Flattened Spin Rocker

[chicoche]

Hi. I got coronation ace blades about 6 months ago, and they’ve been alright until about a week ago when I got them sharpened, and I noticed I was rocking back and forth a lot on spins and traveling. Especially backspin, which is now looking like a bunch of little 3 turns on the ice, when before it looked like an actual spin. I noticed that there is a little flat part below my bottom toepick but it’s so slight, I don’t know if that could be the issue. I’m not great at spins to begin with, so I don’t know if it’s technique or a mix of both. If my rocker is messed up, can it be fixed?

This is the photo of my blade now

https://imgur.com/a/xHk22Pu

 

[Query]

Ordinarily, unless it is done badly, one sharpening shouldn't make such a big difference, because very little metal is removed during one properly done sharpening. Though I suppose if the blade is now much, much sharper than you have been accustomed to, or somewhat duller, that might adversely affect spins. (Because the desired degree of sharpness varies from skater to skater, the precise degree of sharpness might vary, and is not in itself a definite determinate of whether a skate tech is good - though good skate techs try hard to give each skater consistent sharpening results, unless you ask for a change.)

A short flat part just behind the toe pick would not touch the ice during spins and should not have that effect.

There is a substantial probability that your skate tech is not good at figure skate sharpening, and should not be used by you again. (IMO.)

If you give your approximate location (e.g., city & country), perhaps someone here can direct you to a very good skate tech who can look at your blades, and maybe fix them.

 

[Query]

Oops, I hadn't looked at your photo. If I interpret the shadows correctly, and your floor is flat, there is a concave section near the middle of your blade, and another somewhat close to the back. I can't imagine any good reason for that.

It might be informative if you provided another picture on another part of your floor, and checked the flatness of your floor with a straight edge.

Anyone else want to weigh in?

 

[IceM]

Is a bit hard to confirm 100% from the image, you could maybe take another picture closer to the spin rocker, buut...

I'm afraid your spin rocker has been ruined. It's possible to fix it somewhat by someone who knows what they're doing, since the blade looks otherwise like it's almost new, but it's going to shave a lot of metal away, reducing the lifespan, and it won't really be exactly how it was.

I would look for another sharpener.

 

[chicoche]

Is a bit hard to confirm 100% from the image, you could maybe take another picture closer to the spin rocker, buut...

I'm afraid your spin rocker has been ruined. It's possible to fix it somewhat by someone who knows what they're doing, since the blade looks otherwise like it's almost new, but it's going to shave a lot of metal away, reducing the lifespan, and it won't really be exactly how it was.

I would look for another sharpener.

Tysm for your response. I posted a few more photos here

https://imgur.com/a/iHCeo5l

What it looked like brand new, 2 months ago (didn’t notice any notable issues) vs. now. The last photo is the entire blade now, which doesn’t even look bad to me but I have no experience. In the up close photos though you can tell it has flattened.

 

[chicoche]

Is a bit hard to confirm 100% from the image, you could maybe take another picture closer to the spin rocker, buut...

I'm afraid your spin rocker has been ruined. It's possible to fix it somewhat by someone who knows what they're doing, since the blade looks otherwise like it's almost new, but it's going to shave a lot of metal away, reducing the lifespan, and it won't really be exactly how it was.

I would look for another sharpener.

Oops, I hadn't looked at your photo. If I interpret the shadows correctly, and your floor is flat, there is a concave section near the middle of your blade, and another somewhat close to the back. I can't imagine any good reason for that.

It might be informative if you provided another picture on another part of your floor, and checked the flatness of your floor with a straight edge.

Anyone else want to weigh in?

Here are some more photos. I’m currently away so can’t get any new photos. Hopefully these help a little?

https://imgur.com/a/iHCeo5l

Do you think it could be fixed the issues you noticed?

Ty for your input!

