Blademaster Finishing Stones

[Jason16 0]

I work at an ice rink and our skate shop has just recently switched finishing stones for our Blademaster. We have been using the 8MXCs (light blue) for quite a while and they were great but our new rink manager has insisted that we use the pink stones, either an 8FR or an 88R. I don’t know if there is a price difference between the 2 stones but we are under budget constraints and that could definitely be an impetus to the change of stones.

I just sharpened my skates today and noticed an incomparable hollow to what the old 8MXCs would create – very shallow for 3/8s. I stepped out onto the ice and it was as if I had just walked across a tile floor; I was slipping all over the place but as soon as I picked up some speed I could feel and hear the edges cutting.

Has anybody else had a similar experience?

[prenny207 1]

the 88r and the 8fr are the same price. they are a softer and finer grit wheel. they are recommended for specific uses. 8fr- recommended for figure skates. 88r- recommended for rec fig skates, and goalie skates.

you can use these as a finishing wheel for hockey, but not necessary. however, the hollow will not vary because of the wheel. that is determined by the diamond and the dressing arm. the diamond quill may not be set accurately, or the diamond may be worn down, making the hollow vary.

with regards to your skates... the hollow must be incorrect, but the finish is probably smoother then your previous sharpenings, but that should not make that much difference in your skating.

[biff44 0]

Well...

did the guy sharpening the skates know what he was doing? Hold the skates up to a lightbulb and look at the gleam from the edge. Did the sharpening expose new sharp metal, or is it chipped/rounded over still?

Did he dress the stone before he did your skates?

Do you really try to skate on someting as small as 3/8". You must have trouble going fast! Because that is such a small radius, it is hard to get the two edges to be parallel. It is possible that one edge is just too low. Balance a penny on the blade and see if it is perpendicular to the blade.

[Jason16 0]

That's probably the issue: the fact that these stones have specific uses. The finer grit has allowed us to create a much smoother mirror finish. Superficially everything looks great, it's only when we step out onto the ice that we notice drastic changes. If you run your fingers perpendicular across the top of the edges, you notice the outside edges are sharp but no inside edges. The edges are even, no doubt about it.

The hollow is correct. 3/8s is fairly standard at our rinks and most LHSs in my area. The diamond is new and we rotate it to create even wear. I doubt we're incorrectly reading the dressing arm because we've just noticed these inconsistencies with the new stones.