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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
In what cases is it necessary
With frequent use, skate blades quickly lose their original configuration. Their timely sharpening is necessary for the following reasons:
- the ability to maintain stability and balance, control the position of the foot when placing the blades on the ice;
- increase in skating speed, gliding comfort;
- greater “responsiveness” to leg movements (necessary when performing rotations and other complex elements);
- speed of acceleration and braking.
The need for sharpening is explained by the laws of physics. As the area of contact between the blade and the ice decreases, the temperature at the point of contact increases. The ice melts, turning into a film of water, which greatly facilitates sliding.
Skate sharpening is needed if:
- it is not possible to brake and accelerate to the desired speed in time;
- when pushing off, the blades slip as if “idle”, the socks move apart on the ice;
- when maneuvering, when turning, skates “wiggle” and go to the side;
- There are clearly visible traces of rust and stains on the blades.
How to check if the blades are sharp:
- Using a fingernail or a piece of thin plastic, rub it alternately along both sides of the edge (scratches should remain);
- try to perform lateral moves on the ice, turns, turns (the legs should not slide, the blades should accurately follow the trajectory).
Those who engage in figure skating, hockey, and speed skating at a level above the amateur level need to sharpen their skates twice a week if training takes place every other day. If it's just for fun, sharpen the blades as they wear out, 1-2 times per season.
In the vast majority of cases, hockey skates need sharpening after purchase, especially if it is a semi-professional or professional model. The procedure gives the athlete the opportunity to immediately adjust the product to suit himself, taking into account his weight. As you know, as the mass increases, the pressure on the ice naturally increases. Those who sharpen for professionals have a special table that matches the radius and configuration of the blade to the weight of the athlete.
A new blade can be easily distinguished from a sharpened one. There is simply no groove on it (at the end, at the bottom, in the form of a recess or concavity). Its profile resembles the letter "P". On sharpened skates, two grooves similar to a “V” or “U” are clearly visible.
Blade shape
First of all, when sharpening, it is important to determine the appropriate blade shape. Select the sharpening option itself and calculate its parameters.
The point of contact of the ridge looks like 2 parallel sharp edges with a special recess between them.
The edges are called pads or ribs, and they provide traction and allow you to stand and maneuver without too much trouble. Depending on the sharpening, the edges can be straight or rounded inside. They should also be the same on both sides, otherwise you will be skewed in one direction or the other.
The recess is called a groove or groove and serves to reduce friction. The deeper the gutter, the more water accumulates in it when rolling (it is the water layer that reduces friction). But it's important to remember that increasing depth = decreasing rib thickness, which makes it harder to balance.
Today there are 3 most popular sharpening options:
Standard (regular gutter). Semicircular gutter with a radius from 6 to 40 and planting depth depending on the preferences of the skate owner. The most common method, which has been proving its practicality for many years. Suitable for hockey and figure skates.
Channel-Z (Z sharpening). A modern European approach to sharpening that is unique by turning two grooves:
- External. Similar to the standard version, semicircular.
- Interior. An additional square channel that is placed in the middle of the outer gutter.
It has better performance compared to the standard approach, but is technologically more complex. With such sharpening, workshop equipment noticeably suffers, which makes it a less common and more expensive option. Suitable for experienced fans of both figure and hockey skates.
FBV. An old Canadian version that did not take root in Russia and Europe. The gutter has a trapezoidal channel, this creates rigid adhesion to ice and excellent stability. True, the price for comfort on ice is fragility and fragility, because trapezoidal walls are thinner and quickly wear out when in contact with a hard surface. Used primarily by professional hockey players.
Common Mistakes
To ensure a successful track hockey experience, it is important to avoid common mistakes when sharpening your blade. When processing metal at home, the following problems arise:
- different sharpening of the inner and outer surfaces of the blade, which leads to imbalance and loss of the ability to maintain balance;
- removing different amounts of steel, which accelerates wear of the product and rapid overheating;
- non-compliance with the contour and radius of the blade, which leads to a decrease in balance.
A mistake for hockey players and figure skaters would be skating on skates that are not sharpened. This accelerates the wear and tear of sports equipment and increases the risk of injury. The training process will not be enjoyable.
When riding for beginners, the sharpening should be adjusted. At first, the ability to stay on ice is not so high, and due to weak adhesion to ice, the risk of falling increases.
Although sharpening skates yourself can be successful, if you don’t have the skill, it’s better not to take risks. Professionals will provide this service for little money. Then skiing will be enjoyable and safe, and your sports equipment will last a long time!
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?
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.
