Off-Road Archives - Medium Skate Mag

Image Source: Freepik Do you struggle to keep your skates sharp? Do you practice the dangerous art of “skate sharpening” and end up breaking expensive blades with homemade ice skate tools? Or perhaps you just want to make sure that your own blades are as sharp as possible. The truth is, even the most careful of individuals can have a rough time getting their ice skates right. The surface on which they glide easily can often feel like quicksand, while obstacles that appear straight ahead turn out to be more like upside down bowling pins. If this describes you, then the following article is for you! It contains important information about how to sharpen ice skates at home - the easy way! What can cause raised edges? It’s easy to forget when doing your normal maintenance tasks such as waxing, sharpening your own knives, or filing down the edges of your mops and brooms, but skates require special care. If you’re not careful when sharpening your skates, you may end up with raised edges. The raised edge of a skate blade is created when the edge of one skate edge is rounded compared to the edge of the other. Since both skates are identical, you’ll only notice the raised edge when you look closely at the skates from certain angles. The most common cause of raised edges is not being careful when sharpening. In some cases you may accidentally overfile the edge grind, fileting the edge too aggressively, or simply forget about it and carry on walking. In other cases, the raised edge may be the result of a manufacturing defect. What does cause raised edges? This is the most common cause of raised edges, and it can range from simple things such as picking the wrong tool to use to more serious issues such as a manufacturing defect. If you’re not sure which raised edge issue is causing your problem, try using a Philips screwdriver to gently push on one edge of the skate and then the other. If the screwdriver makes a mark on both skates, it’s most likely that one skate is a little sharp while the other is a little dull. Why It’s Important to Sharpen Your Ice Skates As you’ve probably already gathered from the introduction, the reason that you need to sharpen your own skates is so that they glide more easily. This means that your skates will glide more smoothly, and you’ll have more control when you’re on the ice. Not only will your skating be more relaxed, but you’ll also be able to make sharper turns and be more efficient when using your edges to cut through the air. How to Sharpen Ice Skates at Home - The Easy Way! To properly sharpen your skates, you’ll need a few tools and some basic experience with a few household items. The first and most important tool that you’ll need is a pair of scissors. These are the perfect tool for snipping off small pieces of material from the edge of your skates. They’re also great for cutting the felt pads that cover your ice skate blades. Next, you’ll need a small file. These are ideal for filing the edge of your skates and preparing the surface for a good sharpening. Third, you’ll need a very small paintbrush. This can be used to apply some of the very small amounts of steeling to your blades that are necessary before they can be sharpened. Last but not least, you’ll need your hands! Hacking away at your skates with your hands is one of the most thorough ways to get your blades sharpened. The gentle tugging and pulling that you do with your hands is likely to be more accurate than using a file or tool. Tips for a Perfect Sharpening If you’re not completely satisfied with the results that you get from the above mentioned tools, you can always try using a money grasper instead. There are a few things that you should keep in mind when sharpening your own skates with a moneygrasper. The first is that because the skates are closer to the angle of the moneygrasper, they will have more surface area to work on. This means that the moneygrasper will be able to make much more contact with the skate and will therefore be able to get the job done much faster. The second is that because the angle of the grasper is less than that of an ideal sharpener, there will be less static electricity generated as the friction between the skates and the grasper will be less. Finally, although it’s not recommended, you could always use a professional to sharpen your skates. This is only done when you’re not satisfied with the results that you get at home. Summary The reason why you need to sharpen your own skates is so that they glide more easily, are easier to manoeuvre, and can cut through the air with greater efficiency. There are a number of tools that you’ll need to make this process easier, and the most important of them is yourself. The easiest way to sharpen your own skates is to use a sharpener that you can purchase at your local skate shop.