DIY punching out skates

[smcgreg 81]

So, this is something I would normally hand off to my local shop, but... given the circumstances, no dice.  So, my question is, are there any tools people can use at home to punch skates?  Here's an explanation for what I'm trying to do

1) My son has flat feet.  Has been in Makos for 4 years or so (on ice).  Of course, nothing fits like Makos. 

2) with the rinks shut down we got inlines to keep skating in the downtime.  He's going into 15U, so, a very important year to have your skills.

3) The inlines are vapors, which were fit to his feet by the scanner and an experienced guy in the shop. 

4) because of his flat feet, when he skates in them, they widen out in the forefoot and kill him. 

5) I used a heat gun first, with not much improvment, then took the wheels off and baked them.  Still not much better.  He can only go about 45 min (normally could skate 3 hr or more otherwise). 

Soooo.... you can now see what I'm trying to accomplish.  Trying to figure out a way to get the forefoot wider so, he's not so miserable, because who knows how long it will be until we're back on the ice. HOPEFULLY his makos still fit then.

Thanks in advance. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

59 minutes ago, smcgreg said:

So, this is something I would normally hand off to my local shop, but... given the circumstances, no dice.  So, my question is, are there any tools people can use at home to punch skates?  Here's an explanation for what I'm trying to do

1) My son has flat feet.  Has been in Makos for 4 years or so (on ice).  Of course, nothing fits like Makos. 

2) with the rinks shut down we got inlines to keep skating in the downtime.  He's going into 15U, so, a very important year to have your skills.

3) The inlines are vapors, which were fit to his feet by the scanner and an experienced guy in the shop. 

4) because of his flat feet, when he skates in them, they widen out in the forefoot and kill him. 

5) I used a heat gun first, with not much improvment, then took the wheels off and baked them.  Still not much better.  He can only go about 45 min (normally could skate 3 hr or more otherwise). 

Soooo.... you can now see what I'm trying to accomplish.  Trying to figure out a way to get the forefoot wider so, he's not so miserable, because who knows how long it will be until we're back on the ice. HOPEFULLY his makos still fit then.

Thanks in advance. 

Fold some toilet paper into squares and apply it to the areas where he is getting pain, you can also use cotton balls too. Wrap his foot with tape to hold the toilet paper/cotton balls in place. Bake the skate and while its warm have him put it on. Instead of normally sitting down while they cool have him stand up in a hockey stance to widen his forefoot. That should fix his issues. 

[smcgreg 81]

43 minutes ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

Fold some toilet paper into squares and apply it to the areas where he is getting pain, you can also use cotton balls too. Wrap his foot with tape to hold the toilet paper/cotton balls in place. Bake the skate and while its warm have him put it on. Instead of normally sitting down while they cool have him stand up in a hockey stance to widen his forefoot. That should fix his issues. 

Sorry if I'm being thick, but you mean the toilet paper to the oustide of his foot?  Then tape to hold it in place?  Just want to make sure I understand you correctly.

Yeah, I already had him stand up, but maybe not long enough. 

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

You're trying to make the area more prominent by building up the area (I used to make tape balls, then secure it to the skater's foot with tape) so that you can press into the skate from the inside.

[BenBreeg 493]

I just did this with my Ribcores.  I actually got a finger splint, the metal part is very soft aluminum so you can easily cut/trim it, and taped that to my foot (pinky toe area) to push out, then baked and molded.  

[Vet88 674]

7 hours ago, smcgreg said:

Soooo.... you can now see what I'm trying to accomplish.  Trying to figure out a way to get the forefoot wider so, he's not so miserable, because who knows how long it will be until we're back on the ice. HOPEFULLY his makos still fit then.

Thanks in advance. 

If you have some tools at home it is relatively easy. 2 x C clamps, stones from the garden and some blocks of wood to form a frame. Here is a thread on it (as well as your own spot puncher), scan down to my post with pics so you can see what you need and it working:

 

This is easy to set up, make sure you lace the first eyelets so the top of the boot keeps its shape. Measure up the width of the boot before you start and as you use the clamps so you can control the amount of the stretch. I don't use heat, just time. 

