Skate Sharpening and You! — The Skater's Edge (2024)

FAQs

What edge should I sharpen my skates? ›

Figure: Most beginner and instructional skaters can skate on a 1/2" radius. A 5/8" radius will take care of most recreational skaters.

5/8 (Shallow) grind is what most figure skaters skate on. This gives you a good flowing edge and has little friction on the ice. 1/2 (Standard) grind will be a lot more forgiving when landing a jump giving a sharper edge to land on.

A quick test for a sharp edge is to hold the skate upside down, place one thumbnail on the edge of the blade and gently pull down and away from the blade on three or four parts of the blade. A good, sharp blade will easily scrape a layer of your thumbnail, leaving the remnants on the blade.

The following are common sharpening measurements in order of deepest to shallow: 1/4, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 5/8. A sharper skate will give you more bite but less glide.

Basically, your skate “hollow” is how deep the groove is between the edges of your blade. If you hand your skates to someone for sharpening, and they don't ask what hollow you get them done to, they're probably doing them at “a half inch” (which refers to the wheel they use to sharpen your blades).

If you see a reflection in the blade's edge under a bright light, you need to sharpen your skates. A light touch of the fingernail down the length of the blade can detect any nicks or defects and check its sharpness.

Most skates are sharpened by cutting an arc in between the two edges, known as the radius of hollow (ROH). This is measured in inches. Hockey player and goalie skates are often sharpened with a ROH from 3/8” up to 1-1/2”.

Sharpen them too often and your blades will wear out prematurely. Not frequently enough, and you'll find yourself losing an edge when trying to turn, or being unable to control your skates.

100-50, a sharp skate for a lightweight junior player, who likes a very sharp skate. 95-50, the most popular option for junior players. It is also suitable for adults if you like a sharper groove. 92-50, middle of the two popular options (95-50 and 90-50).

Generally speaking, the golden rule for proper skate fit no matter the brand or kind of skate is as snug as possible without being painful or uncomfortable, with the ability to still wiggle the toes up and down.

How tight should new skates feel? ›

Unlike shoes, skates should offer a snug fit, tight but not painfully so. The worst thing that a skater can do is purchase skates that are too big. If they are too big, they will only get worse as they stretch. Skates that are a little small can be easily fixed.

I would describe dull skates as slippery. The worse they are, the more it feels like you forgot to take your guards off. If they are really dull, your edges will slide, so that instead of being able to hold a clean edge, they will slip to the side creating a tracing that looks more like a skid or a stop than an edge.

How many passes should I choose when sharpening? If you are freshening up your blades after every skate, 1-2 cycles will usually be enough. If you're sharpening your skates after every 5-6 hours of ice time, you'll typically want to run 4 cycles.

A rule of thumb is for every 15 to 20 hours of ice time, but let's go beyond the basics. The biggest factor is how often you skate, hence the rule of thumb based on ice time. It's not unheard of for some players to sharpen their blades before every game, and others once or twice a year.

Generally skates should be sharpened every 20-40 skating hours. This depends on a few different factors such as how many times a week a skater is on the ice, which elements the skater is working on, and the build of the skater.

Sharpening your knives at a 15 to 20 degree angle will provide the best results when preparing food. This angle makes the blade edge sharp enough to provide a clean cut through foods whilst retaining durability through constant use.

what profile is best? A smaller profile (7′) will make less contact with the ice than a larger profile (13′). Less ice contact (7′) allows for greater maneuverability and acceleration, but also digs into the ice more than a larger profile (13′), which means slower top speeds and increased fatigue.

Intuitively, stainless steel blades should last longer than about a week. Because they are made to cut through soft hairs, they should last for months and, if they're coated with even harder materials, they should last even longer.

No one should ever skate on dull or unsharpened blades. Your skating edge will help you turn and maneuver, as well as keep your balance.

How long do blades last on skates? ›

Done frequently enough, a blade should last 5 to 8 years for the average recreational skater. Generally, the frequency should be every 20-30 hours of skating. FACTORS: Hardness of the steel used in the blade, and how much and how aggressively you skate.

One of the first NHL teams to be using the flat bottom v skate sharpening method was the St. Louis blues, now over 20 NHL teams are using this method, quite a bold statement for a technique that just took off at the beginning of the year!

The most common radius of hollow cuts are ½” and 5/8” for skate sharpening shops because it provides the best balance between edge depth and glide speed.

The centre is responsible for taking faceoffs and covering the middle of the ice at both ends of the rink. They typically skate greater distances than other positions as they play deep in both the offensive and defensive zones.

At best, figure skates last about 20 to 25 hours on the ice before they need sharpening — less if a skater likes her blades particularly sharp, or if something goes wrong.

How long does it take to sharpen a pair of skates? Average rental/retail sharpening is 3-5 cycles equaling 2-3 minutes per skate or 4-6 minutes per pair.

A grinding hockey ring (Radius Ring or FIRE Ring) will last for 320 cycles. If you're freshening up your blades after every skate, you'll get 50-60 sharpenings (or even more!) per ring and if you're sharpening your skates after every 5-6 hours of ice time, you'll get about 40 sharpenings.

Have you ever thought about taking ice skating lessons but felt you were too old? Sometimes, it might seem as if only young people can ice skate, but that's not quite true. Skating can be enjoyed at all ages!

No matter your age, you can always learn to roller skate.

Different Types of Skate Sharpening Hollows

For example, a lighter player can benefit from a deeper hollow (7/16" or 3/8") by providing them with the ability to cut deeper into the ice. This type of sharpening provides more bite for the user, allowing for more responsive turns/stops and quicker overall acceleration.

