Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[marka 518]

Howdy,

Merry xmas to me.... :-)  Opened up my new Sparx and gave it a whirl today.

Everything went as the manual suggested, though I did get a weird error when I was cutting my first skate again to get the edge checker happy... Got a 3-6-10 "Translation Error - Limit undetected" and the wheel didn't return to the home position after making a "back" pass.  Turned it off and turned it back on and it cut the other skate fine.  Hoping it was just a weird one time thing.

Otherwise it was smooth sailing.  The blades on my skates are pretty cut down, so I've got the height the highest it goes, but it seems to cut fine.  I should have a chance to get on the ice in a couple days, but visually and edge-checker-wise (just a cheapo ebay one), they look the same as the sharpening JR did for me last weekend.  I did have to give the adjuster a couple clicks after initial alignment with the tool to get the edges coming out even.  Probably more down to my crap vision than anything else.  I'm going to have to write down which way the grinding wheel moves when you turn the adjuster.  Forgot to the do that the first time around.  :-)

It's just sitting here in our dining room for now, but it'll get a permanent home out in the (heated) garage with the other hockey gear soon.  Crazy that something that throws as much dust as a skate sharpener can run in our dining room without my wife yelling at me!  :-)

Mark

 

[marka 518]

Howdy,

So, browsing around the Sparx site, because I realized I want a dust cover for the sharpener and I noticed they have other honing stones.  Needed?  The Sparx came with a 240 grit stone.

I'm only sharpening regular steel.

Mark

[IPv6Freely 2082]

12 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

So, browsing around the Sparx site, because I realized I want a dust cover for the sharpener and I noticed they have other honing stones.  Needed?  The Sparx came with a 240 grit stone.

I'm only sharpening regular steel.

Mark

I probably wouldn’t bother. The one that comes with it is fine for most people.

[Kgbeast 195]

On 12/26/2017 at 8:03 PM, marka said:

Howdy,

So, browsing around the Sparx site, because I realized I want a dust cover for the sharpener and I noticed they have other honing stones.  Needed?  The Sparx came with a 240 grit stone.

I'm only sharpening regular steel.

Mark

As you might know all sharp edges (knives, scalpels, etc) are not actually smooth but look like a crappy saw under microscope. The finer the stone, the smoother edge it will produce (assuming the steel will allow). Useful in cutting instrumented, perhaps not so much in skates, but in principle it can extend life of the edge normal wear by some margin as sawteeth are easier to wear off than a smoother edge. I doubt the benefits will be noticeable in average skating. Obviously cosmetics is the other aspect. Coarse stones are for honing regular steel with brushed look. It is fast and when it scratches the steel, you can not really notice that anyway. You would want to go to finer grit stones if you deal with mirror finish and coated blades where the scratches and abrasions will be an eyesore, but finer stones would take more time to remove burrs.

[Bbddll 2]

 I have been using 3/4 hollow for the past few months, Now with very cold weather I feel that I’m not getting much grip and thinking about going back to 5/8 being the ice seems to be harder. Does this make sense?

 How many cycles you think I would need to go from 3/4 to 5/8?

thanks 

[sparky1 29]

Quick question. I've got a pair of goalie skates that i'd need to sharpen now.

 

They are 3mm steel in the cowling. Do I still need to goalie skate adapter? Or can that be sharpened without the adapter?

 

edit: nvm, I knew there was an adapter, but it looks like it comes with the sharpener from what I can tell.

Edited January 4, 2018 by sparky1

[IPv6Freely 2082]

48 minutes ago, sparky1 said:

Quick question. I've got a pair of goalie skates that i'd need to sharpen now.

 

They are 3mm steel in the cowling. Do I still need to goalie skate adapter? Or can that be sharpened without the adapter?

 

edit: nvm, I knew there was an adapter, but it looks like it comes with the sharpener from what I can tell.

The adapter also has nothing to do with the blade width. It’s there because goalie runners are taller. Not needed if you’re using the new Bauer holders though.

[Playmakersedge 58]

4 hours ago, Bbddll said:

 I have been using 3/4 hollow for the past few months, Now with very cold weather I feel that I’m not getting much grip and thinking about going back to 5/8 being the ice seems to be harder. Does this make sense?

 How many cycles you think I would need to go from 3/4 to 5/8?

thanks 

I can't answer that based on the Sparx.       If someone asked me to estimate how many passes on a manual machine I would say around 8  .

[marka 518]

Howdy,

15 hours ago, Bbddll said:

 I have been using 3/4 hollow for the past few months, Now with very cold weather I feel that I’m not getting much grip and thinking about going back to 5/8 being the ice seems to be harder. Does this make sense?

 How many cycles you think I would need to go from 3/4 to 5/8?

thanks 

Similar question...  When I use an edge checker to fine tune my edge height, how many passes should I make after I adjust the wheel position?

I.e. if I cut the skate normally (like, 4 passes or whatever), check edges, and decide to move the grinding ring a couple clicks on the adjuster, how many additional cycles should I run to ensure that the full width is cut so that I can get a true reading on the new edge heights?

