jkent27

They'll be fine to skate in for now, but I'd deal with it as soon as it's convenient for you. From the looks of the pictures it's probably a good idea to get a lot of those steels replaced by someone with some experience on a riveter.

In my opinion, they're gonna pull out eventually. I'm surprised they lasted thru your first skate in them. I'm guessing because the coppers are in that front position it gave the steel a little more strength. If they were my skates, I would put coppers in the back. I'm actually surprised the second shop you took them to didn't say anything about that.

It's pretty obvious the the first "tech" who worked on the skates has never replaced holders before. Nobody with any experience at all would place the copper rivets where they were. Steel rivets won't hold in that back position. If I were that shop owner, I would want to know if extremely sub par work was occurring in my place. For a small business, service and quality of work are everything. That's the only way to compete with the big stores.

This is good advice. I tried the rubber stones without much luck. It might seem like the rubber is working because there's not usually much of a burr on the dlc but I get a much cleaner edge just using a regular stone at a slight angle. I've been sharpening on a Wissota for about 20 years. In the end, if it feels right on the ice, then it's right. 🙂

Been swapping two sets of the dlc for a couple years now. Never had any issues. I sometimes swap in a pair of old black step steel that I had left over and they're as tight as ever.

I'm a big fan of George's in Minnesota. I've used them to repair skates before. https://hockeyrepair.com/

plus one for Swiftwick. Been using them for a few years

They actually feel quite solid. They're a little smaller than standard pliers but are perfect to throw in the bag. I was a little worried about the gripping power as the plastic looked a bit smooth but they never slip, even when the blade is a little stubborn. Even come with a spare set of plastic.

https://www.amazon.com/BENECREAT-Forming-Adhesive-Projects-Construction/dp/B0816J98FQ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2U4UP5B5KEDGL&keywords=jewelry+no+scratch+pliers&qid=1682611646&sprefix=jewelery+no+scratch+pliers%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-3 I use these for my coated blades. After you've cut yourself a few times with that bauer tool, it's a no brainer 🙂

Definitely following. Curious to see if they've improved the elbow pad.

When you go with a larger holder, how off are the hole patterns? Do you fill the old ones and drill new ones?

Wow, I had no idea those clamps existed! That definitely answers my question. I'd much rather use that than try to sharpen the blades by themselves on the holder. Thank you for the links. I just ordered the Blademaster one.

Question for all of you that sharpen skates. Do you see any problems with sharpening skate blades outside of the holders? I've been sharpening at home with a Wissota since the 90"s and I've never really thought about it. I live in a town with not a lot of sharpening options so I like to sharpen skates around the league when I can. I hate taking people's skates home and it's not always convenient for players to come by my house. Seems a lot easier, with the new technology, for them just to hand be a set of blades rather than skates. Last week I had a goalie come by with a brand new pair of skates and try as I might, I couldn't get the skate on my holder because of it's shape. I had no choice but to take it out of the holder. The only down side I could see would be if it's a long blade, it might flex more outside of the holder. Thoughts? Jeff

I’d buy a pair if the finished product looked like this! Unfortunately I’m sure they’ll add some color or graphics.