kevintung_2k

The wavy grooves are due to doing your final pass too quickly. Your final pass should take at least 5 seconds to do. Also, it is not entirely necessary for the spinner to spin all that much. I've had no problem establishing a fairly consistent hollow on my X-01, with the spinner moving only slightly for each dress.

It takes about two weeks to learn by yourself, and about a month or so to get comfortable with it.

You should aim for more than 3 seconds, but after you get used to sharpening you won't have to focus on "swipe time". Be sure to to apply light, consistent pressure in your passes.

The spinner isn't supposed to spin much, since there's no motor underneath the spinner to give it any motion other than the force given by the grinding wheel. I recommend tightening the spinner screw to reduce vibration, which can cause irregular dressings. Unscrew the spinner screw and rotate the spinner every so often to make sure you use all sides of the spinner.

Danny L of Larry's Sports should be convinced to get one. I can't believe they're so closed to getting it. I didn't buy mine for making money of it and breathe the skates dust. But it sure has paid for itself buy driving more customers to the store to just sharpen and then when they see the stuff I got, they buy it. I can't understand how being busy as they are they still haven't gotten one. I have the inside scoop on Larry's. Ever since they hired John Porter (good guy, excellent sharpener) with his Dupliskate machine, they've put most of the skate sharpening on him. Since they rarely use their Blackstones much anymore, they don't see the justification of getting the FBV. I'd keep going back to John, but it's too much of a commute living in Richmond, so I got my own machine.

I've noticed that it takes about twice as many passes to sharpen stainless steel on the X-01. I'd recommend the X-02 for those who frequently sharpen stainless steel, at least until Blackstone produces a grittier wheel.

Thanks, that a good idea. I just did a harder dress and it seems to get the right shape now--I'll have to test it out again. I've been using the marker idea to do witness marks, and it helps a lot. The thing is I've notice that on occassion, even when the mark is right down the middle and then I finish a sharpen, the bat gage says the edges are slightly off (2 ticks). Should I trust the witness marks more or the bat gage?

How much do you guys dress brand new wheels to create a profile? I've done a few light touches with the spinner, but since it's FBV, I'm concerned I'm not grinding into the wheel enough.

Do you find that you need to adjust the knobs significantly with different blade widths?

I've been working with the X-01 for the second day, and can now get even edges and smooth passes. I've noticed that the batgage does not fit on certain goalie blades, as it seems to be designed for the width of player blades.

Just ordered the X-01 today, can't wait!

Just tried out the 100/75 FBV today, with a 20/32' combo radius with medium forward lean (goalie). It does feel a lot like 3/8" ROH, but it isn't enough bite for me as I'm used to a 5/16" radius. It holds its edge pretty well, but may be more dependent on the brand of steel used. Has anyone heard if Blackstone is coming out with a spinner with more bite?

It looks like I will be purchasing an X-01 with the 100/75 FBV spinner in the next few weeks--there are very few good sharpeners in the Lower Mainland, and they are located too far from me. With the time and money saved on gas, this investment will pay itself back in less than a year.

Thanks, I may go try out the FBV hollow at another hockey store first. Also, what do you guys do for ventilation/dust control? Do you guys sharpen outdoors or have some sort of setup like the dust hood Wissota has?

I'm thinking of ordering the X-01, but does Blackstone have spinners that give a deeper cut than 3/8" ROH or 100/75 FBV? I'm a goalie and I like my skates sharpened to 5/16" ROH.