Make sure sharpener doesn't mess up profile

[gamee7 0]

What should you say to your LHS sharpener to make sure he does not mess up your profiling job

[Davetronz 109]

In my experience, if they're going to mess it up, nothing you say to them is going to really make a difference.

I've only found two places locally who don't mess up my profile. The rest typically butcher a good profiling in 1-3 sharpenings.

Aside from asking them not to cross-grind, I don't think there's much you can do on your end other than find a good shop who knows what they're doing.

[AIREAYE 248]

"Hey man, here's $10, go treat yourself after; cheers!"

[gamee7 0]

"Hey man, here's $10, go treat yourself after; cheers!"

haha

should you notify your sharper that you have gotten them profiled?

[jbss71 1]

Okay im 100% new to the technical side of hockey. But its pretty obvious if you have decent radius, more so if its your job.

[Sliwka 0]

Getting trained to sharpen, figure I'd ask it to confirm simply because it was told to me. I was told that to not mess with a profile, do not cross grind the entire length of the runner, but only the "middle section" roughly the middle 2/3 of the runner.

Confirm does not mess with profile, or should I cann people on BS?

[jimmy 194]

If you think your sharpener will mess up your profile, change sharpeners. Never allow a crossgrind, ever!

[cooperalls 4]

Getting trained to sharpen, figure I'd ask it to confirm simply because it was told to me. I was told that to not mess with a profile, do not cross grind the entire length of the runner, but only the "middle section" roughly the middle 2/3 of the runner.

Confirm does not mess with profile, or should I cann people on BS?

The middle of the blade IS the profile area. If you're crossgrinding there, you're changing the profile.

If you think your sharpener will mess up your profile, change sharpeners. Never allow a crossgrind, ever!

I agree with you jimmy, but when someone brings their skates in, and they're covered in rust, or it looks like they wore them in from the parking lot, it's our policy to crossgrind (saves time and wheel) and upcharge +$10. It's very rare...I've probably only done that three times this (hockey) season. I'm not cavalier with the crossgrinder, and most of the time if it's borderline I just take the extra time on the wheel and forget the upcharge, but some people bring in some pretty awful looking skates and expect a 3 minute resurection. For the most part, if people can't do the bare minimum to take care of their skates, they don't have a lot of room to complain about their profile.

[Chadd 916]

I don't care how good a sharpener is, the profile will wear out over time and the harder you skate, the faster it will wear out.

[gamee7 0]

so is it necessary to inform your sharpener?

[JJStripes 1]

... the profile will wear out over time and the harder you skate, the faster it will wear out.

What? What does how you skate have to do with it?

[JJStripes 1]

so is it necessary to inform your sharpener?

It is not necessary to inform your sharpener. They should not have to be told to use equal pressure over the entire blade. They should do that automatically. If you hand your skates over to someone you don't know and trust then watch them sharpen your skates. If it looks like they are about to use the wheel that spins vertically (cross grinder) ask them why they are using that wheel. Tell them you are trying to preserve the life of your steel and you would prefer if they just use the regular sharpener and limit the number of passes if possible. Also, if they don't ask you what depth (hollow) you want them sharpened at, then you should ask them what the wheel is dressed to. Ideally, they should redress the wheel before every sharpening. If they are about to sharpen your skates and they don't redress the wheel and they don't know what it is currently dressed to, then ask for your skates back and leave. If they don't care enough to redress or even know what radius they are giving you then they clearly don't give a shit.

[chanxebyshev 8]

I agree you should not need to tell them but I would tell them anyway.

From the perspective of someone who spends most of the work day sharpening.

I do my best to not change the profile but I am human unfortunately. If you really want to make sure the profile doesn't change throughout the blades life, sharpen them at the place that profiled them every time.

[cooperalls 4]

It is not necessary to inform your sharpener. They should not have to be told to use equal pressure over the entire blade. They should do that automatically. If you hand your skates over to someone you don't know and trust then watch them sharpen your skates. If it looks like they are about to use the wheel that spins vertically (cross grinder) ask them why they are using that wheel. Tell them you are trying to preserve the life of your steel and you would prefer if they just use the regular sharpener and limit the number of passes if possible. Also, if they don't ask you what depth (hollow) you want them sharpened at, then you should ask them what the wheel is dressed to. Ideally, they should redress the wheel before every sharpening. If they are about to sharpen your skates and they don't redress the wheel and they don't know what it is currently dressed to, then ask for your skates back and leave. If they don't care enough to redress or even know what radius they are giving you then they clearly don't give a shit.

