Leaderboard

Look at all this stuff I dragged home from the US.

My son netted his first collegiate goal in Seattle, playing UW in a ACHA PAC8 showdown.

Here is the next biggest advantage (sorry to you pro shop guys for this one) I can promise you I saved $1,000's in add on sales by not spending time in the pro shops awaiting my skates to be done.....Specifically when 9,10,11,12,13 year old kids looks at you and asks for the newest jersey, t shirt hat, jacket, mini stick, knee hockey net etc.... Cha Ching !

If the tri holder is out of level, every single set of skates will be off from front to back, no matter how good you dress or adjust from edge to edge. This can happen easily if the tri-holder is dropped by one employee and the others don't know it. If they spot-check only the center of the blade, they may not notice if there's runout on the toe and heel. Edge level is definitely more critical with FBV than ROH. You can't just tilt the tri-holder to get the center of a radius to hit the center of the blade edge (even if the skate is not level!); you have to be at exactly the right height off the table with the dresser and center of blade while held level.

Just my opinion but I believe edge level to be more critical with FBV than ROH. Just ask the sharpener to show you the edge level on the front and rear of the blade prior to accepting them OR by an edge checker yourself.

Dip Coat offers a spray that is supposed to make plasti-dipped surfaces more durable. However, haven't tried it yet. https://www.dipyourcar.com/Dip-Coat-Spray.html - Protects Dipped Surfaces from surface scratches and marring - Creates a smoother, slicker, less rubbery feel of dipped surfaces - Enhances colors and pearl finishes of dipped surfaces - Daily UV protection - Protects dip from staining - Makes dipped surfaces easier to wash I think what's nice about this stuff is that it's super user friendly, so if you mess up, you can always take it off and start over.

Truck bed liner may hold up better. There are a few smooth spray can options out there.

Materials used (most of the materials can be found at Home Depot or hardware store and shouldn't be more than $30 in total): - Performix Plasti-Dip - Scotch Blue Painters Tape 2093 EL - X-Acto Knife - Kimberly Clark Purple Nitrile Exam Gloves or similar disposable gloves - Any sort of Rubbing Alcohol - Any sort of Scrap Paper (I used printer paper) - Any sort of Rag, Cloth or Paper Towel Process: Remove the tongues and laces from the boots -- You can leave the screw on the top of the toe-cap in -- I just sprayed on top of it and left the coating on the screw anyway Scotch Blue tape the entire perimeter of the toe-cap -- I found it better to tape up to the edges of the synthetic sewn pieces and not worry about the thin side-walls -- also, if your skate is like mine where a bit of holder sticks out in the front, then shove a piece of tape in sideways in between the holder and boot to keep it from leaking onto the top of the holder -- use the side of the x-acto knife to push the tape flat on the holder Scotch Blue tape some scrap paper around the entire boot/holder/runner to block off areas of over-spray -- I found that if it does hit the holders/runners/synthetic pieces, then it's easy to remove by scrubbing with a DRY paper towel after it dries Put on the nitrile gloves and then tape a piece of scrap paper around your left forearm (or non-dominant arm) and over the wrist part of the glove to block over-spray! Pour some rubbing alcohol on to a cloth/rag/paper towel and thoroughly wipe down the toe cap. Let it dry for a few minutes Shake the plasti-dip can for about a minute and then with your non-dominant hand, hold the boot tilted upward and out in front of you, so that you're looking at the underside of the toe-cap With a back and forth sweeping motion, spray the plasti-dip 8-10 inches away from the boot. Start from the bottom of the toe-cap and work your way upward -- Look for an even wet shine across the toe-cap; It should not be drippy, runny nor have gaps/holes in the coating... again EVEN Repeat same spraying process for the the other skate Wait 10-15 minutes (or 30 minutes depending on how your climate is) before applying another coat -- If you want to know when the coat is dry, look for an even matte finish. Nothing will be shiny! Continue to apply a minimum of 6-10 coats with 10-30 minute drying breaks in between -- I applied 6 coats, however, after a practice session I noticed there was some that got scratched off by a skate, BUT still not flakey After the final layer has been applied, wait 4 hours for it to completely cure After curing, take your X-acto knife and score around the entire toe-cap to release the plasti-dip from the side-walls and tape Carefully remove the tape, if you notice any plasti-dip coming up with the tape, cut it down the center with the X-acto knife -- I did a technique of pulling the tape up with my left hand while running the x-acto blade behind it with my right hand If you have any major mistakes or flakiness, start over. Peel off the plasti-dip like you would a sticker, then repeat the steps above but add more drying time and increase the distance of the spray from the toe-cap If all went well, then go hit the ice, your toe-cap is plasti-dipped!

Congrats on passing the NREMT practical. When are you planning on taking the written? In any case, like I said before, you got this.