Proper sharpening of skates is a problem that worries every person closely connected with the world of sports or ice skating. Comfortable gliding, a strong connection with ice for stability and the safety of the athlete depend on the quality of the sharpness and shape of the blade.
Skate sharpening devices are manufactured all over the world, and well-known and high-quality models can be found in both domestic and foreign industries. Various devices can easily restore the blade to its original shape and sharpness. Most of them are suitable for any profile used for riding or sports.
Devices and tools
Let's look at what tools there are for sharpening skates with your own hands:
- The abrasive touchstone is a slingshot for skates with a plastic handle. On-line editing of blades. The tool removes burrs left after sharpening. The movements are carried out smoothly, without pressure, so as not to cut off the groove. To get the best results, it is recommended to use lubricant or wet the blades with running water. They only trim the blades, but do not sharpen them.
- A whetstone is an abrasive material for straightening a blade after sharpening.
- Edge Again is a handheld, portable skate sharpener.
Wow little block! Or a pocket sharpener (rule) for skates
Hello friends! Well, summer has begun here, and we need to prepare for winter now, so as not to be like that turtle from the old Soviet cartoon, which always did not have time at the right time of year. I invite all curious people to visit under cat. When skating on city open-air skating rinks, you should not trust the constancy of the ice surface, because the asphalt is hidden everywhere, but 5-10 such holes and the skates slowly begin to get bites on the edges of the blade. For a long time, the thought did not leave me: “If the Chinese counterfeited the Apex Edge Pro for sharpening knives, and quite efficiently, then they could come up with something for sharpening skates?” And yet, yes, they came up with it (or copied it), it doesn’t matter at all, the subject exists, without thinking for a long time, I found it on Ali, grabbed the card, ordered it and waited. What can I say, I haven’t found any more such devices on Ali, and you can count the orders for it from the seller on the finger of one hand. Let me point out right away that I’m not saying that this is a professional sharpener and that it is a panacea, no, excuse me. This is just a pocket rule and nothing more. PS Photos are taken with a mobile phone, again, do not throw stones. The product with track number RC229190690CN arrived quite quickly, only 20 days passed from sending to receipt (oh, it would always be like this). I took all the notices and went to receive gifts from Chinese Santa Claus.
In your hands is a small, inconspicuous envelope, weighing only 42 grams, with a treasured rule inside.
His inner world is limited, but not meager. 5 bolts, 5 plastic washers.
And also a barrel with a diamond (according to the seller) coating, with a diameter of about 12 mm.
After sharpening, the groove on the ridge becomes 0.25 mm deep.
Too much time has been devoted to this little hero from China, it’s time to acquaint you, dear readers, with the principle of its operation and my primitive method of sharpening crippled skates. About the skates, it’s worth saying that the patient is more likely alive than dead, but my craving for beauty, as well as the desire to save money, led to the next experiment. The first horse with recorded beatings is sent to the changing room
Before starting “sharpening” using the apex edge pro method, I ran a marker across the test site to study the uniformity of the removal of the metal layer. In general, the result more than surprised me, the removal is more or less uniform, I sin on the factory sharpening, because the skates are the well-known Nordway from Sportsmaster.
The sharpening process is painfully simple - we place the subject on the blade, apply slight pressure on the stone and move it from stem to stern until traces of the marker completely disappear. In general, the process of sharpening one skate takes 10-15 minutes, after which the following picture appears before us:
Is the nail cut off on the edge? Answer: yes Is it worth buying? Again the answer is yes! The purchase costs 350-400 rubles, one sharpening at market prices is 150 rubles. Judge for yourself. Thank you for your attention.
catE
Sharpening machines
The most popular machines for sharpening skates are nordway and ProSharp, they have been tested in practice. Instructions on how to use the Nordway machine:
- Turn on the machine.
- When the circle's motion becomes stationary, apply the blade to the circle, pointing it to the left, against the disc, along the edge.
- Repeat the procedure three times, adjusting the shape of the edge.
- Adjust the movement of the support bar as necessary.
If you have no experience with such devices, first try an experiment on an old pair.
Checking completed work
You can evaluate the correctness of sharpened blades as follows:
- Inspection. The edges of the blade must be symmetrical, without chips or chips.
- We pass a small thin piece of plastic with equal force along different parts of the blade and then inspect the mark. When the same depth is formed on all parts of the mark, the skate is sharpened correctly and efficiently.
- When exhibiting on the ice, skates must stand straight, without bending to the side. This indicates good sharpening.
- The owner must put on shoes, go out onto the ice surface and check how the blade behaves during shocks. If there is no slippage, the skates are ready for play.
Read also: Skates graf super 101 detailed review
Specifics
Sharpening skates has its own characteristics. Before the process, it is clarified where exactly the athlete will play - on artificial or natural ice, weight category, skating style. When playing hockey, an important parameter is the place on the team as an attacker, goalkeeper or defender.
The depth of the groove is adjusted depending on the use of the equipment:
- in figure skating it reaches 5-6 mm;
- for hockey - 20mm;
- for speed skating - 45mm.
