Please explaing sharpening to me....

[biff44 0]

I agree. If you are a fair skater that can use his edges, 6' 3" 205#, you want a 5/8" hollow! It will be a little harder to make tight turns until you build up your ankle muscles and practice it, but eventually you will get the tight turns back, and you will be skating 20% faster due to less drag on the ice.

[biff44 0]

Biff - don't confuse sharpness with depth.  You can make a razor-sharp 1" and a dull 5/16".  Major no-no...

I am assuming, except for goalie skates, that we are talking about a "razor sharp" sharpening on every skate hollow radius discussed here here. The hollow radius determines how much of the edge is exposed to the ice, so a 3/4" hollow will not bite into the ice as well as a 1/2" hollow. If you have crappy ice, with lots of ridges and bumps, you need a smaller hollow to keep from losing an edge. A heavy guy should probably be on 5/8". A lighter guy should use as big a radius as he can stand until he starts losing an edge a few times per hour, and then back down 1/8" smaller or so.

Check out bite angle:

http://chuck-wright.com/Skating/blades.html

[jeffw 1]

Off the bat - probably start at 5/8." Would have to wean you off 3/8" - move you up gradually to 5/8".

So maybe go back to 1/2" until I get the feel of it then to 5/8"?

[JR Boucicaut 3793]

Yes, but what I am trying to say is that people say that 3/8" is "sharper" than 1". Not true - the term they are looking for is "deeper."

[JR Boucicaut 3793]

Off the bat - probably start at 5/8."  Would have to wean you off 3/8" - move you up gradually to 5/8".

So maybe go back to 1/2" until I get the feel of it then to 5/8"?

Yes.

[trucks 0]

Does anyone know what the standard hollow for goal skates is? I have no idea what mine are...I just bring them in and get them done. If anyone can tell me whats best for goalie Id appreciate it to give it a try.

[JR Boucicaut 3793]

1" is considered to be standard. However, a lot of goalies now play with a deeper hollow - enabling them to get in and out of the butterfly easier - I had a few guys skate on 5/8". Ask them what hollow they do it before you go switching.

[DarkStar50 679]

In my pro shop goalie skates are done at 5/8". We also sharpen player skates at 3/8" most of the time.

[JR Boucicaut 3793]

Ouch.

[Cavs019 708]

Is your ice made of marble?

[DarkStar50 679]

We keep mighty hard ice in our building.

[DarkStar50 679]

BTW, I read the whole thread before posting that info. I knew it was going to blow somebody's mind to hear those hollows as "standard." Sometimes it is all a matter of what you are used to. I am also very close to the fastest, hardest ice in the east: Tate Rink at West Point, United States Military Academy. If your skates are not sharpened when you step onto that ice, go home! The rink is Olympic size, 200' x 100.' The puck will slide off your stick and away from you, that is how fast the ice is. West Point may not have a great team, but they can skate!!

[Cavs019 708]

I skate there all the time, on 5/8. No effort required. :D

[Sticks of Fury 0]

When you sharpen a both skates are both skate toes facing the same way. ie both skates toes facing left/right or do alternate the left skate with toe facing left and the right skate facing right so you can have the residual steel (steel from the way the stone is turning) in the inside edge of the skate or this is not relevant? I am just wondering because on my skates I do the finger nail test and I can feel the out side edges are sharper and I have used them three times since the last sharpening. I just think I got a bad sharpening.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I always have my toe facing to the left and sharpen heel to toe. I guess if your completely square, it wouldn't matter, but I like it for routine purposes.

[joshy207 15]

When you sharpen a both skates are both skate toes facing the same way. ie both skates toes facing left/right or do alternate the left skate with toe facing left and the right skate facing right so you can have the residual steel (steel from the way the stone is turning) in the inside edge of the skate or this is not relevant? I am just wondering because on my skates I do the finger nail test and I can feel the out side edges are sharper and I have used them three times since the last sharpening. I just think I got a bad sharpening.

The "residual steel" thing is not relevant. It's best to go "toes left" on both skates.

As for your fingernail test, are you just doing that now, or did you test your skates right after they were sharpened? If you're just doing it now, do not blame it on a bad sharpening. Your inside edge will dull more quickly because you're skating on it more, like when you're pushing off. Three times on the ice will cause your inside edge to feel less sharp than your outside edge.

[biff44 0]

Even after 1 hour of skating, the edges will be worn away differently.

[Sticks of Fury 0]

Thanks for the replies biff44, joshy207 and Eazy b97. Time for a new sharpening.:)

[sogaduch 0]

I always have my toe facing to the left and sharpen heel to toe. I guess if your completely square, it wouldn't matter, but I like it for routine purposes.

umm if your facing the left with the boot and your going heel to toe then your going against the wheel causing greater friction. also if your going heel-toe you have a greater risk of reducing the heel blade height which you need, the heel is there for stability. the correct way would be toe heel but not going all toe-heel. toe-heel passes should only be done for the begining 2 passes and your final pass. your cutting passes should focus on the area behind the toe and the area before the heel, aswell your passes should be fairly fast since they are your cutting passes. after that you can alternate your starting and stopping areas but not focusing heavily on the toe and heel since if the blade is rounded off looking like a bannana your profile is gone you have no main contact area. you do really want to sharpen going with the wheel so you create less friction and creating less heat on the blade.

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

we used to do 7/16" standard at my old job, but now we have an EZ sharp, so youre guess is as good as mine what that thing sharpens at.

on the blade master i used to do my skates at 1 1/4" but now i prefer 5/8 or 3/4

[sogaduch 0]

weve got a blademaster machine 3 head and our standard is 1/2 for players 3/4 for goalie, 7/8 figure and combos are normally 1/2 toe and 3/4 throughout the rest.

[Eazy_b97 1]

umm if your facing the left with the boot and your going heel to toe then your going against the wheel causing greater friction. also if your going heel-toe you have a greater risk of reducing the heel blade height which you need, the heel is there for stability. the correct way would be toe heel but not going all toe-heel. toe-heel passes should only be done for the begining 2 passes and your final pass. your cutting passes should focus on the area behind the toe and the area before the heel, aswell your passes should be fairly fast since they are your cutting passes. after that you can alternate your starting and stopping areas but not focusing heavily on the toe and heel since if the blade is rounded off looking like a bannana your profile is gone you have no main contact area. you do really want to sharpen going with the wheel so you create less friction and creating less heat on the blade.

I sharpen with the wheel. I don't go "full toe" it's just the direction I go with. I had the same trainer as you did who set it up this way. Our wheel goes counter clockwise and we go with it. Toe faces the left, start with the heel and push to your right. I don't round off my toes or heels.

[sogaduch 0]

ok cause our wheel goes clockwise. but normally its toe to heel. but whichever works for you

[asdfa 0]

we used to do 7/16" standard at my old job, but now we have an EZ sharp, so youre guess is as good as mine what that thing sharpens at.

on the blade master i used to do my skates at 1 1/4" but now i prefer 5/8 or 3/4

WHAATT 1 1/4'? how do you skate on that?

okay, i know i can get lots of different hollows at my LHS, and they don't charge extra, but if you want to change the hollow of a sharpening, don't you have the change the shape of the wheel? if i ask for my skates to get sharpened at 3/4" (which is what i use for warm weather), and the standard is 1/2, do they need to take a lot off the wheel?

[Eazy_b97 1]

they just dress it at the hollow requested. Depends on how far they go, but I wouldn't say it's "alot" taken off the wheel.