Author Topic: Blade question  (Read 763 times)

LPrice

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Blade question
« on: October 13, 2021, 09:19:32 am »
I was skating regularly about 3 years ago in a different country, almost every day. I have some MK Phantom blades and had them sharpened a couple of times over the space of a year and a half. I was really down in weight then at 65kg. 3 Years later I went skating again yesterday for the first time and found that I was sliding about quite a bit on the ice. My weight has increased a lot to about 78kg and I'm not sure if it's due to this as they are thin blades. Sat unused though for 3 years can blades lose their "temper' and require resharpening again before use?

Thank you  :)

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Blade question
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2021, 06:43:45 am »
Well my blades were unused for 18 months during COVID and felt as sharp as ever when I eventually got back on the ice.  Same for both my (adult) kids + my Mrs.


I can't attest to the impact of weight gain though I would not have expected it to make that much difference.  Perhaps the weight gain plus different ice conditions plus your memory playing tricks on you?


I guess if you do another couple of sessions and they are still sliding then get them sharpened.

LPrice

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Re: Blade question
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2021, 07:32:37 am »
Thank you.....I didn't want to ask a stupid question, but the experience of sliding out was very unusual (I was at the Dome in Doncaster). I'm a complete beginner in terms of understanding the technicalities of blades etc and have never worked with a teacher who can talk me through maintaining equipment, so thought I'd reach out to the much more experienced. Thank you, I'll take your advice.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: Blade question
« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2021, 06:37:15 pm »
In my experience, blades can definitely lose their sharpness over time, despite not being used. Note that this is sharpness not hollow. Find out who the good skaters at your rink go to for grinding, and get your blades done. I don't think weight will have made any difference at all.
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

spinZZ

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Re: Blade question
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2021, 10:34:41 pm »
I was skating regularly about 3 years ago in a different country, almost every day. I have some MK Phantom blades and had them sharpened a couple of times over the space of a year and a half. I was really down in weight then at 65kg. 3 Years later I went skating again yesterday for the first time and found that I was sliding about quite a bit on the ice. My weight has increased a lot to about 78kg and I'm not sure if it's due to this as they are thin blades. Sat unused though for 3 years can blades lose their "temper' and require resharpening again before use?

Thank you  :)
Blades cannot lose their temper through prolonged storage under normal room conditions.  To lose their temper, blades need to be overheated, as with a flame or during an improper sharpening.  Your increase in weight would cause the blades to bite into the ice more, possibly causing some stickiness, rather than sliding.  The more likely culprit is rust, which will dull the edges.  This can be fixed with a fresh sharpening.  For prolonged storage of plain-carbon steel blades, you should coat the exposed edges with a film of oil (such as motor oil or mineral oil, but not cooking oil).
« Last Edit: October 16, 2021, 10:45:58 pm by spinZZ »

LPrice

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Re: Blade question
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2021, 06:36:19 pm »
Thank you for the kind help and information everyone. I made few trips to Ice Sheffield and had no problems with the blades at all, so it must be down to ice conditions at the other rink. 

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Blade question
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2021, 07:52:23 am »
In my experience ice conditions do make a difference.  Your blades yould tend to bite into soft ice more, and if the ice is very hard and your blades are a bit blunt you may lose your edges.



 

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