Getting blades sharpened tomorrow

[Vladik]

I’ve been skating just over a month now, and I haven’t had my blades sharpened yet. I felt completely stable on the ice up until a few days ago where I started slipping a little and noticed my blades were pretty dull, so I’ve decided to get them sharpened tomorrow.

I just have a few questions and would appreciate if somebody would help me out.

1. I’m getting them sharpened mid-day, so I’ll be skating on them straight afterwards. Is that okay? Do I need to wait a certain amount of time or can I just put them on and skate straight away?

2. Will it interfere with my skating at first? I’m assuming I might need to sort of “break them in” a bit. Would standing near the barrier and just scraping snow with my edges for a while help with this?

3. Finally, what is the difference between different grinds within sharpening? I’m not sure what sort of grind to get but I’m assuming my fitter/sharpener will be able to tell me. Does the grind just refer to how deep the hollow is?

Thanks!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I’ve been skating just over a month now, and I haven’t had my blades sharpened yet. I felt completely stable on the ice up until a few days ago where I started slipping a little and noticed my blades were pretty dull, so I’ve decided to get them sharpened tomorrow.

I just have a few questions and would appreciate if somebody would help me out.

1. I’m getting them sharpened mid-day, so I’ll be skating on them straight afterwards. Is that okay? Do I need to wait a certain amount of time or can I just put them on and skate straight away?

2. Will it interfere with my skating at first? I’m assuming I might need to sort of “break them in” a bit. Would standing near the barrier and just scraping snow with my edges for a while help with this?

3. Finally, what is the difference between different grinds within sharpening? I’m not sure what sort of grind to get but I’m assuming my fitter/sharpener will be able to tell me. Does the grind just refer to how deep the hollow is?

Thanks!

1 & 2-You are fine skating on them right away, just be aware that if sharpened properly for a figure skate blade, the edges will/should "bite" the ice more so you will need to practice some t-stops to wear them down some.

3- Your asking this scares me b/c I do not know where you are getting them sharpened and you shouldn't have to tell the skate tech at this stage what you need for a figure skate blade. I am so afraid some hockey skate sharpener is getting your skates and will sharpen them completely incorrectly and ruin them.
So my ? for you is: Is this tech truly experienced with sharpening many figure skating blades (and no just saying it--like is there proof?)

 

[Vladik]

1 & 2-You are fine skating on them right away, just be aware that if sharpened properly for a figure skate blade, the edges will/should "bite" the ice more so you will need to practice some t-stops to wear them down some.

3- Your asking this scares me b/c I do not know where you are getting them sharpened and you shouldn't have to tell the skate tech at this stage what you need for a figure skate blade. I am so afraid some hockey skate sharpener is getting your skates and will sharpen them completely incorrectly and ruin them.
So my ? for you is: Is this tech truly experienced with sharpening many figure skating blades (and no just saying it--like is there proof?)

Thank you so much!
Don’t worry, he’s trained in sharpening figure skates. I’ve asked around and all the elite figure skaters at my rink go to him!! I’m just unfamiliar with sharpening, so I myself will have no clue what anything means, but as long as he knows what he’s doing I’m sure I will be fine!

As for “breaking” the blades in, do T-stops really speed that process up? I thought that’d be a good decision but was scared that the bite on my edges would be so strong it’d practically launch me backwards and I’d fall. Ouch.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you so much!
Don’t worry, he’s trained in sharpening figure skates. I’ve asked around and all the elite figure skaters at my rink go to him!! I’m just unfamiliar with sharpening, so I myself will have no clue what anything means, but as long as he knows what he’s doing I’m sure I will be fine!

As for “breaking” the blades in, do T-stops really speed that process up? I thought that’d be a good decision but was scared that the bite on my edges would be so strong it’d practically launch me backwards and I’d fall. Ouch.

Yes, T stops do work or I wouldn't have suggested it lol! You can also do snowplow stops.

 

[Vladik]

Yes, T stops do work or I wouldn't have suggested it lol! You can also do snowplow stops.

I despise snowplow stops, I’ll steer clear of that. I’ll stick to T stops! Thank you!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I despise snowplow stops, I’ll steer clear of that. I’ll stick to T stops! Thank you!

Just be careful ok? Proper T Stops should not cause you to fall back but you are a beginner and must be careful.

 

[tstop4me]

OP: The main input you should provide your sharpener is your desired radius of hollow (ROH). If you don't have a clue what your preferred value is at this point, a safe answer is 7/16"; otherwise, you leave it to the sharpener's choice. Also, many sharpeners try to reduce break-in time by deliberately dulling the edges a bit with a whetstone. If you prefer not to have that done, then you also need to tell the sharpener to leave the edges sharp.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

OP: The main input you should provide your sharpener is your desired radius of hollow (ROH). If you don't have a clue what your preferred value is at this point, a safe answer is 7/16"; otherwise, you leave it to the sharpener's choice. Also, many sharpeners try to reduce break-in time by deliberately dulling the edges a bit with a whetstone. If you prefer not to have that done, then you also need to tell the sharpener to leave the edges sharp

I was hoping you would show up on this thread!

 

[Vladik]

Just be careful ok? Proper T Stops should not cause you to fall back but you are a beginner and must be careful.

I will be! Don’t worry my T stops aren’t causing me any trouble. I was just worried the sharpening may cause some temporary problems with the strong bite!

 

[Vladik]

OP: The main input you should provide your sharpener is your desired radius of hollow (ROH). If you don't have a clue what your preferred value is at this point, a safe answer is 7/16"; otherwise, you leave it to the sharpener's choice. Also, many sharpeners try to reduce break-in time by deliberately dulling the edges a bit with a whetstone. If you prefer not to have that done, then you also need to tell the sharpener to leave the edges sharp.

Thank you so much! I’ll be getting them sharpened today (if everything goes to plan). So I’ll probably return with an update.

 

[Vladik]

Just be careful ok? Proper T Stops should not cause you to fall back but you are a beginner and must be careful.

Typing from the rink right now. I just had them sharpened. My edges seem to have so much bite I am having a really hard time skating.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Typing from the rink right now. I just had them sharpened. My edges seem to have so much bite I am having a really hard time skating.

I presume b/c you have finally had a real proper sharpening, seems like your blades before this were only manufacturer grind out of the box. You'll get used to it and the more you skate it will wear the bite down some.

Good luck and please be careful!

 

[Vladik]

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I presume b/c you have finally had a real proper sharpening, seems like your blades before this were only manufacturer grind out of the box. You'll get used to it and the more you skate it will wear the bite down some.

Good luck and please be careful!

I always hear bad things about the manufacturer grind but I loved skating on it, probably because I wasn't used to anything else. I'm sure I'll get used to it! Thank you!