tomh7

I went ahead and ordered the Blademaster TSM811T. ETA is Friday. Perfect timing since Jr is starting to get really cramped in his current skates so he is getting his new skates Saturday. Without a shaping system for my machine, this can get very tricky if you don't know what you are doing. Adding heel spacers allows me more control and consistency when dialing in what works for him.

I am in the process of trying to decide which skate riveter to get. My choices are the Blackstone ROED or the Blademaster TSM811T. I am really looking for opinions on whether the Blackstone is really worth the extra $600 or not. This is for personal use for myself, my son (going into Bantams), teammates and friends. I bought a Blackstone Pro Portable sharpener last fall to replace my 20yr old EZ-Sharp and I love it. I sharpen skates for friends and teammates and occasionally come across a rivet that needs to be replaced. Also, my son goes through 2 pairs of skates every year (I only buy his skates in 1/2 size increments) and he likes his skates with a .060" spacer between the rear of the holder and the boot. Getting the local shop to do that has been getting more difficult every year and I would like to just do it myself. I have the same setup for my skates which get replaced every 3 years. Thanks in advance for the input. T

.What I have always done with new steel is to basically do a regular sharpen twice. The first one is slightly deeper that what the final sharpen would be. Between the first and second sharpen, I'd let the steel rest (i.e. cool down) so as not to over heat with several additional passes. For example, I skate on a 3/4" ROH. When I get new steel, I will sharpen (4-5 passes) at 5/8" ROH, wait about a half hour to hour and do the final sharpen at 3/4" ROH. I try to never do more than 5 passes when sharpening.

I currently have an EZ Sharp and I would like to upgrade. What I really need is a way to contour my blades. I was fortunate enough to learn a lot while I was in Montreal about sharpening and profiling and have become quite spoiled with my current skate setup. Since I am no longer in Montreal, I'd like to be able to profile my own skates. I am usually on the ice 3-5 days per week between refing and playing. Ideally I like to find a way to buy a shaping system and adapt the EZ-Sharp to it (re-machine the table) but i am open to buying a new machine. I haven't tried FBV (and quite frankly I am not in a hurry to) however, it would be nice to have the option in case I start doing friends skates also. Also, my son is starting to get really interested in skating and learning to play hockey (he is 4 now) so i can see this as a long term investment. As I said, the EZ-Sharp has worked well over the years (and it is what i learned on while working at an LHS in college) but I think it might be time to upgrade. I'd like some thoughts and input. Thanks, T

In my opinion, making a homemade skate sharpener would cost the same if not more in time and materials than the $1000 fo a new X01. If you are a tinkerer than I say give it a shot on paper first and then decide if it is worth the effort and investment to proceed. Otherwise, save up the grand and just give Blackstone a call. Just my $.02. By the way, I am a design engineer and a tinkerer and I have struggled to come up with a one-off solution that I think would match the quality job that the X01 or just about any other commercially available sharpener would do for less money.

Check at an industrial supply store for an equipment cooling fan. You can usually get one for $40 and up depending on the cfm requirements. McMaster-Carr, Grainger, MSC all carry them.

Pizza, Pizza

Just added NBH 4-Roll Glove 14" Black. Next Week, One90 Elbows.

My '02 Jetta is my fun car, my '95 Exploder is my "I want to run everthing over" car as well as my "haul my hockey equipment to and from the rink" car, and my '04 TL is my "keep the little woman happy and off my back about the new skates" car. By the way, all of the cars are her's anyway. I'm just the one she lets pay for and maintain them.

Update: Helmet: RBK 8k, NBH 4500 (for Reffing)(new) Shield: Oakley Pro Straight w/ Vents (on RBK), Itech HS22 Aviator (on NBH) Shoulder: Bauer 8000 Lightspeed Elbows: Nike V-14 (will be replacing with NBH One90 or RBK 9k this fall) Gloves: Eagle x70 Pants: RBK 8k Shins: RBK 8k Skates: NBH Vapor XXXX (new) Base Layer: RBK Triple Impact Shirt, Shock Doctor Power Hockey Jock, RBK Platinum Pants, Easton Synergy Socks Sticks: RBK 6k (Modano) 2PS, Sherwood Momentum Taper Fit (Crosby) 2PS

Helmet/Shield: RBK 8k/Oakley Pro Straight w/ Vent Shoulder Pads: Bauer 8000 Lightspeed Elbow Pads: Nike V-14 Gloves: '06 Eagle X70 (w/ 2-piece fingers) Pants: RBK 8k Undershirt: RBK Triple Impact Jock: Shock Doctor Compression Short Shin Pads: RBK 8k Skate Socks: Easton Skates: Bauer 8090 (edited 2/12/07 was Bauer 8000) Sticks: 2 x RBK 6k Shaft (Modano), Sherwood Momentum Taper-fit Shaft (Bouchard)