Houston, we have a problem... didn't want to sharpen at 3/4"

[ktang 34]

I'm in Canada, and it's hard to get a shallow hollow here too. I bought some new skates 2 years ago and asked for 1" on the initial sharpening. They refused. So I asked for a 3/4". They refused. 5/8". "Only for goalies".

My wife getting our son's and my skates sharpened once, and asked for 1". They told her that it should be 1/2", and that 1" is the diameter.

[JR97 2]

I picked up some CCM 1152's off of ebay and they arrived sharp but sharpened crooked. Not something I noticed until I stepped on the ice and was sliding all over the place. Luckily, the rink's pro-shop guy was around to get them straight again. He asked me what hollow I like and then educated me on what a hollow is since I really had no idea.

Anywho, point being I don't see what the big deal is about sharpening skates to what you ask. But maybe the local guy at my rink is the exception to the rule.

But I"m also equally amazed at how shitty the sharpening job was on the skates when they arrived. Maybe that's why they went up for sale for cheap on ebay in the first place.

[ramensandwich 1]

i get funny looks for even specifying a hollow :o

i love me some 5/8 right now, but back when i skated on the "standard" 1/2 hollow i still specified 1/2, because you have no idea when the last time they dressed the wheel was (pro shop is inside a rink, north carolina, woman with PMS behind the counter, go figure)

oh well

Concord? Lived in Mount Pleasant for a year...moved back to NY because the only real place to skate out there was the rink in the Mall...forget the name of the place but assumed that was the pro shop you were referring to because I remember a cranky PMS lady there.

yeah at eastland mall. well that place got closed because of crime, we now have a new place with 2 full sheets of ice and a smaller 1/2 sheet for kids. but the pms lady is still around.

[flyerman 0]

I once went to a LHS back in NH to get my blades tightened (had to take the holders off to do it on my old Bauers) and get a sharpening. Since the repair/sharpening guy wasn't there, I left a note with specific instructions for what needed to be done, including 7/16" hollow for the sharpening.

A couple days later my girlfriend picked up my skates with the note stuffed inside. The guy had crossed out 7/16" and scribbled 3/8" over it. When I confronted him about it the next time, he told me that 3/8" was "standard" and that's the radius they did. WTF is that?!

[VakarLajos 5]

That's pretty ridiculous. Telling somebody they can't skate on it though? That's just stupid.

If somebody asks for a hallow that is either very deep or very shallow I make sure they know what they are asking for. I had one woman come in with her son's skates and request 1/8". I made her call her son and verify. The last thing I wanted was somebody thinking I messed up their skates because I did what they requested.

[colt45 0]

...and that you can glide better on a shallower hollower...

I've had people question my hollow request (used to be 3/4" as you are, now it's onto 7/8")...

sorry, not to jack the thread...but i use 3/8", and ive never heard anyone warn me that it will make me glide slower, or not skate as fast...is this true or like most things is it all PP?

[TBLfan 25]

Deeper hollow = cut into the ice more and can make sharper turns

Shallow hollow = cuts less into the ice so you can glide better

both are VERY dependant on skaters ability, strength and body weight.

[colt45 0]

Deeper hollow = cut into the ice more and can make sharper turns

Shallow hollow = cuts less into the ice so you can glide better

both are VERY dependant on skaters ability, strength and body weight.

ok thanks...yeah that's what it was...i was sliding out on my turns and i needed my skates sharpened about 2wice a week and a guy at my LHS suggested i try a 3/8" and that;s all i can skate on now..altho sometimes i get that weird sound when i stop

[MLSman 22]

yeah at eastland mall. well that place got closed because of crime, we now have a new place with 2 full sheets of ice and a smaller 1/2 sheet for kids. but the pms lady is still around.

Small world...yup, the Eastland Mall area is straight ghetto. Can't believe the PMS lady is still around. She gave my wife lip once, and my wife just about rammed her fist down her throat! That's why I married her...knew then she was a keeper! :D

[P5man 0]

As far as sharpening skates, I've never said no to anyone wanting to go shallow, but I refuse to sharpen skates to anything deeper than 3/8", just because I can imagine them trying to stop out on the ice and having their lower legs snap.

[epstud74 24]

i get funny looks for even specifying a hollow :o

i love me some 5/8 right now, but back when i skated on the "standard" 1/2 hollow i still specified 1/2, because you have no idea when the last time they dressed the wheel was (pro shop is inside a rink, north carolina, woman with PMS behind the counter, go figure)

oh well

You're probably thinking of Eastland Mall in Charlotte itself, there is a small rink in Pineville as well. There was a guy north of Charlotte that would do custom work on my skates though, but he was a transplant like me.

[Jarick 5]

I've worked up from 3/8 to 1/2, and I'm afraid to go any shallower. Last time I requested an odd hollow (7/16), I got the worst sharpening this side of Hockey Giant. God only knows that if I request a 5/8, it'll probably take them two hours to get around to it...

[tsanga 0]

Jarick,

Where do you get your skates sharpened? Feel free to use PM if you don't want to name names.

[Oberon 0]

Jarick,

Where do you get your skates sharpened? Feel free to use PM if you don't want to name names.

