BROCHURE -- Keeping your blades sharp!

Brochure -- PDF download

HOW OFTEN SHOULD BLADES BE SHARPENED?

It depends on the blade, the skill level, the skater, etc.
Done frequently enough, a blade should last 5 to 8 years for the average recreational skater. Generally, the frequency should be every 20-30 hours of skating.

Examples for the average, recreational skater:
1 session/week X 3 hours --
every 10 weeks
2 sessions/week X 2 hours --
every 7.5 weeks
3 sessions/week X 2.5 hours --
every 4 weeks

FACTORS: Hardness of the steel used in the blade, and how much and how aggressively you skate.

INDICATORS OF THE NEED FOR SHARPENING

- When you no longer feel secure.
- Bottom of the blade appears dull -- a sharp edge, in strong light, gives no reflection. After sharpening, the bottom of the blade will have a uniform sheen. With more use, the bottom of the blade near the edge will begin to appear dull.
- Blades feel “grippy,” i.e., sharp blades feel secure if they are kept sharp. Of course, when changes are made -- correcting errors, changing the hollow, sharpening a very dull blade, etc., blades will feel very different and perhaps insecure.

Blade Sharpening Informational Brochure
(PDF download)

RADIUS - BLADE

RADIUS OF BLADE (ROB):
Curvature of the blade as seen from the
side, front to back. This creates the ROCKER look & feel of the blade. The curve increases toward the front. The smaller the radius, the easier it is to turn.

The rear two-thirds of the blade has a 7-foot to 8-foot curve, depending upon the make and style of the blade. This flatter
curvature offers the skater more speed
and stability. The front one-third
(approximately) may have a 9” curve,
or two levels of curvature with a partial
radius of 1 foot and another section
with a 2-foot radius, sometimes referred to as the “spin spot.”

RADIUS - HOLLOW

RADIUS OF HOLLOW (ROH):
Curve carved into the bottom of the blade;
the side-to-side curvature that creates a “hollow” and two sharp edges.

Deep Hollow: ROH 4/16” to 6/16” -- better grip, but slower. Often used by smaller, lighter skaters, high freestyle, dance skaters.
Medium Hollow: ROH 7/16”-8/16” -- most useful for adults
and medium-weight children and freestyle skaters.
Shallow/Slight to Flat Hollow: ROH 15/16”-16/16” -- goalies, speed skaters.

EDGE OF BLADE

BURR OR GOUGE

EDGE: The point at which the side of the blade meets the bottom of the blade.

BURR: A sharp inward or outward piece of the edge caused by stepping on a hard object. Burrs can cause drag.

GOUGE (NICK):
A long indentation on the edge. If too long,
it can cause loss of control.