Anyone who likes to spend time at the skating rink, or enjoys playing hockey, or enjoys speed running and downhill skating, needs to take care of sharpening their skates. Safety, convenience, sports performance, and ultimately the degree of pleasure from your favorite activity depend on their condition.
Let's find out how to sharpen skates at home to save money and not have to turn to professional sharpeners too often.
Skates are a very versatile piece of equipment for many sports. And of course, they require some care. This also includes sharpening skates, which is one of the most important elements in working with them. Is it possible to sharpen them at home? We’ll tell you about that today.
Do you need to sharpen your skates?
If, while skating, your skates slip during take-off or “break” during turns, they need sharpening. ... If they are felt, then the blade needs sharpening. Look at the edge of the blade from the front. The groove should have a semicircular configuration.
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How difficult is it to sharpen skates?
We do not recommend sharpening your skates yourself unless you have experience and the proper tools. The main difficulty in sharpening is related to the design of the skate blade. Contrary to misconceptions, a skate blade is not made to look like a knife; instead, a number of parameters are combined to create an individual sharpening pattern. That is why, if you come to an experienced skater with new skates, he will ask a lot of strange questions like: “Where do you skate?”, “How much do you weigh?”, “How do you skate?”, “How many years have you been on the ice?” etc.
What does it mean: skates are sharpened to groove?
Sharpening under the groove in our country is considered the most popular and in demand. A groove-like recess is made inside the blade. Thanks to this, skaters can perform complex pirouettes. This is due to the fact that most difficult tricks are performed on the inside or outside edge of the skates. The most interesting thing is that this groove differs in depth among people who play different sports and have different weights. The more a person weighs, the deeper the groove should be. At the same time, the groove of an attacker in hockey should be deeper than that of a defender.
What does it mean: skates are sharpened to groove?
Preparation for sharpening
When figuring out how to sharpen skates at home, you should remember five rules:
- For turning, only the recommended tool is used, which must be harder than the steel from which the runners are made;
- The planes of the blade (ribs) after turning should be of uniform thickness;
- We must try to preserve or restore the original configuration of the blade;
- The sole of the blade is sharpened at right angles to the ribs.
There is an opinion that the second and all subsequent sharpening of the runners consists precisely in restoring the original dimensions of the groove.
Subtleties of skate care
In addition to sharpening, it is also important to understand that a lot depends on the care of your skates. And here too there are several important rules. Blades are made of metal, and the enemy of any metal is rust. Therefore, you should carefully ensure that rust does not appear on the blades. Therefore, after each trip to the skating rink or ice rinks, it is necessary to clean the skates of snow and ice. Manufacturers also recommend using covers for blades in which they will be stored longer.
You need to store skates in a place where there is no humidity and the temperature is almost always the same. This will also have a beneficial effect on the condition of the metal and material from which the skates are made. In order to dry your skates, you must use their natural storage location. Do not place them on a battery or expose them to direct sunlight. If you don’t know whether everything is correct with your skates, you need to take them to a specialist and he will assess the condition.
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How to sharpen speed skating skates at home?
They differ from other types of skates by having a longer blade, a larger radius of rounding of the blade, and most importantly, by the fact that these are the only skates with a movable blade. The skates received their official name “clap skate” for the characteristic sound - the clap that the blade makes when, after the athlete pushes, the spring returns it back to the shoe.
These skates are very sharp and can be used to cut food. The most interesting thing is that sharpening is carried out in several stages. Immediately rough cutting of the groove, and then fine grinding with goya paste. Lasers are often used for sharpening.
How to sharpen speed skating skates at home?
What do sharpened skates look like?
Sharpened skates have a groove inside. The side ribs themselves are of the same thickness and sharpness. The blade is as sharp as a knife. For hockey players, the thickness of the side rib is 2 mm. This is a fairly thin blade. After purchase, the skates are not sharpened or the side ribs are not sharp enough. To correct the situation, you can increase the radius of the circle.
What do sharpened skates look like?
How to avoid mistakes
A common misconception is that any skates can be sharpened like kitchen knives, leaving only one sharp edge. This method completely deprives the athlete of stability, worsening the grip on ice, which is provided by a special groove (groove) on the blade.
Under the influence of friction of two planes of the blade formed by the groove, the ice melts - and a thin layer of water is formed in the groove, which improves gliding. Moreover, thanks to the groove, friction increases.
- The appropriate groove depth for figure skating is 5-6 millimeters.
- If skates are part of hockey equipment - 20 mm.
- For speed skaters – up to 45 mm.
Skates without grooves are suitable only for extreme sports enthusiasts who perform feints on ice, or for lovers of leisurely recreational skating who stand very confidently on their skates. In other cases, turning with a groove is necessary so as not to increase the risk of injury.
Since sharpening skates at home is a rather difficult procedure, it should not be carried out unless there is a real need.
Signs that turning is necessary:
- The groove is missing, although it is needed, or is covered with rust, or its structure is damaged;
- When turning, the blades move to the side;
- When pushing off, the runners slip.
If, for example, burrs have simply formed on the blades, sanding with emery or a fine-grained file is sufficient.
It is recommended that the first sharpening of new skates specifically for an amateur athlete be ordered by professionals. Especially hockey ones, because the specialist will take into account the hockey player’s weight, position (forward, defenseman or goalkeeper), and skating style. In a city where there is an ice arena, there will also be a grinder with special equipment; the price can be negotiated - bargaining is appropriate here. In other cases, independence is fully justified.
Blade profile
Blade contour from toe to heel = skate profile. Each part of the circuit does its job while riding. Any changes will improve some indicators, but worsen others, so there is no universal profile.
The blade is divided into 3 parts:
- Toe, 20% front profile. It affects everything related to the start of movement, entering a turn and sudden changes in direction.
- Middle part, 60% of the profile in the middle. It accounts for the main contact with the ice and is responsible for sliding, turning and spinning.
- Heel, 20% rear profile. Plays a decisive role when exiting turns, braking on sharp turns and maintaining balance on ice.
The profile is formed along an arc, which is built in 3 main ways:
- Single profile (classic). Based on an arc of one circle with a fixed radius from 2.13 to 9.1 m.
- Combined profile. The arc is built from several circles (from 2 to 4) with a sequential increase in radius from toe to heel.
- Profile with platform. An arc is built from two circles and a plane between them.
When developing a profile, the angle of inclination of the blade is also calculated. It determines which direction it will be more convenient to move. With a maximum slope of 1.5 degrees, it will be easier to start and accelerate forward, but moving backward will be more difficult. At zero incline there is no advantage to acceleration, but going backwards is easier.
Another element of the outline will be the pivot point, the highest point of the blade profile. Initially it is located in the center, but during profiling it is often shifted by 10-20 mm. This is done to redistribute the weight to the rear. This solution helps maintain balance, which is useful for hockey skates, but can be harmful for figure skates.
Sharpening
At home, you can resort to one of two methods - sharpening with a needle file or a grinding wheel. The first is technically simpler, but also more labor-intensive, requires greater physical effort, and is suitable for infrequent use of skates. The second one is faster, but requires more complex tools, and is recommended for those who skate or play hockey frequently.
File
Required:
- Vise;
- U-shaped wooden block;
- Round needle file of suitable diameter.
The file is inserted into the block, the skate is clamped in a vice. The block should be placed on the front of the blade and the contours of the groove should be marked in a reverse motion.