 

[IceM]

Here are some more photos. I’m currently away so can’t get any new photos. Hopefully these help a little?

https://imgur.com/a/iHCeo5l

Do you think it could be fixed the issues you noticed?

Ty for your input!

I've seen worse, it's not catastrophic. A decent sharpener will be able to fix that somewhat.

But it is absolutely affecting your spins. You're not imagining it.

 

[Query]

AFAICT, even 2 months ago, there was a concave spot near the middle of the main rocker portion of the blade. I've never heard of anyone wanting that.

And your spin rocker is basically missing, replaced by an almost uniform rocker curvature.

And they are using up the steel of the blade very quickly. More like the rate at which hockey players use up blades (because skate techs remove enough steel to get rid of hockey nicks) - except a hockey player wouldn't want that concave area either, nor would they want anything close to a uniform rocker. So this isn't a matter of a skate tech sharpening more or less the way they were well taught to handle hockey skates. Either your skate tech wasn't well trained at all, or they are working very, very fast and not paying close attention.

As suggested before, give us your location, and someone will hopefully come up with a better skate tech. Even if you have to drive a few hours each way, otherwise the cost of replacing Coronation Ace blades every month or so, or even faster, conceivably might pay for the travel cost. Plus, if you pay for lessons, you are wasting your time and money, and your coach's time, fighting the blades, and wasting lesson and practice time compensating for bad blade shapes.

Kudos to you if just before the most recent sharpening, you were managing to spin and turn reasonably well! You must be very good at adapting to bad blade shapes. But you shouldn't have to.

And it's great that you managed to figure out something was wrong, and guess that it had to do with the shape of the blade.

I think it is a great idea to trace the shape of the blades on a piece of paper when you get your blades, so you can compare how the shape evolves with time. Subtle changes aren't easily visible in a photo. I don't entirely understand why, but subtle changes of even a few thousands of an inch (or cm) can affect skating. Your changes were visible because the changes aren't subtle.

I wouldn't be surprised if the new skate tech wants to keep the old blades, to show their other customers just how bad some skate techs can do! Some skate techs like to do that.

 

[Sk8rgrl234]

Hi. I got coronation ace blades about 6 months ago, and they’ve been alright until about a week ago when I got them sharpened, and I noticed I was rocking back and forth a lot on spins and traveling. Especially backspin, which is now looking like a bunch of little 3 turns on the ice, when before it looked like an actual spin. I noticed that there is a little flat part below my bottom toepick but it’s so slight, I don’t know if that could be the issue. I’m not great at spins to begin with, so I don’t know if it’s technique or a mix of both. If my rocker is messed up, can it be fixed?

This is the photo of my blade now

https://imgur.com/a/xHk22Pu

I looked at the photo and it looks like the blade is on carpet so you can't really tell anything about the middle part. Take a photo of the blade on a linoleum floor so the entire blade can be seen against the surface, preferably with backlighting which would show any gaps.

 

[chicoche]

I looked at the photo and it looks like the blade is on carpet so you can't really tell anything about the middle part. Take a photo of the blade on a linoleum floor so the entire blade can be seen against the surface, preferably with backlighting which would show any gaps.

Hello. Yes, I had it on my table cloth so I realize now it probably didn’t look great. This is it on a white counter top I don’t have any linoleum floors so I don’t know if you can tell anything by this. I honestly have been having an easy time with jumps and moves, it’s just spins so I thought there was an issue with the spin rocker, I don’t know if there is something wrong with the middle of the blade. But I don’t think there are any gaps

https://imgur.com/a/mfhqrJf

 

[Query]

Oh. I don't see an obvious sign of the concave section when it is on your countertop. Maybe the middle of your blade is fine... You could see how uniform the main portion of the rocker is by tracing it (with a vertically held pen or pencil), and sliding the blade along the tracing. I think tracings also give easier ways to monitor what the skate tech has done to your blades than photographs.

But to say it again, if you give your approximate location, someone here may recommend a better person to sharpen your blades.