Mark

[Playmakersedge 58]

1 hour ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Similar question...  When I use an edge checker to fine tune my edge height, how many passes should I make after I adjust the wheel position?

I.e. if I cut the skate normally (like, 4 passes or whatever), check edges, and decide to move the grinding ring a couple clicks on the adjuster, how many additional cycles should I run to ensure that the full width is cut so that I can get a true reading on the new edge heights?

Mark

Mark  , I would guess a normal cycles set for a sharpening would be fine  .  Experiment  

[Playmakersedge 58]

17 hours ago, Bbddll said:

 I have been using 3/4 hollow for the past few months, Now with very cold weather I feel that I’m not getting much grip and thinking about going back to 5/8 being the ice seems to be harder. Does this make sense?

 How many cycles you think I would need to go from 3/4 to 5/8?

thanks 

I would try the factory setting for a sharpening first . Evaluate the progress  . You can always do another group of passes it needed . Experiment so you learn threw experience. 

[Leif 160]

Can’t you put some marker pen ink on the hollow, and make sure it is all removed by the grind? 

[mojo122 529]

1 hour ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Similar question...  When I use an edge checker to fine tune my edge height, how many passes should I make after I adjust the wheel position?

I.e. if I cut the skate normally (like, 4 passes or whatever), check edges, and decide to move the grinding ring a couple clicks on the adjuster, how many additional cycles should I run to ensure that the full width is cut so that I can get a true reading on the new edge heights?

Mark

Once you have the grinding wheel aligned why would you think that you need to readjust it?  

[shoeshine boy 241]

31 minutes ago, Leif said:

Can’t you put some marker pen ink on the hollow, and make sure it is all removed by the grind? 

that's how I've been doing it for over 10 years on both my Wissota and Sparx.

Edited January 4, 2018 by shoeshine boy

[Playmakersedge 58]

1 hour ago, Leif said:

Can’t you put some marker pen ink on the hollow, and make sure it is all removed by the grind? 

That will work.   

[Playmakersedge 58]

Just had a thought.  I was thinking the machine was centered via a blade width measurement.  The blade is x wide  ,then put it to the x on the dial and you are all set . Do I have this wrong?  

[marka 518]

Howdy,

8 hours ago, mojo122 said:

Once you have the grinding wheel aligned why would you think that you need to readjust it?  

 

Keeping in mind that I've only used my machine now five times on 3 different pairs of skates...

Using my crap ebay edge checker, I've seen some variance on edge heights.  A couple clicks one way or the other on the ring alignment seems to change it a little.  Using the alignment tool, its hard to see a difference with just one or two clicks, so I'm thinking that dialing it in is going to be more about the edge checker than the alignment tool.  But in that process, I don't know if I need to run just a single cycle, 4 cycles, or whatever else to get the full radius reground & "moved" across the blade.  I'd rather not waste ring or steel life I don't need to waste, of course.

I also assume that something could change in the future and I'd need to re-dial it in.  Presumably the clamp is good about centering the blade on the wheel, but I could also see that not being 100% so even if the clamp is repeatable, it might have a different setting for a different thickness blade.

Mark

Edited January 5, 2018 by marka

[colins 246]

8 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

 

Keeping in mind that I've only used my machine now five times on 3 different pairs of skates...

Using my crap ebay edge checker, I've seen some variance on edge heights.  A couple clicks one way or the other on the ring alignment seems to change it a little.  Using the alignment tool, its hard to see a difference with just one or two clicks, so I'm thinking that dialing it in is going to be more about the edge checker than the alignment tool.  But in that process, I don't know if I need to run just a single cycle, 4 cycles, or whatever else to get the full radius reground & "moved" across the blade.  I'd rather not waste ring or steel life I don't need to waste, of course.

I also assume that something could change in the future and I'd need to re-dial it in.  Presumably the clamp is good about centering the blade on the wheel, but I could also see that not being 100% so even if the clamp is repeatable, it might have a different setting for a different thickness blade.

Mark

If you're using the same blades that have already been freshly sharpened (but ever so slightly off center), I would say 2 or 3 passes after adjusting the alignment would be sufficient to do another edge check to see if you prefer the new results.

As others have said, this is a great scenario for the marker test - just put a new strip of marker down the blade between adjustments and make sure it's all removed before you use the edge checker to measure your results.

Since dialing mine in this way, using the Sparx edge checker, I haven't had to readjust it. I've probably sharpened 80+ pairs since then. 

colins

[bootsmagee 15]

14 hours ago, Playmakersedge said:

Just had a thought.  I was thinking the machine was centered via a blade width measurement.  The blade is x wide  ,then put it to the x on the dial and you are all set . Do I have this wrong?  

The sparx remains centered regardless of blade width.  You should really track one down to check it out.  I'm about 45 minutes south of Albany if you're ever interested.

[psulion22 402]

11 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

 

Keeping in mind that I've only used my machine now five times on 3 different pairs of skates...