Redressing in not (often) necessary before every pair of skates, overdressing wastes time and resources.

[jimmy 194]

The middle of the blade IS the profile area. If you're crossgrinding there, you're changing the profile.

I agree with you jimmy, but when someone brings their skates in, and they're covered in rust, or it looks like they wore them in from the parking lot, it's our policy to crossgrind (saves time and wheel) and upcharge +$10. It's very rare...I've probably only done that three times this (hockey) season. I'm not cavalier with the crossgrinder, and most of the time if it's borderline I just take the extra time on the wheel and forget the upcharge, but some people bring in some pretty awful looking skates and expect a 3 minute resurection. For the most part, if people can't do the bare minimum to take care of their skates, they don't have a lot of room to complain about their profile.

I agree with you there, yes those are rare and those folks generally don't care or even know about profiles. Real regular hockey players generally do not come in with blades covered in rust. What I was refering to is that crossgrinding is not necessary on most skates, and a bad crossgrind can whipe out a profile.

[cooperalls 4]

Agreed.

[Chadd 916]

What? What does how you skate have to do with it?

A lot of guys are harder on their toes than others. Lots of hard starts, kicking for pucks along the boards, etc... you will wear down the steel more at the toe and the profile will be off. he thing is, it happens gradually and most guys never notice it.

[DarkStar50 680]

In my 30+ years of sharpening, I have never noticed it. I don't even see how it is possible that steel could lose a profile coming into contact with ice when actually the steel creates a film of water that the blade glides on the ice with. Chadd, please explain the science of this. Jimmy, what do you think? Ever see this in your experience, the ability of ice to re-shape steel?

[JJStripes 1]

A lot of guys are harder on their toes than others. Lots of hard starts, kicking for pucks along the boards, etc... you will wear down the steel more at the toe and the profile will be off. he thing is, it happens gradually and most guys never notice it.

???

[ibeck 38]

How can you not cross grind? Then you dont know if your edges will come out even because you cant see the black line after one pass on the "sharpening wheel."

[JR Boucicaut 3810]

In my 30+ years of sharpening, I have never noticed it. I don't even see how it is possible that steel could lose a profile coming into contact with ice when actually the steel creates a film of water that the blade glides on the ice with. Chadd, please explain the science of this. Jimmy, what do you think? Ever see this in your experience, the ability of ice to re-shape steel?

I think you guys are looking at his comment wrong...not that the ice is re-shaping the steel, but the constant banging - kicking the boards, banging the toe of the skate into the ice, things like that.

It is possible - look at your rink rentals...

[theWB 2]

How can you not cross grind? Then you dont know if your edges will come out even because you cant see the black line after one pass on the "sharpening wheel."

How do you know that your cross grind pass came out even?

[JR Boucicaut 3810]

How can you not cross grind? Then you dont know if your edges will come out even because you cant see the black line after one pass on the "sharpening wheel."

Easily. You just don't cross-grind. I only turned that switch on if I was doing a profile, sometimes on a new skate.

[DarkStar50 680]

I think you guys are looking at his comment wrong...not that the ice is re-shaping the steel, but the constant banging - kicking the boards, banging the toe of the skate into the ice, things like that.

It is possible - look at your rink rentals...

I don't think you can compare rental steel blades to stainless steel blades.

[dw9509 0]

Guys I'm new to this sharpening profile, cross grinding issue. I'm a rec skater, play adult hockey 1-2 x's a week. I have a pair of Graf's that I bought a month ago and the LHS talked me into trying the FBV sharpening. I tried it, skated a few times on it and lost an edge. I couldn't take them back to the original shop because they were 4 hours away. I took them to my LHS for resharpening, but they don't do the FBV sharpening. I asked them to sharpen them with 1/2" radius and he said that he would have to cross grind and then resharpen to the asked for radius. Is this normal?? I'm reading previous posts and I'm seeing never to cross grind. Did I make a mistake allowing them to do this?? Again, I'm new to this subject..thanks