If burrs are found on the equipment, sharpening is not necessary.
Pros of high-quality sharpened skates:
- balancing and maximum control of the leg,
- the sliding process becomes faster and better,
- improved acceleration and intense rotation,
- confidence in movements on the ice,
- enjoying the ride.
Attention! To keep your skates sharp for a longer period of time, it is advisable to use covers when walking on a hard surface (floor, steps in the entrance, asphalt).
Ignoring worn and warped skate blades will not only reduce your speed, but they can also be dangerous. Timely sharpening of skates can be done at home or using professional equipment. The main thing is that sharpening can improve not only the athlete’s physical fitness, but also give him confidence in his own abilities.
How to carry out the procedure at home
You will need:
- A vice for clamping the dies, otherwise the skate will slip out.
- A needle file is a round file. With its help, the groove becomes even.
- A block with a hole the width of the blade.
How to sharpen:
- Place the equipment horizontally, clamping it with a vice. Place a block with a file inside on top.
- Use a file to make a hole. Move it sideways until the groove becomes noticeable.
- Continue the procedure until a sharp edge appears.
Now sanding is done: wrap the file in sandpaper and run it along the blade without touching the edge.
Stages of sharpening on the machine
Sharpening takes place in three stages:
- Using a diamond pencil, the sharpening wheel is brought to the desired shape.
- The shoe is secured in the holder's foot. The blade is attached parallel to the plane of the disk. The master's hands remain free, the skate is securely fastened. After turning on the machine, the master moves the blade to the grinding wheel. Once the movement of the disc becomes constant, the sharpener applies the blade and moves the boot in the opposite direction to the movement of the disc.
- Repeating the movement, the master adjusts the location and size of the groove. When processing curved plates, a roller is used.
Methods
There are two sharpening methods: straight and grooved. Skates go on sale straight sharpened. But in practice, this method does not justify itself. Although high speed is achieved and there is the possibility of sharp braking, maneuverability comes to naught.
Sharpening under the gutter develops the same speed as a straight line, makes movements maneuverable, but braking is difficult. It is preferred by hockey players and figure skating athletes.
FTB - sharpening. Used on European ice, but rarely used in Russia. European matches are played on artificial ice, so the emphasis is not on speed, but on the grip of the blade with the surface.
Important sharpening requirements
In proper sharpening, the following mistakes must be avoided:
- Having the inner and outer parts of the blade made differently disrupts balance on the ice and balance.
- The amount of steel removed is not the same in all areas. Leads to loss of balance and the blade will lose support.
- The profile and radius of the gutter are incorrect. Leads to poor ride quality and loss of control.
Important terms:
- Blade sharpening should move forward using European style, providing reduced friction and improved ride quality.
- High speed is obtained by combining different profile and groove radii.
- Each specific sharpening is used for a specific riding style. For example, the binary chute was introduced specifically for the “butterfly”, which requires good grip on the ice, immediate movements in different directions, and changing vertical positions. Sliding movements are achieved by different sharpening at the toe or heel and in the middle (the sharpening is duller there, and sharper at the edges).
- Excessively aggressive sharpening in the toe area is dangerous for reverse movement.
Consumables for machines
Sharpening equipment consumables include:
- dressing tools with diamond element;
- abrasive discs;
- sharpening stones;
- holders and other accessories.
Timely sharpening is necessary for safe and reliable skating. Sliding on the ice, as well as the cleanliness of figure skating jumps, depend on proper sharpening. When using laser equipment, the device determines the required amount of metal that needs to be removed and also controls the entire sharpening process.
Sharpening at home
For this purpose, amateurs use sandpaper, a file and a fine-grained block. When sharpening with a groove, use a file. They are the ones who make the groove. When sharpening without a groove, the skates are secured. The essence of sharpening comes down to the fact that the sole of the blade is sharpened at an angle of 90 degrees to its side walls.
Important! After processing the blades, you need to check how the equipment is sharpened. To do this, you need to stand on the ice and make sure that your skates are level and straight.
Sharpening feature
The majority of people who rent skates from time to time believe that the runner of the skate has a smooth sliding surface. But that's not true. The inside of the blade is shaped like a groove. Its depth differs for different sports. The deepest for speed skating is 4.5 mm, and the shallowest for figure skating is 2 mm. This shallow groove allows the figure skate to be stable and at the same time perform various maneuvers.
Modern hockey skates use more than just a U-shaped blade profile. There are two more varieties:
- FBV. It has the shape of a trapezoid. Gives skates good maneuverability and stability. Often used in US hockey associations. Appeared in Russia recently. A significant disadvantage is the rapid loss of cutting properties of the edge.
- Channel-Z It is a square profile inside a round groove, the radius of which depends on the weight of the athlete. Improved speed properties are achieved by reducing the contact area of the blade with the ice and reducing the friction force.
It is precisely because the surface of the blade has a complex shape that conventional sharpening machines become unsuitable for sharpening such skates.
