to switch wheels out from the black suede outdoor pair.  I'm not sure I'll ever try much on quads, but just in case...

I have a lovely pair of Harlicks on the way for longer term anyway in case I do have courage to work on tricks.  (Daughter will happily steal them if I don't stick with it myself.)  I'll have those in October. 
Lower and padded backs at the ankle and a scallop notch.  I'm excited.   

[Kaitsu]

I may be a bit rude in saying this, but the shaft of those vintage boots looks a lot like the uppers on cheap recreational skates. Almost like a sock, so I can imagine they conform to the foot very well, but the level of support is a bit questionable.

Based on the photos, the front part of the blade still looks to be in good condition. I mean that the rocker continues smoothly all the way to the toe picks. The drag pick, however, looks rather rounded. Perhaps a sharpening machine has ground into it?

Back then, the brazed joints were massive. I don't know whether manufacturers moved away from those large brazed joints to save cost, reduce weight, or simply because they realized they didn't provide any real benefit. Maybe the brazing was done by hand in those days?

If you're brave enough, remove one of the front mounting screws and check whether there's anything left of the threads, or if corrosion has eaten them away.