Blade Condition Advice

[LadyPanda]

Hello! I am wondering if anyone could advise me about the condition of my blades. These are attached to my beloved Risport RS4 (now the "Antares" model) figure skates; rarely worn, newly resurrected with an overpowering urge to find and commit to as much ice time as possible this year :-) I was going to send them to a factory sharpening facility (there are none local here in Dublin, Ireland). I'd like to start figure skating again.

However I am now wondering if the blades should be replaced. They've been in storage in plastic blade guards in my bedroom for about 15 years (!!) I now know that this is unwise (ice soakers preferred!). Any advice much appreciated - thankyou!!

IMAGE 1 -
ibb.co/XCWV84t

IMAGE 2 -
ibb.co/wcVJvKC

[transmissionoftheflame]

We can't see the images.


Are they rusty?  Quality blades would be of stainless steel I think so I don't think the passage of time should have had too much impact.


I guess you could try them and see how they go, but my guess would be that a sharpen at most would be sufficient.

[black]

(new users can't post links)

https://ibb.co/XCWV84t or https://i.ibb.co/VqL3mNT/skate1.jpg
https://ibb.co/wcVJvKC or https://i.ibb.co/0sTBwfZ/skate2.jpg

Wow, they're clean/pristine!   You weren't kidding about 'rarely worn'.

They should be fine; give them some skates before deciding if you want/need new ones.

One thing to note if you've taken a break; blades may *feel* blunt to start with, but as you get back into it (greater skill/control) they'll feel fine.

Definitely find out about sharpening (for the future) though, there might be some more local services advertised at the rink.

[spinZZ]

Are they rusty?  Quality blades would be of stainless steel I think so I don't think the passage of time should have had too much impact.

"Quality blades" (however you wish to define them) are available in both plain carbon steel and stainless steel.  Junk blades are also available in both plain carbon steel and stainless steel.

E.g., HD Sports (Wilson and MK) produce some of the most highly regarded blades.  But only the Wilson Phoenix has a runner fabricated from stainless steel.  All their other blades (such as Gold Seal, Pattern 99, Coronation Ace, Gold Star, Phantom, and Professional, including traditional, Lite, and Revolution models) are fabricated from plain carbon steel (or have a runner fabricated from plain carbon steel for Revolution models).

Other major blade manufacturers (Jackson Ultima, Riedell Eclipse, Paramount) offer both plain carbon steel and stainless steel versions of their top blades,