Rust on brand new blades

[1717]

Hi guys, newbie skater here after some advice about rusting on blades. I just purchased a pair of brand new coronation ace from my rink last week (it was my first pair of blades that I purchased seperate from boots), and had the skate tech mount it onto my boots. This morning I went to pick them up and tested them out for about 2 hours. As I got off and wiped my blades, I noticed that there was spots of rusting on the side of the blades (the dull part where you can sharpen, not the shiny area), as well as the unsharpened area between the toe pick and the rocker. It was the same on both blades.

So I went straight to my pro shop and they basically told me they can’t do anything about it and to just be extra careful with drying them from now on. They said they can check it out for the next sharpening, but I’m not sure if that would help as the rust is mainly on the side of the blades and the part that doesn’t usually gets sharpened.

I went skating again in the afternoon and for alignment testing, and after I got off, it seems like more rust spots appeared on the side along the length of the blade? I don’t know if I’m imagining it.

Is this normal with new blades or Coronation Ace? I didn’t really check the blade when I first purchased them as they were in the box with the gel over the blades. Could it have started rusting when it was stored in the box?

I know rusting would probably be inevitable at some point in the future, but never expected to see it right away. Should I just ignore it as it apparently doesn’t affect skating anyway?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[macy]

how well do you wipe off your blades? and do you use soakers?

 

[1717]

I wiped them off very throughly after I noticed the rust this morning. Wiped it down like 3 times while I waited for them to return to room temperature, and put them in dry soakers.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

I'm rather unimpressed with your pro shop. That really doesn't seem right to have rust right after leaving the ice for the first use. They may be trying the old, "we bear no responsibility once blades are mounted/used" but if the blades are faulty, I'm pretty certain they have a liability to replace or refund.

I seem to recall @Arwen17 having a similar problem with a pair of JW Gold Seals. There was a thread about it fairly recently: How to prevent rust forming on blades whilst skating

 

[tstop4me]

I know rusting would probably be inevitable at some point in the future, but never expected to see it right away. Should I just ignore it as it apparently doesn’t affect skating anyway?

Don't ignore it. Rust has a porous microstructure that traps water and leads to further rust. Refer to my Reply #2 in the other thread cited in the post above.

 

[1717]

Thanks for the replies!

I have a friend who got the CA from them not long ago, maybe I’ll ask if they have the same issue. Anyway, I’ll go talk to them again later this week when I get the rest of the screws mounted (or not).

 

[tstop4me]

Thanks for the replies!

I have a friend who got the CA from them not long ago, maybe I’ll ask if they have the same issue. Anyway, I’ll go talk to them again later this week when I get the rest of the screws mounted (or not).

I want to emphasize that the propensity for rust per se does not indicate a lower grade steel or a manufacturing defect. I have some high-end machinist tools and cutlery fabricated from plain-carbon steel. They are so prone to rust that I need to keep them oiled after every use. [On the other hand, some low-end skate kits (boot+blade combos) are now outfitted with el-cheapo stainless-steel blades that are highly resistant to rust.]

I've previously purchased around 6 pairs of Coronation Ace, and never had the problem you describe. But the last one was around 2014, so I don't know whether Wilson has changed the grade of steel or manufacturing process (mechanical or thermal treatment that affects the final properties of the steel). And as I mentioned in the other thread, ask other skaters with plain-carbon steel blades who skate at your particular rink or rinks whether they have similar problems; you need to consider the possibility of contaminants in the ice or floor matting, e.g.

 

[Query]

One more suggestion: Don't put them in soakers, if you have a choice.

Even after you completely dry (I use two towels even with stainless steel blades, which are much less prone to rust) and oil them (immediately after skating; some people say grease or wax is better - which might be right), it may be best to let them be exposed to the air.

To be even better, especially if you think the ice or floor may be contaminated with corrosive materials, you could rinse the blades off in the bathroom, just after skating. Maybe even use warm water so water doesn't condense on them just after you dry them. Do this just before drying and oiling them. Not many people rinse their blades - but since you are having trouble, it is worth a try, to see if it helps. Of course, it is also possible your rink's bathroom water contains corrosive materials (tap water varies a lot), but it might still be worth a try.

Never put your skates them in a bag or box or car trunk. If you must, make sure it is a well ventilated mesh bag. Also, don't leave them in your car longer than you have to, because cars sometimes get warm in the sun, which is bad, not only for rust, but it might reshape your boots.

I had to learn these things by making mistakes. It is surprisingly easy to make steel, especially non-stainless steel, rust by not taking care of it. It probably isn't your pro shop's fault, since it is occurring even when your skates aren't in the pro shop, so I wouldn't blame it on them.

Like tstop4me implied, there could be contaminants in your ice or floor (and, BTW, I try not to walk with my blades on the floor. I prefer to put on plastic blade guards, walk to a bench or chair, take the guards off, wipe them dry with two towels. (I don't need to rinse mine off, but I haven't seen the problem as bad as you have.) When I had carbon steel blades like yours, I then oiled them, and leave them uncovered. I take them home, bring them into my (dehumidified) home, and leave them uncovered there too.

Many rinks use distilled water to make ice, mostly because it helps make the ice transparent enough to see the hockey markings. For the most part, good quality blades - Coronation Ace are in that category - aren't expected to rust too fast if you treat them right. (But my Coronation Ace were probably even older than tstop4me's so maybe there has been a change.) But some ice rinks don't use distilled water, because it costs extra.

(I assume you aren't at an outdoor rink. There are all kinds of bad things that can occur to skates at such rinks, because of dirt, dust, poor temperature control, maybe even salt in some geographic regions.)