Bad sharpening from Hockey Giant

[Eazy_b97 1]

I think the ME systems alots 7 minutes for a "return" sharpening. Someone who is loyal to the store and only goes to your place or another ME sharpener.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

No big deal, man, it's all good.

I totally understand, but you must understand my situation. The guys in my shop do not care about sharpening skates. I make up for their screw-ups and I must be very accurate with what I do, and the customers are willing to wait - in fact, some pop their heads, don't see me behind the counter, and walk away.

[MINT 0]

lol i know what thats like buddy. isnt it sad that i think about sharpening skates while taking a shit!?

[jeffw 1]

When you mention Reston, are you talking about the Reston Skatequest rink in VA?

I'm pretty sure that's where we're going.

After a quick skate my other suspicion was confirmed. Not only was it a piss poor sharpening but it also wasn't the 3/8 radius I asked for. Looks closer to 1". It's definitely a shallower radius than 1/2".

I got a refund for the sharpening but I think I call out there again tomorrow and pursue this a little further. I'm really not someone to be f**ked with.

As for the skates, great fit right out of the box. Thank you Mission for making the forefoot area wider! Much better fit than my Pure Fly's. I can't wait to get out & give 'em a workout.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

You skated on them?!

JeffW - What I suggest you do is ask them for a new set of steel. God only knows what they did to your profile...

[Accord 0]

JR, how long did it take for you to sharpen all that new steel I bought?

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

A bit. LOL.

Holding up alright?

[Accord 0]

A bit. LOL.

Holding up alright?

Yup :D.

[jeffw 1]

You skated on them?!

Yeah. Over to the bench & right back to the locker room. Fortunately I brought my old skates along.

JeffW - What I suggest you do is ask them for a new set of steel.  God only knows what they did to your profile...

I was thinking the same thing about the steel. I'll give that a try.

Thanks.

[jimmy 194]

20-30 min.... i think not... ive been trained by the guy who owns blademaster and ya...... i disagree. lol

It can be done faster of course, but you risk overheating the steel. Overheating weakens it, and the edges do not stay sharp as long.

I let the steel cool a bit after several passes. Then drop the radius gauge on it to check for consistent hollow along the blade, and check for edge level. Repeated several times, I'd say 10 minutes per skate for me. That's how I prefer it.

They are so manu "guru's out there and so-called "systems", but the bottom line is its grinding steel. The grinding steel process was not invented by any NHL equip manager or skate sharpening machine maker. The craft is called tooling and their procedures work very well on skates if followed properly.

[Icedog03 0]

I'm gonna skate on 'em tonight & see how it goes but I'm taking my old skates with me just in case. I'll get 'em redone down in Reston this weekend while we have the kids there for the CBHL playoffs.

Unless you get one of the managers or this guy named Ashley you might be in trouble. A few guys there arnt the greatest at sharpening...and i mean its really bad

[Sven 1]

With that sharpening, you can do "Tap-Dogs On Ice" :lol: B)

[forsberg91 0]

God dude. That is a TERRIBLE sharpening. My LHS does a good job, but the one at my rink does it like that. I got my skates sharpened like that before a game, and I couldn't skate at all.

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

After that I'm glad I have an excellent sharpener (OHL quality).

[iceholes 0]

I would have asked for new blades.... I cant believe you actually attempted to skate on them...

I go to my LHS... during slow hours and get them done...by the same person every time. you would be amazed how they appreciate that...

great pic of the blade tho...

[illpaseo116 0]

Can one of you kind gents point me to a picture of a properly sharpened skate for comparison?? I'm primarily a roller player, I only hit the ice for pickup whenever i can, and I never had anyone show me the difference.

My local shop takes a good 10 min's to sharpen my skates, but i never knew what to look for as far as a "good" sharpening. Only thing i did ever notice was the last time i had them done, i think the guy took off an assload of steel. I have 852's w/ prolite 3's on them, and they have writing on the blade, so i noticed how much steel was taken off by the distance from the writing to the bottom. I'll post a pic of my steel tonight so you sharpening gurus can critique it.

[Eazy_b97 1]

You want square edges (can be difficult to check without a tool) and a good polish. The polish should be stright up and down the blade, as opposed to the waves seen in the picture, and your looking for no pauses, bruises and burns which are fairly easy to tell. I also take all of the writing off when I prep the skates I sharpen.

[jimmy 194]

In addition to square edges (which are most important), the finish should have a nice satin sheen. No imprefections or marks in it at all. Any lines in it should be straight, not wavy. No bronze burn marks on the bottom or side of blade. No ripples or skip or patch marks. Remember, the finish is what gives you good speed. Picture a speed boat with a nice smooth gelcoat hull. It has very little friction against the water. However, if you let snails or algea attach to the hull, it will slow the boat down. A skate blade actually rides on a film of water. Any imperfections in the blade slows it down, just like the snails do on a boat hull.

I have a digitial camera, if I could figure out how to take a macro pic, I would take on for you.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Before:

Notice that brown spot...that's a burn!

After:

I shall be bored tonight. I will take digital pics...

[illpaseo116 0]

nice, thanks for the help!

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

You want them square...

...and a smooth finish...

I think I can see myself in that bling...

[Accord 0]

JR, that square edge tool you have, where can I buy one? Is it just something that can be found at a hardware store or is it a specific hockey item you have to get from a special place?

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

http://www.maximum-edge.com

That one is the professional one. It'll run you about $140. They have one for skaters which just has the longer lines. I think it's about $35 or so.

[Eazy_b97 1]

If I were purchasing one for myself, I'd probably go the cheaper route, I can't justify spending that much more for thinner lines. It's a little more accurate, but if you hit the line you're golden regardless (for squareness at least). There isn't alot of steel left on those XX is there JR? A perfectly square pair of skates on medium ware is generally 2 lines above yours. On ours at least.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

There is. I just moved the tool up so you can see the additional lines.

The pic I took today were some Mission holders I had sitting there. It was a slow day sharpening-wise so I just picked them up and sharpened them.