Blackstone Flat-Bottom V Thread

[lpgbackups 17]

i feel like my ruby wheels are failing more with my LS4 than they did with my LS3........i hope im dreaming.....

[GunRunner 28]

I'm sure you do but is there a chance that you have a set of the LS4 steel that was too hard?  From my understanding, the new/good steel will only have two notches in the toe and no notches in the heel.  If you have the bad LS4 that is prone to breaking, that may explain why it is eating your ruby wheel up.  Just a thought.

[lpgbackups 17]

i know there was a recall of LS4....but i have the correct version.

[lpgbackups 17]

Blackstone is supposed to send me 2 new Ruby wheels soon...but the thing that bugs me is that one of my wheels started failing halfway through its life.........which pretty much puts a lot of doubt in my mind because any wheel can fail at any moment......
sucks.......... i know Blackstone has known about the Ruby wheel issue for a long time...but i wish they had solved it by now......its been a while :(    i dont wanna buy a wheel and then pray that it works...  

when Rubys' work, they work fantastic....im not too keen on going back to orange right now.

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

Forgive me for my ignorance.  I use the orange wheels for FBV on CCM Hyperglide runners.  What's the advantage of using ruby wheels over the orange or pink wheels?

[lpgbackups 17]

ruby is for stainless steel, pink is for goalies or figure skates, orange is all around

[lpgbackups 17]

i just want to say that in the end Blackstone was very nice to me in the way that they handled my situation...very professional.  Thanks!

[Indo16 1]

Just got an X01 and tried FBV for the first time. I've only skated a few times  but I really like the difference ( I went with a 90/1). And after sharpening a few skates, I have to say I enjoy the process almost as much as I enjoy playing hockey. It's kind of therapeutic. Was I supposed to get a calibration block for the tri-lie holder?  Can anyone tell me the measurement of this block so I can re-calibrate my holder, or offer any calibration tips? I read through all 130 pages of posts leading up to my purchase, and I don't remember seeing anything about recalibration. I messed around with the pitch too much and it might be easier to restart from the factory settings than trial and error with witness marks and an edge checker.

[chiefs17 2]

17 hours ago, Indo16 said:

Just got an X01 and tried FBV for the first time. I've only skated a few times  but I really like the difference ( I went with a 90/1). And after sharpening a few skates, I have to say I enjoy the process almost as much as I enjoy playing hockey. It's kind of therapeutic. Was I supposed to get a calibration block for the tri-lie holder?  Can anyone tell me the measurement of this block so I can re-calibrate my holder, or offer any calibration tips? I read through all 130 pages of posts leading up to my purchase, and I don't remember seeing anything about recalibration. I messed around with the pitch too much and it might be easier to restart from the factory settings than trial and error with witness marks and an edge checker.

 

The machine doesn't come with the calibration block, but you don't need to buy it.  Some info here on the calibration process without the block.

 

 

[caseyjones 26]

This isn't a blackstone question, but Ive had my skates sharpened by no icing sports with a fbv and reverse pitch to offset a little of the forward pitch of Graf skates.

 

My question is, will I have any issues if I now take my skates to a local sharpener and just get a regular sharpening? Does he need to know of my previous specidications? I don't care to mess with the pitch or the fbv at this point. I don't think  a well enough skater where it would make a difference for me right now. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

8 minutes ago, caseyjones said:

This isn't a blackstone question, but Ive had my skates sharpened by no icing sports with a fbv and reverse pitch to offset a little of the forward pitch of Graf skates.

 

My question is, will I have any issues if I now take my skates to a local sharpener and just get a regular sharpening? Does he need to know of my previous specidications? I don't care to mess with the pitch or the fbv at this point. I don't think  a well enough skater where it would make a difference for me right now. 

You're fine if you're getting the same FBV cut. If you're switching to traditional ROH you should let him know you have FBV on it now. He may want to crossgrind it.

[Indo16 1]

On 3/22/2016 at 8:38 AM, chiefs17 said:

 

The machine doesn't come with the calibration block, but you don't need to buy it.  Some info here on the calibration process without the block.

 

 

Thanks for finding this post for me, chiefs17. It was very informative.

[caseyjones 26]

11 hours ago, OptimusReim said:

You're fine if you're getting the same FBV cut. If you're switching to traditional ROH you should let him know you have FBV on it now. He may want to crossgrind it.

Thanks. I hope the local sharpeners by me even know what a fbv is

[Indo16 1]

I've had the X01 for almost two months now, and I've been getting good results with the orange wheel. I switched to the ruby wheel and I'm still getting even edges, but I'm seeing waves in the hollow. I try hard to keep even, steady pressure for each pass, and it feels and sounds like I am. The waves are mostly smoothed away with the final, oiled pass, and skating doesn't seem to be negatively affected. But seeing those waves is discouraging and I'm assuming waves in the hollow means there's some sort of unevenness in the edges that I can't detect by sight or feel. This might be fine for a beer-leaguer like me, but I don't want to be unwittingly hampering my six-year-old son's development as a skater.