The downside is getting right into the toe cap area (if that is where you need to get to), the shape of the c clamps make this an issue. This is why boot stretchers use curved arms. A while ago I made another simple tool to get right into the toe cap area, you need a strap hinge, 2 round head bolts and a small length of hollow pipe (to fit over the bolts) cut to the required length (different sized boots require different lengths) and a ratchet spanner or ring spanner. pic here 

https://imgur.com/a/4APhUS9

You will also need something to pack the back of the strap hinge against the heel of the boot, this is to stop the device sliding back down the boot as you begin to open it up. I also packed the sides of the strap hinge to help keep it in place.

Pretty self explanatory, cut the tube to length, slide the tube over the two bolts, fit into the boot and start winding away. I filed out the strap hinge for the bolt that has the nut on it so the bolt sat in the clamp and would not turn. This works really well, almost too well as I could see the toe cap starting to separate away from the boot. I subsequently made a clamp for the bottom of the toe cap to stop this from happening. Only downside with this is the further you get into the toe cap, the harder it is to wind the nut, you need patience, feel and time. If you just want to widen the forefoot area this would work really well.  

Edit - I left a washer out that sits between the nut and the tube.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Vet88

[smcgreg 81]

Thanks to all those who replied.  I'll do some work and report back. 

Stay healthy everybody.

Steve

[smcgreg 81]

On 4/2/2020 at 9:04 PM, Vet88 said:

If you have some tools at home it is relatively easy. 2 x C clamps, stones from the garden and some blocks of wood to form a frame. Here is a thread on it (as well as your own spot puncher), scan down to my post with pics so you can see what you need and it working:

 

This is easy to set up, make sure you lace the first eyelets so the top of the boot keeps its shape. Measure up the width of the boot before you start and as you use the clamps so you can control the amount of the stretch. I don't use heat, just time. 

The downside is getting right into the toe cap area (if that is where you need to get to), the shape of the c clamps make this an issue. This is why boot stretchers use curved arms. A while ago I made another simple tool to get right into the toe cap area, you need a strap hinge, 2 round head bolts and a small length of hollow pipe (to fit over the bolts) cut to the required length (different sized boots require different lengths) and a ratchet spanner or ring spanner. pic here 

https://imgur.com/a/4APhUS9

You will also need something to pack the back of the strap hinge against the heel of the boot, this is to stop the device sliding back down the boot as you begin to open it up. I also packed the sides of the strap hinge to help keep it in place.

Pretty self explanatory, cut the tube to length, slide the tube over the two bolts, fit into the boot and start winding away. I filed out the strap hinge for the bolt that has the nut on it so the bolt sat in the clamp and would not turn. This works really well, almost too well as I could see the toe cap starting to separate away from the boot. I subsequently made a clamp for the bottom of the toe cap to stop this from happening. Only downside with this is the further you get into the toe cap, the harder it is to wind the nut, you need patience, feel and time. If you just want to widen the forefoot area this would work really well.  

Edit - I left a washer out that sits between the nut and the tube.

Ha,... hilarious.  I actually contributed to this thread back when you originally posted it.  I'd forgotten that I actually read this thread before I did a punch myself.  I used the c clamp and spoon to punch out a spot on the back of my OG Mako that irritated my achilles and created a real problem for a while.  This worked great for that.  That was more a spot punch though, and like your widening rack shows, I'm really trying to make a D boot into a EE.  So, this stretching rig look like it will work. 

As an update, I tried using inserts along the side of the foot after baking the way some other posters suggested and it really didn't do much. He was still having intolerable pain after 30 min.  It's been 5 skates and 2 bakes, so, I think I need to try and make them wider with an overnight stretch like your set up with the C-clamps. 

Thanks

[caseyjones 26]

So I just punched out a hotspot on my new jetspeeds and it looks like it made the plastic material start to crack.  It looks like it’s eventually going to chip away.  I used the rip jaws tool that I just purchased to do the punch.  I didn’t heat the area before I did this

[Monty22 833]

1 hour ago, caseyjones said:

So I just punched out a hotspot on my new jetspeeds and it looks like it made the plastic material start to crack.  It looks like it’s eventually going to chip away.  I used the rip jaws tool that I just purchased to do the punch.  I didn’t heat the area before I did this

Why didn't you heat the area first? It would have made the area much more pliable and more likely to retain the shape of the punch out once cooled. Punching material in its cooled, rigid state reacts predictably, as seen in the pictures above.

[caseyjones 26]

I heated it the first time around and still wound up getting those stress fracture looking marks.  2nd time around I didn’t use heat and I guess we see the result.  
 