Should my toes touch the end of my roller skates? ›

Finding the Right Fit

The skate boot should fit snug, not loose not like your slippers you wear around your house, or your slip on shoes. Your toes should either barely touch the end of your boot or be almost touching.

The toe area and the area high above the ankles should be tied so they are moderately snug or even on the loose side. The tightest area of lacing should be from a point above the ball of the foot back to a point just above the ankle bone i.e. the top 2 or 3 eyelets.

A correctly fitted boot should feel snug in the heel. There should be little or no movement when you try to lift your heel. Your toes should be able to wiggle freely but not slide from side to side.

Ice skates need to fit snugly, but they should not be tied so tight that you can't wiggle your toes in them. Heat mold your ice skates by a rink professional to soften the hard leather.

For most people it will take about 12 hours to break in a pair of skates over the course of roughly a month. Start out with shorter skate adventures and build up to longer skate adventures.

As the skates are new and have just been sharpened, you just need to learn how to skate with them like this, all you have to do is lean back slightly more when stopping and keep your knees bent, this adds a little more angle on the blades (as they are sharp) allowing you to stop again.

Inline skates are more commonly known as rollerblades, and have a single row of wheels down the middle of the skate. The arrangement of the wheels on quad skates gives them more stability, making them good for beginners who struggle with balance.

Quads are more stable, while inlines are faster and more maneuverable. Quads are easier for beginners, but inlines offer more ankle support. Inline skates may be easier for people who are used to ice skating, since the wheel configuration is similar to the blade.

Hold the blade at about 20-degrees and with light pressure rake the blade across the stone, being sure to hit the whole blade. You'll want to make about 10 passes. 5.

We recommend 5 strokes per side and evaluate, but if you do 15-20 strokes on one side, do 15-20 on the other side. Don't alternate sides with each stroke as this makes it more difficult to maintain your angle or find a burr.

What is the average skate sharpening? ›

The normal range for this is ⅜” to ¾”, although higher or lower hollows are occasionally seen. Typically, skate shops will do 1/2”, 5/8”, or 7/16” hollow as a default if they aren't given any specific instructions.

Basically, your skate “hollow” is how deep the groove is between the edges of your blade. If you hand your skates to someone for sharpening, and they don't ask what hollow you get them done to, they're probably doing them at “a half inch” (which refers to the wheel they use to sharpen your blades).

Use a flat file to file the blade from toe to heel in a diagonal motion. Be sure the file is always perpendicular to the blade. Slide the flat file across a single blade in the same direction roughly 20 times, then perform the same motion in the opposite direction. Repeat the process for the other skate.

Skates should typically be sharpened after 8-10 hours of use on an indoor rink. This timeframe shrinks when skating outdoors. If you find yourself struggling to skate smoothly or falling down doing a typical skill you'd be comfortable with it is a sign that you may need to get your blades checked.

Most skates are sharpened by cutting an arc in between the two edges, known as the radius of hollow (ROH). This is measured in inches. Hockey player and goalie skates are often sharpened with a ROH from 3/8” up to 1-1/2”.

The majority of kitchen knives are sharpened to a 17 to 20-degree angle. Many Western knife angles fall into the 20-22 degree category. Asian knives sold in the U.S. usually have a more acute angle and both sides are sharpened to about 15 degrees.

what profile is best? A smaller profile (7′) will make less contact with the ice than a larger profile (13′). Less ice contact (7′) allows for greater maneuverability and acceleration, but also digs into the ice more than a larger profile (13′), which means slower top speeds and increased fatigue.

There are several different types of hollows to choose from, but pro shops will commonly use 1/2” as their “standard” cut. The 1/2” hollow offers a respectable mix of glide and control for most players but adjusting the depth of the hollow can offer several benefits when done correctly.

Push the point you want to sharpen with your fingers. While keeping the angle and pushing the point with your fingers, stroke the blade until it reaches the other edge of the whetstone, then pull the blade back until it reaches the edge of the whetstone.

Yes, it is possible to over sharpen a knife – especially if you use a V-sharpener, electric sharpener, or coarse diamond stone. If you are taking good care of your knives, you really shouldn't have to sharpen your knives more than twice a year.

Do you sharpen both sides of a blade? ›

Most knives have an angle on both sides of the blade or a double bevel. As a result they need to be sharpened on both sides of the blade. A small percentage of knives have a single bevel.

The Sharpening Shape, also known as the Hollow Profile, is the actual shape of the groove cut into the steel blade and not just the depth. The Traditional Shape is still the most popular and perfect for the new-to-hockey or recreational skater.

A smaller profile such as 8 to 9 feet is excellent for agility, quick starts and stops, and quick acceleration. The downside to a smaller profile is that you bite more into the ice. This creates more stress on joints, requires a deeper hollow, and requires more energy to keep your speed.

Industry leaders recommend you get your skates profiled three times in a season. We recommend that the best time to schedule these profiles and tune-ups is to plan to get them at the start of the hockey season, again at the midway point, and once closer to the end of the season so you can be ready for playoffs.

In today's market, there are two approved types of 'glass' shielding used in hockey rinks: Tempered Glass, and Acrylic. Tempered Glass goes through the process known as tempering, which involves the successive heating and cooling of glass to strengthen it.

What are the most popular skates in the NHL? The largest brand of skates used by NHL players is Bauer, with over 70% of the NHL players. The most popular Bauer skate worn is the Vapor 2X Pro, worn by 34% of all NHL players.

They sharpen every skate in the afternoon before every game, a process that takes them about an hour, each manager with their own sharpening machine.