Mooseocalypse 0 Report post Posted October 26, 2014 Picked up a pair of G3S, noticed that the steel is curved in very very slightly. By which I mean if you are looking at the back of the skate, it appears that the runner curves slighty off to one side. There seems to be no fit problems in the holder, but what the fuck? I don't want to get these skates sharpened before I figure out if these are bad from the factory. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
laserrobottime 148 Report post Posted October 26, 2014 Pop the runner out and lay it on a flat surface...check for wobble. If it is bent you can have a shop straighten it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 673 Report post Posted October 26, 2014 I had the same with my G3 ultras, I think it is because of the steel quality they are using in the G3 series. A shop will straighten them but mine started to rust really quickly regardless of how carefully I dried them after each skate so I upgraded to Step steels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmy 194 Report post Posted October 27, 2014 Loosen all the screws and hand bend the holder to straighten the runner. Sometimes it pops straight as soon as all the screws are loosened. Then retighting a little at a time, alternating between screws. THis usually fixes it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonesy9020 77 Report post Posted October 28, 2014 Generally, without seeing your skates, what jimmy said. This tends to be a problem with graf skates moreso than other brands because of the way the cobra holder is set up. The screw comes in the back of the holder and pushes forward into the blade (as opposed to a tuuk which pulls up on the rear of the blade or a speedblade/razor bladz setup where the blades are held with two screws going through the blade and holder). When it's overtightened, the steel has nowhere to go so it bends. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goudgey 6 Report post Posted August 16, 2015 Sorry for resurrecting an old thread. I've got the same issue with a Graf runner. Does Graf deal with this as a warranty issue or is there another fix? Hand straightening doesn't sound like a great solution to me. Is it likely that the runner is bent because the holder is out of alignment or can the runner be bent despite the holder being straight/aligned? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 673 Report post Posted August 17, 2015 If the runner is badly bent, go back to the shop you got it from and they should do something about it if it is still under warranty. I've spent a while trying to straighten them by hand but never got much success. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmy 194 Report post Posted August 17, 2015 It's likely the holder mounted incorrectly. Hand bending is very easy to do and is usually all that is needed, Loosen the screws, twist the holder with your hands till runner is straight, and retighten. Best to have 2 people, one to hold, the other to tighten. It's almost always never the steel itself is bent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davetronz 109 Report post Posted August 17, 2015 Exactly what jimmy said, except for if the boot was lasted incorrectly/crookedly too, which is a possible cause for the holder being not straight and bending the blade, sometimes with Graf. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 673 Report post Posted August 18, 2015 I think by runner he means the steel. Whilst I don't have a high volume of graf skates thru my hands for repair, the ones I have had when I take the steel out, the steel is often bent, sometimes just a little and other times a lot. Generally the holder is straight, the steel is bent. Last week I was working on some stock G3 ultra steels, I bent the steel as hard as I dared and they just kept returning to the same curve. Possibly heat on the steel to get it to stay straight after the bend would work but I haven't got up the courage yet to toss a customer's steel into the fire. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goudgey 6 Report post Posted August 18, 2015 Thanks for the advice guys. Looks like I'll be sending the skates back to the shop. I'm in Australia and I bought them from the US so it's going to be a costly and time consuming fix unfortunately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davetronz 109 Report post Posted August 18, 2015 I think by runner he means the steel. Whilst I don't have a high volume of graf skates thru my hands for repair, the ones I have had when I take the steel out, the steel is often bent, sometimes just a little and other times a lot. Generally the holder is straight, the steel is bent. Last week I was working on some stock G3 ultra steels, I bent the steel as hard as I dared and they just kept returning to the same curve. Possibly heat on the steel to get it to stay straight after the bend would work but I haven't got up the courage yet to toss a customer's steel into the fire.Right, but if the holder isn't mounted correctly or the boot is lasted crookedly causing the holder to torque, the steel will also bend because it isn't creating a straight line.OP, glad to hear you're getting it sorted out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goudgey 6 Report post Posted August 20, 2015 Well the holder is slightly bent, presumably because it's not mounted correctly and that's causing the steel to bend in line with the crooked holder. It looks like the steel is bent in 2 planes, both along the length of the steel and a slight dish in the side at the point of the bend.Looks like they're going to be posted half way across the world for a repair job...hopefully under warranty! