Baking skates at home

[ponder 0]

New to these boards, sorry if an identical thread already exists. I was wondering if people had tips for baking skates at home? Recently bought a new pair of skates (Bauer X40s), got them baked in the shop where I bought them, but would like to bake them again at home just to work out a pressure point (almost a perfect fit, but just slightly tight around the balls of my feet). Before I do this I thought I'd get some tips.

I know to use unwaxed laces, and to pull outwards when tightening so as to avoid putting too much pressure on the eyelets. However, I have a couple questions:

1) What temperature should I bake them at, and for how long? I've heard anywhere from 150-200 degrees fahrenheit, and anywhere from 2 to 8 minutes, does it differ from skate to skate? What would be a good temp/time for X40s? And once the oven is heated to said temperature, should I turn it off before putting the skates in?

2) In the oven should they be standing upright (holders between the bars of the oven rack) or placed on a cookie sheet, and if placed on the sheet, should you flip them over half way through?

3) How long should I keep them on my feet for, and should I be sitting the whole time? When I've had skates baked in the past this has varied from shop to shop, all seem to have you sit but with a bit of pressure on the skates, some for about 5 minutes before standing up, other shops say to sit for a good 15+ mins and then just take them off, never standing up

4) Can the footbed go in the oven, or should I remove the footbed and only put it back in when I take the skates out of the oven?

Thanks! And if the technique is skate-specific, feel free to post tips for any type of skate so anyone can use this thread.

[Drewhunz 3]

Use a heat gun to localize the area you need to stretch. DO NOT put them in your oven.

[elpresidente99 1]

Here a good video with i thing x40 or x50.

Greetz

[interpathway 9]

I don't condone, endorse, or advise, but please....

Make certain you have a convection oven. Melted skates fit no one's feet (cue the Forsberg jokes).

[Drewhunz 3]

Here a good video with i thing x40 or x50.

Greetz

WOW. Several issues there.

1. No convection

2. Baked too long

3. Pulling up on the laces instead of out.

[interpathway 9]

WOW. Several issues there.

1. No convection

2. Baked too long

3. Pulling up on the laces instead of out.

And these sort of mistakes/estimations are why you get professionals to handle such potentially debilitating actions on your skate investment (stretching, feathering, etc.).

Spot heating with a heat-gun is manageable by those with handyman type skill sets, but I'd seriously advise against anything further than that.

[Andoy 5]

Hey ponder, any way you could go back to the shop and have them re-bake or spot heat your skate for you? In most cases, shops do it free of charge if you bought the skates from them.

Spot heating is probably a better option since you don't have any other problems with the rest of the boot

[GoBucky 0]

Personally, I wouldnt recommend baking them at home. Youd be better off to go back to the skate shop and have them rebaked by a professional who knows what they are doing. Most skate shops will rebake them for free.

With how expensive today's skates are, Id hate to see someone ruin them by improperly rebaking them at home.

[talkintothemike 4]

Personally, I wouldnt recommend baking them at home. Youd be better off to go back to the skate shop and have them rebaked by a professional who knows what they are doing. Most skate shops will rebake them for free.

With how expensive today's skates are, Id hate to see someone ruin them by improperly rebaking them at home.

I have a different take based on the fact that the LHS's in my area have those cheap, crappy Bauer ovens that don't work very well after about 6 mos. After a number of issues with temps, both too hot and not hot enough, I have taken matters into my own hands. In the past 3 years I have probably baked 20+ pairs of skates for family and friends. Lucky or not, so far, no issues.

I heat the oven to 170 to 180 deg depending on the quality of the skate. (Better quality, I tend to go higher.) I lay the skates on aluminum foil on top of the rack that is centered in the oven. After putting the skates in, I leave the oven on at the set temp for 4 mins, open the oven flip the skates, leave the oven on for about another minute, then turn the oven off. I leave the skates in for at least another 4 mins, so the total bake time is at least 8 mins: 4 on each side. At the 8 min mark I check to make sure the boot is soft and so far I have only had to go a min or 2 longer 2 times. (Both times I used the 170 setting so maybe that was part of the problem.)

I just think an oven is an oven, is an oven.

[wrangler 157]

I just think an oven is an oven, is an oven.

Depends on how even the heat distribution is, how accurate the thermostat is, and where the thermostat is, if the distribution is uneven. This can vary from oven to oven.

[pby 0]

Could always buy an oven thermometer, they cost next to nothing and its useful for baking in general.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Could always buy an oven thermometer, they cost next to nothing and its useful for baking in general.

I think the point is, YOU do what YOU want to, but if it doesn't work and ruins your skates, don't come crying on here/to the company that made the skates. People on here are trying to help, but no one wants to listen.

As an LHS employee, I have seen first hand what can happen to skates that are baked in a household oven. It isn't pretty.

Please don't do it.

[scoops 1]

175 degrees for 6 minutes. Preheat the oven to 175, then turn the oven OFF before putting skates in. Bake one at a time just like the video. Works like a charm, nothing to worry about. I have done this with every pair of skates I've owned, and I don't buy cheap skates. Really, it's harmless if done correctly.

[GoBucky 0]

I have a different take based on the fact that the LHS's in my area have those cheap, crappy Bauer ovens that don't work very well after about 6 mos. After a number of issues with temps, both too hot and not hot enough, I have taken matters into my own hands.

Time to find a shop that has a CCM oven.

[Chadd 916]

I see topics like this where people give out so much bad information as if they were an actual authority on anything and it scares the hell out of me.