Screw that, name names.

[bigsexy69 0]

it took me few years to find a lhs that had a good skate shrpenner that actually knew what he was doing. i get 11/16ths and a mirror. keep on looking don't give in to t blades

[jon93 0]

Is it really that hard to change the wheel? Theres nothing worse then steping on the ice with a hallow your not use to. Is there a trick to tell the hallow other then the penny one which i didnt really understand.

[VakarLajos 5]

Is it really that hard to change the wheel? Theres nothing worse then steping on the ice with a hallow your not use to. Is there a trick to tell the hallow other then the penny one which i didnt really understand.

Changing the actual wheel takes a while, but it's not hard. Tedious maybe, but not hard. Changing the radius of the wheel is not difficult at all. It's one of the basic principles of skate sharpening.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

I've had good luck. they sharpen it exactly how I ask.

The guy on my team that did my skates goes "what do you want them at 5/8 for?" (because i'm quite small) every time he gives me hell, but does it anyway.

[Jarick 5]

Where do you get your skates sharpened? Feel free to use PM if you don't want to name names.

Screw that, name names.

Well I get them sharpened at Westwood in Bloomington now. Other place is General Sports in Edina. To be fair, General Sports did a better job than Westwood every other time. But that one bad sharpening made me a little gun shy over there, and I live right by Westwood anyway.

I have no idea what it was, but the first skate after that sharpening, I came around a corner, went down into the boards. Got up, went into the next corner, down into the boards. No control over one of my feet all night.

EDIT again: And to be fair to both, they both have the high school kids working, so for all I know it's Russian Roulette as to whether or not they're any good. But 95% of the time they come out fine.

[jimmy 194]

If they have kids under 18 (high school kids) sharpening skates, they are likely violating your state child labor laws. In most skates, one must be 18 or over to sharpen skates. I encourage people to report violators to their state attourney general. This is the only way this practice can be stopped.

[shifter 0]

I once went to a LHS back in NH to get my blades tightened (had to take the holders off to do it on my old Bauers) and get a sharpening. Since the repair/sharpening guy wasn't there, I left a note with specific instructions for what needed to be done, including 7/16" hollow for the sharpening.

A couple days later my girlfriend picked up my skates with the note stuffed inside. The guy had crossed out 7/16" and scribbled 3/8" over it. When I confronted him about it the next time, he told me that 3/8" was "standard" and that's the radius they did. WTF is that?!

Same In my town we only have one shop (souce for sports) and i purchase a brand new pair of skates there and when i went over and ask for 9/16 the guy goes !! I was like alright how about 5/8 "nope", how about 1/2 "nope", then i was like what hollow you sharpen at (with a dissapointed face) and hes like 3/8 because its the standard.. I'm like wtf..thats so freaking deep. The funny thing is nobody complains about 3/8 even little kids skate on it... everyone doesn't complain because of how long their edge holds up.. worst skate sharpening experiance ever but luckily a fellow modsquad member here sharpens my skate with a lot of knowledge :D

[colt45 0]

If they have kids under 18 (high school kids) sharpening skates, they are likely violating your state child labor laws. In most skates, one must be 18 or over to sharpen skates. I encourage people to report violators to their state attourney general. This is the only way this practice can be stopped.

how's that

[Chadd 916]

If they have kids under 18 (high school kids) sharpening skates, they are likely violating your state child labor laws. In most skates, one must be 18 or over to sharpen skates. I encourage people to report violators to their state attourney general. This is the only way this practice can be stopped.

how's that

Minors are not permitted to work on "dangerous" machinery in most states.

Is it really that hard to change the wheel? Theres nothing worse then steping on the ice with a hallow your not use to. Is there a trick to tell the hallow other then the penny one which i didnt really understand.

Changing the actual wheel takes a while, but it's not hard. Tedious maybe, but not hard. Changing the radius of the wheel is not difficult at all. It's one of the basic principles of skate sharpening.

Mistakes made in dressing the wheel are very common. Doing it properly is much more of a skill than many people (especially those who don't do it properly) believe. For that reason I think the new Blackstone spinner system is one of the biggest advances in skate sharpening I've ever seen.

[vitaminZ 0]

If they have kids under 18 (high school kids) sharpening skates, they are likely violating your state child labor laws. In most skates, one must be 18 or over to sharpen skates. I encourage people to report violators to their state attourney general. This is the only way this practice can be stopped.

how's that

Minors are not permitted to work on "dangerous" machinery in most states.

and that includes driving a car in a lot of cases

[Hipster 5]

I'm a friggen Canadian - no gun yet...

Ask them why they don't just sharpen what the customer asks for? Is there a 7 day cooling of period in Texas for changing your blade specs or something?

You can walk into a gun store in texas and buy enough firepower to overthrow a third world country, but you can't change the hollow of your skate blades to 3/4. Hmmm....doesn't seem fair.

Tell'em its part of the Canadian Bill of Rights that George Bush agreed to recognize in exchange for having Canadian Military in Iraq. Breach of this arrangement is considered treason and warrants an automatic 3 years in Guantanamo with the other homeland security risks.

Maybe they'll buy it, maybe it'll just make you feel good to hassle them back.