I still have to do the other skate in the same area so I’ll make sure to heat that up good and see how it compares.  Is a blowdryer sufficient or should I use a heat gun?  Was nervous to use a heat gun thinking it may melt the skate

[VegasHockey 1280]

1 hour ago, caseyjones said:

So I just punched out a hotspot on my new jetspeeds and it looks like it made the plastic material start to crack.  It looks like it’s eventually going to chip away.  I used the rip jaws tool that I just purchased to do the punch.  I didn’t heat the area before I did this

Ouch. You just cut a significant amount of life out of those skates. 😞 

17 minutes ago, caseyjones said:

I heated it the first time around and still wound up getting those stress fracture looking marks.  2nd time around I didn’t use heat and I guess we see the result.  

I still have to do the other skate in the same area so I’ll make sure to heat that up good and see how it compares.  Is a blowdryer sufficient or should I use a heat gun?  Was nervous to use a heat gun thinking it may melt the skate

A blow-dryer does not get hot enough. You need either a skate oven or a heat gun. 

Edited November 22, 2023 by VegasHockey

[caseyjones 26]

The first picture makes it look worse than real life.  It looks like a big crack but in real life it’s just a few tiny lines.   I was wondering if I should spread a little bit of clear epoxy over it to reinforce it a bit?
 

im going to punch the other one today with heat and see how that goes.  The other boot already got those small fracture marks from a puck hitting it.  

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

Oy.  I personally think you shouldn't progress on your own and take this to a professional to look at.

[Sniper9 530]

Ya you fucked up man. Ccm skates are generally pretty pliable when warm and you should have been able to even use your thumb to press out the area.  Or I would've tried the tissue technique first... 

What model are those, as the pliability on lower end models aren't as good as the higher end ccm skates. 

Nvm just read you used a blow dryer the first round? Buddy, stop before you damage the skates even more. You have no idea what you're doing. 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Sniper9

[Sniper9 530]

On 11/22/2023 at 7:37 AM, VegasHockey said:

Ouch. You just cut a significant amount of life out of those skates. 😞 

A blow-dryer does not get hot enough. You need either a skate oven or a heat gun. 

Waiting for the post where he got a heat gun and the boot is melted. 

[stick9 892]

You may want to consider adding some adhesive backed shot blockers. At the very least it seels off the area and prevents chipping.

[caseyjones 26]

Appreciate the feedback guys and  Thank you sniper for the childish replies and then suggesting i could’ve just pushed the area out with my thumb.  Thats ridiculous and yes I’ve been using a heat gun and nothing has melted.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

I’m really not concerned much about the integrity of the boot as the pictures make it look much worse.  I’ve punched out the forefoot of each skate with great success.  
 

I’ve been having difficulty with two small hot spots that I figured would’ve been the easy part.  I’m not sure what secret scientific approach there is besides adding heat to the area.  Obviously, I should’ve used heat from the beginning and maybe went a little easier on the clamp at first.  You live and you learn.  It’s a tricky spot to locate.  I just tried the lipstick trick last night.  I’m pretty close to having these feel pretty dialed in.  
 

im skating on Saturday so we’ll see how they feel.  If they fall apart or melt off my feet while I’m playing I’ll be sure to post pictures 

[Sniper9 530]

4 hours ago, caseyjones said:

Appreciate the feedback guys and  Thank you sniper for the childish replies and then suggesting i could’ve just pushed the area out with my thumb.  Thats ridiculous and yes I’ve been using a heat gun and nothing has melted.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

So I'm childish because I used the word fuck and said you ruined your skates?

Also, if you think I was being snarky and sarcastic with the using your thumb to push it out then you really don't know the options for "punching" out hot spots in modern day skates.  You probably also thought I was making something up when I told you to try the "tissue" technique too eh?

[Giltis 116]

On 11/23/2023 at 10:57 AM, stick9 said:

You may want to consider adding some adhesive backed shot blockers. At the very least it seels off the area and prevents chipping.

This is probably the best idea if you are going to keep the skates long term (and if the skates were expensive). But in the end when you skate, that area is going to go through a lot of stress while flexing and for that the blockers will not be able to stop any of the force.

I don't know 100%, but I have heard that like @Sniper9 said punching out modern skates is quite different than how it used to be, and it's more about compressing the inside foams than pushing out the outside.

[caseyjones 26]

1 hour ago, Giltis said:

This is probably the best idea if you are going to keep the skates long term (and if the skates were expensive). But in the end when you skate, that area is going to go through a lot of stress while flexing and for that the blockers will not be able to stop any of the force.

