reliable treatment to keep toe from chipping?

[Nealoc187 10]

I feel like there must be a thread on this somewhere, but searching only turns up the random question in random threads about "how do i keep the toe from chipping" without any solid answers.

I've tried electrical tape, hockey tape, epoxy drizzled into the broken part, superglue, gorilla glue, etc. The Reebok 11K Datsyuk blade I use and have an ample supply of is very durable in every way except the squareish toe chips and starts fraying worse and worse. I've had to retire a number of them not because the blade lost structural integrity or stiffness but because they are literally almost a full inch shorter than they started out because of toe chipping.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Souldriver 64]

When I get a new blade I usualy put on a bead of super thin super glue around the entire edge and then use an old nail polish brush to make it flat. Around the edge of the toe I go in about 1/4 inch, once again I'm not gobbing it on just super thin. Then because I like the sandpaper finish of other blades I then hit it with one super thin, super light coat of the krylon clear grip spraypaint, just mist it. I use it for the grip and my tape doesn't come off as easy but the combo of the two helps against chips.

But when I do get chips I immediately use super thin super glue that will penetrate deep into the chip and under the flap and it usually seals it up nice without any extra mass on the outside.

People use epoxy but I find it much harder to get it deep into the chip and to cut it down so it doesn't gob on the outside.

[Chadd 916]

Pro toe, if you can still find it, or epoxy.

[hardflip177 1]

Having the same problem. Just bought a new stick and got a toe chip. Frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ill try the methods and report back.

[cemetery 14]

This honestly may not seem like much but ever since I started doing it a couple years ago my OPS stick blades have lasted much longer than before I did it. A simple strip of hockey tape around the edge of the blade then taped over normally has extended the life of my blades a lot.

[Souldriver 64]

Ive almost always did that for the bottom of my blade, never thought to go all the way around.

[Vet88 674]

I've always run the tape along the bottom and over the toe and always 2 or 3 additional strips in the hard wear areas (heel and toe). After a year of use my daughters 11k is still going strong even though she is a D and likes to grind away against the boards, and as 11k's are notorious for the toe disintegrating then this is lasting really well.

[hardflip177 1]

interesting. Ill try the extra tape too.

[hunt3rsean 44]

  On 7/19/2013 at 9:53 PM, cemetery said:

This honestly may not seem like much but ever since I started doing it a couple years ago my OPS stick blades have lasted much longer than before I did it. A simple strip of hockey tape around the edge of the blade then taped over normally has extended the life of my blades a lot.

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I do the same. I cut a piece of tape down the middle lengthwise and run it over the tip of the toe. Then do a standard tape job from heal to toe over it. Really helps.

[Souldriver 64]

here is a question. do you guys ever take that tape off? and if you do, do chips then come off with the tape?

[boo10 323]

  On 7/20/2013 at 8:39 PM, Souldriver said:

here is a question. do you guys ever take that tape off? and if you do, do chips then come off with the tape?

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I have been taping my sticks like that for 30 years. I replace that strip every time I tape the blade, no chips come off with the tape.

[SirJW 207]

I find electrical tape works best for this.

[hardflip177 1]

Did an epoxy treatment this weekend and it think its pretty successful. Ill report back with pics.

[Mattc555 22]

I also tape my toe. I haven't had any toe chipping issues.