 

Any tips or suggestions for the ruby wheel?

[mickz 107]

Having the waves in there during the process is ok since you are smoothing it out with the finishing pass anyway.  if the waves become more prominent and appear more often then you might need to replace your dresser (spinner or diamond).  I like to replace my diamond every 2 wheels.

[chiefs17 2]

A new diamond every 2 wheels mickz?  I'm on my original 3 spinners from when I got my X01, right after it was first released.  I've probably been through 12-15 wheels.

 

The waves in the last pass before oiling are pretty normal.  They vary depending on the dress of the wheel and position of the wheel on the arbor.  It's not something I've been able to control with any consistency.  The last pass with Fine Shine usually makes it better.  

 

You can try resetting your grinding wheel.  Just loosen the nut and try rotating the wheel a little.  There's no science to it, it just changes the relationship between the wheel center hole and arbor, and basically balances the wheel.  It might get worse or it might get better.  Don't forget to dress the wheel after each time you try this.

 

Good luck and let us know if it helps.

[vsawchuk 8]

Has anyone tried out a FBV 90/1 sharpening?? I usually us a 90/75 but the only guy I let sharpen my skates just got a 90/1  stone... Anyone know how close it would be to the 90/75? I feel like I could use just a hair more edge but love the glide from the 90/75.

Any insight would be appreciated. 

Thanks!

[readysteady 0]

Hi guys! I have a question about blackstone sharpener. These spinners need to be replacement ? or they will live forever :D ? if yes could you tell me for how long one spinner is for using ?

 

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

59 minutes ago, readysteady said:

Hi guys! I have a question about blackstone sharpener. These spinners need to be replacement ? or they will live forever :D ? if yes could you tell me for how long one spinner is for using ?

 

Directly from Blackstone concerning mini spinners:   The spinners will last for around 5-6 grinding stones, so approximately 400-550 pairs of skates.

59 minutes ago, readysteady said:

 

[readysteady 0]

thanks :), and I have got another question. I know that I should read earlier pages but in Your opinion what 'sizes' of spinners FBV are the most popular used by hockey players? Could You write about 3 sizes ? Sorry for my noobthing, but i am considering buying a blackstone x02 sharpener and i want more know about this sharpener and his parts. :)

[Mimizk 114]

I've found this photo on Instagram.
The person who uploaded this photo is a pro hockey player and have been using X02 and some spinners include this one for 2~3years.
Usually he sharpen only his skates.

Also he is troubled with vibration of X02.
I've seen the construction of X02 for the first time though, I can't stop to say its design is so bad.
I guess, the spindle and bearing settings are DIY level...
X01/02 use small grinding stones, so it needs more rev than 8inch sharpeners.
General thinking, we may think it should be needed reinforcement of spindle unit, but this machine is opposite.

[Indo16 1]

On 5/20/2016 at 7:46 AM, chiefs17 said:

A new diamond every 2 wheels mickz?  I'm on my original 3 spinners from when I got my X01, right after it was first released.  I've probably been through 12-15 wheels.

 

The waves in the last pass before oiling are pretty normal.  They vary depending on the dress of the wheel and position of the wheel on the arbor.  It's not something I've been able to control with any consistency.  The last pass with Fine Shine usually makes it better.  

 

You can try resetting your grinding wheel.  Just loosen the nut and try rotating the wheel a little.  There's no science to it, it just changes the relationship between the wheel center hole and arbor, and basically balances the wheel.  It might get worse or it might get better.  Don't forget to dress the wheel after each time you try this.

 

Good luck and let us know if it helps.

Thanks Chiefs17. I played around with the balance and the waves aren't so bad anymore, and like you said, the final pass with oil smooths them out really well.

Has anyone used the X01 to sharpen a brand new set of skates that have never been sharpened? Is there any difference? Do you have any tips?

[chiefs17 2]

19 hours ago, Indo16 said:

Thanks Chiefs17. I played around with the balance and the waves aren't so bad anymore, and like you said, the final pass with oil smooths them out really well.

Has anyone used the X01 to sharpen a brand new set of skates that have never been sharpened? Is there any difference? Do you have any tips?

New blades just take more passes.  Use a Sharpie marker and cover the bottom of the blade with ink.  When you think you have made enough passes, take a look at the bottom of the blade.  There should be no marker left on the bottom surface.  Take a measurement with whatever gauge you're using, just to make sure you are level, then make a couple more passes and then a final pass with Fine Shine.

[pizzakid13 5]

just baked and sharpened new skates yesterday. went with 100/50 as usual. they were a little sharp today but since i only sharpened my other skates once in the last year, it was to be expected.

the guy at total hockey told me that if i wanted to come back and get a new cut with less bite, they do not cross grind the steel. they just run the skate over the other bit. is this true? they're the only place around philly doing FBV.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Yes. 

No need to crossgrind when changing hollows.