I don't know 100%, but I have heard that like @Sniper9 said punching out modern skates is quite different than how it used to be, and it's more about compressing the inside foams than pushing out the outside.

Thanks. I’ll see how things progress.  If it looks like it starts to get worse and appears that the boot is being compromised in any way I’ll try a thin layer of clear epoxy first.  Im personally just not a fan of the shot blocker look.  I know I know.  But that could wind up being a necessity so appreciate that advice

 

These were $500. So not the end of the world in terms of them being very expensive skates.  I’ve used the clamp multiple times trying to find the exact spot but it’s hard to pinpoint.  I def have some relief but it’s not completely gone.  The inner foams are very compressed where I punched it out.  I’m going to try the cotton ball trick as my last option and then just see if it goes away from using them over time.  I’ve only skated in them 3x so far.  It’s annoying and I got blisters but nothing to the point where I couldn’t skate anymore.  This is just a very new experience for me with modern skates.  I’ve never had pain in that area before.  

[Giltis 116]

You're going through exactly what I went through ~7 years ago with my CCMs, I almost hung them up because my feet would be numb and needing to deal with constant blisters. I tried different socks, footbeds, lacing methods and whatnot, and some days I would skate without pain, but then the next game it'd be worse. Got them punched twice by professionals, but because of the way my arch collapsed it was impossible to pin point exactly where I needed to get punched, if anything the first punch made it worse because afterwards the bottom of that punch would rub harder whenever I put weight on my feet as my arch collapsed.

In the end, I got custom Trues although my next skate purchase after that were non-custom TF9s as they had better moldability (they are comfy but not as comfy as my customs of course).

I really hope it goes better for you, but you may have to go custom if it doesn't work, or at least have a look at non-custom Trues and have them baked by a reputable store.

[caseyjones 26]

1 hour ago, Giltis said:

You're going through exactly what I went through ~7 years ago with my CCMs, I almost hung them up because my feet would be numb and needing to deal with constant blisters. I tried different socks, footbeds, lacing methods and whatnot, and some days I would skate without pain, but then the next game it'd be worse. Got them punched twice by professionals, but because of the way my arch collapsed it was impossible to pin point exactly where I needed to get punched, if anything the first punch made it worse because afterwards the bottom of that punch would rub harder whenever I put weight on my feet as my arch collapsed.

In the end, I got custom Trues although my next skate purchase after that were non-custom TF9s as they had better moldability (they are comfy but not as comfy as my customs of course).

I really hope it goes better for you, but you may have to go custom if it doesn't work, or at least have a look at non-custom Trues and have them baked by a reputable store.

Appreciate that.  And yes, my arch collapses on my left foot and that skate is much worse.  I went with the tightest fitting skate in the store bc I like my skates to be super tight.  I assumed with all the heat molding talk with the new skates that this wouldn’t have been an issue at all.  I never tried on trues.  I tried ft6, Mach’s, m5’s and hyperlites in multiple sizes and fits.  Still concerned about the heel on these. They are fine when laced all the way up, but my heel lifts with the top 2 eyelets undone.  Just not sure how much if at all you can break in hard plastic. 

[Sniper9 530]

6 hours ago, Giltis said:

 

I don't know 100%, but I have heard that like @Sniper9 said punching out modern skates is quite different than how it used to be, and it's more about compressing the inside foams than pushing out the outside.

It's not just the foams that are thermoformable the shell is too especially with ccm and true skates. Bauer not as much but ccm and true for sure you can spot heat the area and literally take your thumb and deform the composite material. I find though, that true retails don't get as soft as the svh customs. 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Sniper9

[Sniper9 530]

2 hours ago, caseyjones said:

Appreciate that.  And yes, my arch collapses on my left foot and that skate is much worse.  I went with the tightest fitting skate in the store bc I like my skates to be super tight.  I assumed with all the heat molding talk with the new skates that this wouldn’t have been an issue at all.  I never tried on trues.  I tried ft6, Mach’s, m5’s and hyperlites in multiple sizes and fits.  Still concerned about the heel on these. They are fine when laced all the way up, but my heel lifts with the top 2 eyelets undone.  Just not sure how much if at all you can break in hard plastic. 

You skate with the top two eyelets undone? I've never had skates that locked in the heel completely with the top two eyelets undone.