Can old stock Graf skates be baked?

[caseyjones 26]

I just picked up a pair of old stock Graf 707's on ebay. They are a full size smaller than what i normally wear.  I normally wear a size 7, but i have a couple pair of 6.5's that are manageable out of the box so i'd assume after the break in period they would be fine.  The skates i purchased are a size 6 and they are pictured below.  I havent received them yet so i dont know how they will fit in comparison to my other skates.  It seems like each Graf skate is different even if i buy them both in the same size.  So my question is, can these skates be baked?  That will be my first attempt at achieving a better fit for these skates.  Any stretching advice would be appreciated as well as im certain i will need some kind of length added to these.  I'd rather just do it myself at home than take it to a shop.  Time is no issue for me.  So i'll walk aorund the house for months if that will help with the fit.  I was also thinking of maybe heating the heel of the skate or during the baking process to stand up and dig my heels into the back of the skates.  I know they say not to do that, but..........

 

 

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

The age of the skates doesn't matter; those can be baked.

[Troubadour 46]

Baking has been around for decades, this isn't a new trend. If you found a pair of new high-end 1988 bauers you could bake em.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

4 minutes ago, Troubadour said:

Baking has been around for decades, this isn't a new trend. If you found a pair of new high-end 1988 bauers you could bake em.

While true, it was traditionally used just to help break in the skates a bit. Nowadays skates are made specifically with thermo-moldable foams which are specifically meant to be baked. It used to be an optional thing to decrease break-in time, but now it's almost required for proper fit. 

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

26 minutes ago, Troubadour said:

Baking has been around for decades, this isn't a new trend. If you found a pair of new high-end 1988 bauers you could bake em.

You could, but it wouldn't necessarily help.  

The key is to have materials in the skate that will retain the shape after baking.  Skates back in 1988 didn't have that.

[Troubadour 46]

1 hour ago, JR Boucicaut said:

You could, but it wouldn't necessarily help.  

The key is to have materials in the skate that will retain the shape after baking.  Skates back in 1988 didn't have that.

You don't know about what sort of Black Ops Skunkwerks Bauer skates I had in 1988.

Also, to be fair, his question was could they be baked. I wasn't stating you would get any added benefit to it, just stating that you could bake them.

[caseyjones 26]

i guess to clarify.....would baking these skates give me any benefits or relief in my main area of concern which is length (in terms of being able to make minor improvements on where my heel will sit in the skate)?  And further, is this skate actually built with heat moldable materials where i would also get the form fitting benefits or would it only just soften the boot?

[flip12 717]

I'm pretty sure they are thermoformable in the true sense of if you heat them enough, their shell can reshape. If you watch videos on Graf making their boots, they thermoform the heel and quarter panels before putting the outsole on...questions on what the activation temperature would be and how comfortable it could be try and mold to your own body are far beyond my knowledge.

I baked some old Graf 604's I picked up for €40 on eBay.de to pick up some length, as they were maybe 1/4 to 1/2 size too small and my big toes were quite uncomfortably compressed in the toe caps. Baking sort of helped, but adding POWERFOOT removed the discomfort completely by pushing the toe cap up along its whole length rather than just on the point of my big toes.

[Kgbeast 195]

I have probably the worst thing to say. In my oppinion, you should have bought .5 size larger skates in Graf 707. Only skate you can get away with by buying 0.5 size smaller, is with Graf G3035 (perhaps other Gx035). 707 not really moldable. If they are too small out of the box, baking will not do anything... they also might end up being to tight because of this. One saving grace here for you, if you are guy with big toe shorter than the second toe, you might be able to hack it, otherwise you need to stretch a whole size, it can not be done on skates. Even if the top becomes soft with heat, the outsole does not.

 

If you go with baking (easier to sell them back if you do not), you bake them at 200F for 4 minutes in an air circulating oven  (you can put a small desk fan in the oven if you must). Max temp is 212F. But do not bake if they areally too short and too tight, it will not help.

[Kgbeast 195]

... by the way, this is my my second favorite look on Graf skates, very classy (my first is all leather such as 703 or 704). They are quite an old school and heavy, but their form is an eye-candy. That said, i would not hold on to them if they do not fit right. Graf is known for an awesome fit, do not screw this over by trying to wear skates that are too small for you. Lots of pain, no gain. If you get your money back and still want Grafs, look into peakspeed line, they are modern tech and easy on the eye. Do not forget to get .5 inch larger size with those because they are also a Graf classic fit.

[Vet88 674]

Width is easy to do, length isn't. Your only option for length is to heat the toe cap up and try and pull it out a little bit, you can get around 2mm max doing this but it is a real risky stretch because you can very easily pull the toe cap out of the boot. Heating the heel area and jamming your heel into it will work if you have a large heel and it is getting hung up on the sides of the boot, if you have a small to normal sized heel then this will not make a lot of difference. 

Bottom line is if the skates are too short, they are too short.

[masterpeice_patrice 4]

These skates and that exact size would fit my feet like a glove without any baking. Been looking for these skates forever. Wanna sell them to me ?

[caseyjones 26]

thanks everyone for all the feedback.  I guess i'll see how they fit once they arrive and if the fit seems close enough ill start with baking and then take it from there. 

kgbeast - im more of a collector really, so i bought these on a whim in hopes that theres a small percentage id actually be able to use them.  I have 9 more pairs of graf skates in all different models.  Im not a competitive player and obviously have other options that fit well so im not dire in my need for these to fit immediately (or ever for that matter)

masterpiece_patrice - if the fit is really bad and theres zero chance ill ever be able to skate in these i'll think about selling them.  You'd get more enjoyment out of them than i could.

[masterpeice_patrice 4]

13 hours ago, caseyjones said:

thanks everyone for all the feedback.  I guess i'll see how they fit once they arrive and if the fit seems close enough ill start with baking and then take it from there. 

kgbeast - im more of a collector really, so i bought these on a whim in hopes that theres a small percentage id actually be able to use them.  I have 9 more pairs of graf skates in all different models.  Im not a competitive player and obviously have other options that fit well so im not dire in my need for these to fit immediately (or ever for that matter)

masterpiece_patrice - if the fit is really bad and theres zero chance ill ever be able to skate in these i'll think about selling them.  You'd get more enjoyment out of them than i could.

Bro , those skates are made to fit a certain kind of foot, if you keep punching them out and stretching them and reheating them to accommodate a foot that they weren't made for them you are only going to destroy them. Those skates especially that size fit my feet like a DREAM right out of the box without any punching out, heating or stretching. I have the newer version of those skates G7 somewhere around my garage, I don't wear them because the flaps on the ankles got ripped out. These skates aren't meant to be laced really tight they are made for players who want soft skates with good ankle mobility. I've been searching the 707 for a long time now. Ugh. I love them. 

[masterpeice_patrice 4]

On September 26, 2016 at 7:25 PM, Kgbeast said:

... by the way, this is my my second favorite look on Graf skates, very classy (my first is all leather such as 703 or 704). They are quite an old school and heavy, but their form is an eye-candy. That said, i would not hold on to them if they do not fit right. Graf is known for an awesome fit, do not screw this over by trying to wear skates that are too small for you. Lots of pain, no gain. If you get your money back and still want Grafs, look into peakspeed line, they are modern tech and easy on the eye. Do not forget to get .5 inch larger size with those because they are also a Graf classic fit.

They fit me like they were made in heaven right out of the box without any sort of customization.

[masterpeice_patrice 4]

If anyone blocked a hard shot in these, broken foot ?

[masterpeice_patrice 4]

Wondering if the OP received his skates and tried them on yet... Bumpty bump!