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmy 194 Report post Posted August 20, 2015 Well the holder is slightly bent, presumably because it's not mounted correctly and that's causing the steel to bend in line with the crooked holder. It looks like the steel is bent in 2 planes, both along the length of the steel and a slight dish in the side at the point of the bend.Looks like they're going to be posted half way across the world for a repair job...hopefully under warranty!If your holders are mounted incorrectly, don't accept a repair, get a replacement. If the anchors are installed incorrectly, it's pretty hard to fix it correctly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goudgey 6 Report post Posted August 20, 2015 If your holders are mounted incorrectly, don't accept a repair, get a replacement. If the anchors are installed incorrectly, it's pretty hard to fix it correctly.A replacement pair of skates or a replacement pair of holders fitted correctly to the existing skates? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davetronz 109 Report post Posted August 20, 2015 Replacement pair of skates. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goudgey 6 Report post Posted August 21, 2015 Replacement pair of skates.Would be nice but I can't see that getting up as the shop I bought them from recon it's an easy adjustment to fix. At best I think new steel would be doable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davetronz 109 Report post Posted August 21, 2015 Reason being is that moving the RMS anchors a small distance is troublesome because of the divot they leave. I know some guys file them, but that seems a bit hack-ish and may weaken them. Would be nice but I can't see that getting up as the shop I bought them from recon it's an easy adjustment to fix. At best I think new steel would be doable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goudgey 6 Report post Posted August 22, 2015 I've been dealing with the store I bought the skates from rather than Graf direct. The store wants me to remove the holder to see if it straightens up once removed, and if it doesn't they'll send me a new holder and steel to replace the bent ones. I don't have the necessary tools nor the experience to remove/reinstall the holder myself and the only local pro shop doesn't have experience with Graf skates. In short I'm not overly comfortable with this approach and I have little faith that I'll be able to effect repairs that'll result in a correctly installed and aligned holder and steel.Should I get in contact with Graf directly? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 673 Report post Posted August 22, 2015 It's not that hard to remove the holder, if you can operate a screw driver then you can do it. Either your local hardware store or autoshop will have a suitable driver. If you don't want to buy the tool go back to your LHS and see if you can borrow the right tool from them then just unscrew the 8 screws, the only thing you need to note is the 4 back screws are longer then the 4 front ones. Also try not to push to hard on the screw as you unwind it because you can push the screw holder out of the boot. However this is no biggy, you just push the screw holder back in. If a screw shears off, unlikely because the skates are new, fixing it is easy, places like Hockey Monkey have graf screw replacement kits you can buy.Reinstalling the holder is as simple as winding in 8 screws. Just wind them in until they are tightened firmly, don't over tighten them as this can deform the plastic in the holder and lead to stress fractures and possible cracking around the screw hole in later life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goudgey 6 Report post Posted August 22, 2015 Yeah ok, simple enough. I was thinking there would be some pretty specific torque levels that I'd need to achieve when refastening the holder in place and that the correct alignment of the holder could be tricky and best left to the pros. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goudgey 6 Report post Posted August 25, 2015 At the instruction of the shop I've removed the runner from the holder and the 4 screws from the front/toe of the skate to see if the holder straightens itself and hasn't been pulled out of alignment by incorrectly placed screws or holes in the holder. Despite removing the screws the holder is still bent... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beedee 224 Report post Posted August 25, 2015 the left skate on my graf goaler elite had a fairly substantial curve to it. they tried to fix it at GM but it was a lost cause more or less. i should look at my graf ultra g5's to see if there is any curve, i never really noticed if they were off or not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
