Sharpening a skate is more than just placing your skate blade against a grinding wheel. Each player has a different need for their level and style of play or skating. This short tutorial will help answer some questions about skate sharpening and help the skater determine the proper type of hollow or grind for them.
In this tutorial we will be covering
How skate sharpening works (how to on making your skates sharper) “How are ice skates sharpened” A skate is sharpened by applying a rounded grinding wheel to the blade. This causes the blade to have a hollow or groove in the middle on the blade (please refer to images provided in the video tutorial on skate sharpening).
- Finding the type Cut, Hollow or Grind for you as a general ice skater, Xtreme ice skater or hockey players
- Problems you may face when getting your skates or boots sharpened (offset blade as a direct result of bad sharpening technique) First, the blade must be fully inspected for surface condition, edge damage , straightness, and also the blade width (blade widths can vary depending on age, model and make of the skate and if not checked by calliper, the edges might turn out uneven…poor sharpen)
- Ice rink temperature – The difference between Soft and Hard ice, and understanding how each will affect your skating. On soft ice, your edges sink deeper into the ice and slow you down and make you tire easily and lose speed. With hard ice, more edge is needed to get a good “bite” or (can be referred to as grip, although this is incorrect, it might help you understand) into the ice. If you are playing at different rinks, your skates will feel very different from one rink to another. For example, if you are playing at Rink A, which normally has soft ice, and are skating on a 9/16 hollow or grind, your performance will be good (skating ability referring to turning and agility NOT speed). If you were now to go Skate at Rink B, which has very hard ice, you likely will be slipping out and not have enough bite or “grip” but you would have more speed as less of the blade sinks into the ice (slowing you down).
