Modifying blades?

[chrisehyoung 14]

With all the new technology in hockey sticks and blades in particular, will heating and reshaping a blade do much damage to it? I used to customize my curves all the time with wooden sticks but have never really tried with a composite.

[romdj 26]

I've read it couldn't be done..

[Tyler Roy 86]

Don't do it.

[Chadd 916]

Can it be done? yes

Will it damage the stick or reduce durability? yes

Heating and trying to change the curve is slightly less destructive than shaving it.

[chrisehyoung 14]

So I did a couple of blades today just to mess around. They were on broken sticks so I'll never know about durability. A heat gun, a vise, and a couple feet of snow was all it took. I don't really notice any difference in the blades but I also didn't change them drastically. I basically took a Hall curve and made it a P88 by closing the toe.

I may try it with my old ball hockey stick (SherWood T50) just for kicks and because that stick was $20 and i've got over 100 games out of it already. Same thing really, just closing a Hall/Sakic curve at the toe.

[mc88 160]

The P88 is slightly open on the toe. The Iginla curve is more a closed toe. Trust me, it makes a HUGE difference when shooting.

Any reason why you to customize a blade? Seems a bit unorthodox because if you don't have the same curve from stick to stick, then you have to constantly relearn how to shoot with that blade.

[chrisehyoung 14]

I actually once made a jig for a curve that I really liked. I used to form all of my wooden blades to that jig. I like a closed toe for my ball hockey sticks but don't like to spend a lot of money. Most of the lower priced sticks have Sakic/Hall curves and I find them a little too open at the toe for me so I would like to close them up a bit.

[Apes44 7]

2nding the dont do it! personal experience its a bad idea

[chanxebyshev 8]

Like chadd said, it can be done and it will weaken the blade.

But don't let people talk you out of trying if you've got a stick that you don't care about.

I've done a couple composite sticks too. My best results were with cheaper sticks/blades, the ones that are mostly fiberglass. My best one was a Bauer one55 blade that I put a huge toe kink in, it lasted about 3 months. I'm guessing my success had to do with the blade being made through a lamination kind of process and that the tweak I did was in an area on the blade that didn't take as much punishment.

[Crossen463 8]

Do NHL players have blades made of different material? Seems like almost every guy heats his blade to modify it in the NHL these days. Is that due to the sticks being different, or they just don't have to worry about long term durability?

[romdj 26]

Do NHL players have blades made of different material? Seems like almost every guy heats his blade to modify it in the NHL these days. Is that due to the sticks being different, or they just don't have to worry about long term durability?

that used to happen with wood blades. Now the eqm/player just sends a sample, a mold is made from the blade, and then the custom composite blade is made.

[Crossen463 8]

that used to happen with wood blades. Now the eqm/player just sends a sample, a mold is made from the blade, and then the custom composite blade is made.

I'm aware of that, but players still modify the blades that are sent to them. There is extensive video evidence of this all over Youtube.

[gosinger 122]

I'm aware of that, but players still modify the blades that are sent to them. There is extensive video evidence of this all over Youtube.

Could you link some of them? I'm not aware of any videos showing pro players modifying composite blades.

[Crossen463 8]

Could you link some of them? I'm not aware of any videos showing pro players modifying composite blades.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxR5qFwMrv4

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203731004576045661205838084

http://3.cdn.nhle.com/blackhawks/images/upload/gallery/2013/06/10CHIBOS14_slide.jpg

There's just the one video because I couldn't find other ones that I've seen in the past. but there's a recent picture of Patrick Sharp doing some modifications, as well as an article dealing with sticks. It's about the seventh paragraph down that talks about using blow torches to curve sticks. Also, you can look through some of the "Gear Talk With the Pros" videos on youtube and there were one or two of them that have guys talking about other people on their respective teams using blow torches or heat guns to curve the blades.

[steelnation248 101]

NHL players have the luxury of being able to tweak their sticks if it's not exactly how they want them. They're not concerned about the durability of them. Most of us don't have 120 to go through if they break one by heating up the blade.

[Chadd 916]

Do NHL players have blades made of different material? Seems like almost every guy heats his blade to modify it in the NHL these days. Is that due to the sticks being different, or they just don't have to worry about long term durability?

It happens much less often now than it ever has. Also bear in mind that they don't pay for the sticks and don't care how many they go through over the course of a season.

[chrisehyoung 14]

So you're saying that I just need to get signed by an NHL team and then I won't have to worry?

[deathb4dismount 11]

go with a two peice with a wooden blade