Using my crap ebay edge checker, I've seen some variance on edge heights.  A couple clicks one way or the other on the ring alignment seems to change it a little.  Using the alignment tool, its hard to see a difference with just one or two clicks, so I'm thinking that dialing it in is going to be more about the edge checker than the alignment tool.  But in that process, I don't know if I need to run just a single cycle, 4 cycles, or whatever else to get the full radius reground & "moved" across the blade.  I'd rather not waste ring or steel life I don't need to waste, of course.

I also assume that something could change in the future and I'd need to re-dial it in.  Presumably the clamp is good about centering the blade on the wheel, but I could also see that not being 100% so even if the clamp is repeatable, it might have a different setting for a different thickness blade.

Mark

2 passes will work.  When I first got mine, I didn't have the alignment ring.  So I had to use a carpenter's square on the counter to check the edges.  Running 2 passes after each adjustment was enough to see how it was changed.  After I got them square, I ran the machine to do the sharpening.  So what I would suggest is running a few passes to check and adjust the level before running the full cycle.

The alignment tool sucks.  Throw it in the garbage.  When I finally got the ring, it didn't line up to what I knew as square.

Edited January 5, 2018 by psulion22

[IPv6Freely 2082]

1 hour ago, psulion22 said:

2 passes will work.  When I first got mine, I didn't have the alignment ring.  So I had to use a carpenter's square on the counter to check the edges.  Running 2 passes after each adjustment was enough to see how it was changed.  After I got them square, I ran the machine to do the sharpening.  So what I would suggest is running a few passes to check and adjust the level before running the full cycle.

The alignment tool sucks.  Throw it in the garbage.  When I finally got the ring, it didn't line up to what I knew as square.

Weird, it was perfect for me.

[bootsmagee 15]

1 hour ago, psulion22 said:

2 passes will work.  When I first got mine, I didn't have the alignment ring.  So I had to use a carpenter's square on the counter to check the edges.  Running 2 passes after each adjustment was enough to see how it was changed.  After I got them square, I ran the machine to do the sharpening.  So what I would suggest is running a few passes to check and adjust the level before running the full cycle.

The alignment tool sucks.  Throw it in the garbage.  When I finally got the ring, it didn't line up to what I knew as square.

Wut...the alignment tool doesn't suck.  Please don't suggest to people that they discard the alignment tool and opt for a carpenter's square.  Kudos for figuring out a workaround when you had no alignment ring, but either something is off with your secondhand machine or the method you're using isn't accurate.

[psulion22 402]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Weird, it was perfect for me.

 

22 minutes ago, bootsmagee said:

Wut...the alignment tool doesn't suck.  Please don't suggest to people that they discard the alignment tool and opt for a carpenter's square.  Kudos for figuring out a workaround when you had no alignment ring, but either something is off with your secondhand machine or the method you're using isn't accurate.

Just for clarification, it's not way out.  I'd say it's off by maybe 2 clicks.  Using a square on the actual steel is more accurate than using a visual line on the carriage.  I don't know that the small variance would make any difference.  So the tool may be good in a "close enough" sense to get a very near area for fine tuning.  But an edge checker is still going to be more accurate and may not be in line with dead center on the tool.  If the tool was perfect every time, then why the need for an edge checker?  I'm not actually suggesting people throw the tool away, it's hyperbole.  But I wouldn't rely completely on it either, and you could still get very (or even more) accurate edges without it, albeit with a lot more work.

Edited January 5, 2018 by psulion22

[IPv6Freely 2082]

7 minutes ago, psulion22 said:

 

Just for clarification, it's not way out.  I'd say it's off by maybe 2 clicks.  Using a square on the actual steel is more accurate than using a visual line on the carriage.  I don't know that the small variance would make any difference.  So the tool may be good in a "close enough" sense to get a very near area for fine tuning.  But an edge checker is still going to be more accurate and may not be in line with dead center on the tool.  If the tool was perfect every time, then why the need for an edge checker?  I'm not actually suggesting people throw the tool away, it's hyperbole.  But I wouldn't rely completely on it either, and you could still get very (or even more) accurate edges without it, albeit with a lot more work.

For sure, I agree. You still need an edge checker for fine adjustments, for sure. I would think of the alignment ring as more of a starting point. 

[bootsmagee 15]

I understand.  Yes, for those who want to fine tune for dead even edges, the alignment tool can be seen as your starting point followed by fine tuning to an edge checker.  Honestly, my opinion is that in most cases no one would feel the difference if blind tested with perfect fine tuned edges vs. alignment tool-only edges. 

In my personal experience with the sparx and my hockey team, the alignment tool does it's job and the edge checker was an unnecessary splurge.  We still don't know what's expected to break down first on these machines and when; maybe at some point the edge checker will help show that the machine is past it's alignment accuracy lifespan.  Hopefully in the distant future :)

I'm not discounting the desire to fine-tune, though.  It's fun; rewarding.  It kind of relates back to the passion for manual sharpening that's been seen in this thread, and the debates that arise from it.  Set it and forget it, or play and tweak.  I enjoy feeling confident that the sparx is aligned after using the alignment ring and sight.  I check alignment every time I travel with the machine, and I make a 1 or 2 click adjustment maybe 1 out of every 10 trips when I bring it to the rink or a friend's house.