Skate sharpening thread

[bunnyman666]

1 minute ago, IPv6Freely said:

If you hate sharp skates then you’re on the wrong hollow.

Bingo!

[IPv6Freely]

1 hour ago, bunnyman666 said:

Bingo!

Funny I always see guys get their skates done and immediately start trying to dull them one way or another. 

The other thing of course is if you go forever not getting them done, then yes of course they're going to feel terrible. You need to find a hollow that works for you and keep it consistent. Prime reason I bought the Sparx. 

[bunnyman666]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Funny I always see guys get their skates done and immediately start trying to dull them one way or another. 

The other thing of course is if you go forever not getting them done, then yes of course they're going to feel terrible. You need to find a hollow that works for you and keep it consistent. Prime reason I bought the Sparx. 

It took me until Juniors with a very competent sharpener to learn this lesson. Once Coach and the sharpener got together and sorted me out, I was on a shallow hollow that was retouched once per skate. 

[stackem30]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Funny I always see guys get their skates done and immediately start trying to dull them one way or another. 

The other thing of course is if you go forever not getting them done, then yes of course they're going to feel terrible. You need to find a hollow that works for you and keep it consistent. Prime reason I bought the Sparx. 

Eh, mine don't feel terrible at all, they work quite well for me. I have no issues with skating or edge-work (well, outside of my own skating shortcomings) when I get my skates sharpened, and I like how they perform even better as they dull down. It's personal preference -- what works well for you may not be my cup of tea, and vice versa. Personally, I've just learned over the years that I like a more shallow cut, and that I get good mileage out of a sharpening.

[IPv6Freely]

I disagree on the personal preference statement but to each his own. 

[stackem30]

26 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

I disagree on the personal preference statement but to each his own. 

This is truly some next-level irony!

Edited January 18, 2018 by stackem30

[IPv6Freely]

2 hours ago, stackem30 said:

This is truly some next-level irony!

I meant to each his own on believing that it's personal preference, so no irony here. Sorry. 

[coopaloop1234]

On 1/18/2018 at 7:00 AM, IPv6Freely said:

If you hate sharp skates then you’re on the wrong hollow.

Eh, I'd argue against this.

My current hollow after a fresh cut is just a tad too tacky, so I'll scrape up the ice by the sideboards to dull them down a tad prior to a game. This usually gets me 3 games of use before I'm looking to sharpen them again.

If I go down a size in my hollow, i'm looking to get them sharpened halfway through the game. It's this weird middle ground that I like that I'm unable to get.

[IPv6Freely]

59 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Eh, I'd argue against this.

My current hollow after a fresh cut is just a tad too tacky, so I'll scrape up the ice by the sideboards to dull them down a tad prior to a game. This usually gets me 3 games of use before I'm looking to sharpen them again.

If I go down a size in my hollow, i'm looking to get them sharpened halfway through the game. It's this weird middle ground that I like that I'm unable to get.

My statement still stands. You've just found a way to compensate for the inability to find a hollow that works for you when freshly sharpened. 

[SonnyWard]

On 12/2/2017 at 7:47 PM, bunnyman666 said:

That sounds like too deep of a hollow. 

5/8” is a good, shallow hollow for a goal skate. I don’t know what that is in mm, nor do I know if they use mm for hollows. 

I would ask for the shallowest hollow.

That's good advice.

On 1/16/2018 at 2:39 PM, IPv6Freely said:

I was an early Kickstarter backer for the Sparx. One of the best purchases I've ever made!

The VH are almost three years old now, I believe. It's a pair of black Bauer One80 (no vertexx cutout) holders from a pro return pair of Reactor 6000 skates. 4mm step black steel.  

Planning on going to a 2-piece True skate with step holders sometime in the next year, but my VH are still fantastic so no real reason to upgrade yet.

EDIT: Just looked. I've had them since July 1, 2015. 

That's so cool that you were an early Kickstarter backer of Sparx.

And Sparx is definitely good for goalie skates, see https://www.sparxhockey.com/pages/hockey-goalie-skate-sharpening

[kyledjean]

I started with 1" when i first started and finally got to 3/8" in juniors. If i had them money I would sharpen them before every skate. That bite is just to important to the position to not have would be ridiculous. Bite for me way way way out weighs glide. High level play isn't about those huge moves anywhere near as much as micro adjustments. Watch the pros, the do thousands of micro adjustments a game.

[Scythe]

1/2 on 4mm ... feels weird for a little bit but when they start to get worked in ...they're great! 

I go to these pick up games and sometimes when were shuffling goalies in and out i'll leave the crease nice and neat then when i get back in it's all chopped up with snow everywhere ... 

[beansbats]

I sold my Sparx and bought a Wissota so that I could mess with in between hollows.  On my 3mm steel I usually run approximately 3/8", and on my 4mm it is closer to 5/8".  I'll make minor adjustments based on outside air temperature.  I also raise the inside edges and dull the outside ones.  Frequency?  Every three or four skates in the summer on softer ice, and every couple of skates in the winter.  I have purchased the FBV adapter from Wissota and some dressing wheels from Blackstone and plan to give FBV a shot in a couple of weeks.   I love sharpening my own skates!

-steve

[SonnyWard]

4 hours ago, beansbats said:

I sold my Sparx and bought a Wissota so that I could mess with in between hollows.  On my 3mm steel I usually run approximately 3/8", and on my 4mm it is closer to 5/8".  I'll make minor adjustments based on outside air temperature.  I also raise the inside edges and dull the outside ones.  Frequency?  Every three or four skates in the summer on softer ice, and every couple of skates in the winter.  I have purchased the FBV adapter from Wissota and some dressing wheels from Blackstone and plan to give FBV a shot in a couple of weeks.   I love sharpening my own skates!

-steve

@beansbats so which do you like better, Sparx or Wissota?

[beansbats]

5 hours ago, SonnyWard said:

@beansbats so which do you like better, Sparx or Wissota?

I liked the Sparx and love the Wissota. I prefer the Wissota because I can completely control the process (Good or bad).  The Sparx did it's job and was pretty much automatic.  There is a fairly steep learning curve to use the Wissota properly, and I spent a lot of time practicing on old steel before I finally stepped on the ice with my own sharpening.

[SaveByRichter35]

I went from 3/8 to 7/16 for the summer.  Very slight change but definitely a change.  I plan on keeping it through the fall and seeing how it is as time goes on into the colder weather.

[Puckstopper]

7 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I went from 3/8 to 7/16 for the summer.  Very slight change but definitely a change.  I plan on keeping it through the fall and seeing how it is as time goes on into the colder weather.

I did the same and have been really happy with the change.   I'll probably keep it through October then re-evaluate. 

[seagoal]

Has anyone every tried having the inside and outside edges sharpened differently?  I had 1 person ask me if I wanted that a while ago and I hadn't really heard of it or even thought that was possible.  I guess it makes sense why a goalie would want that.....we don't spend a whole lot of time using our outside edges.

Edited August 29, 2019 by seagoal

[CJ Boiss]

3 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Has anyone every tried having the inside and outside edges sharpened differently?  I had 1 person ask me if I wanted that a while ago and I hadn't really heard of it or even thought that was possible.  I guess it makes sense why a goalie would want that.....we don't spend a whole lot of time using our outside edges.

You're referring to an A-trap (Asymmetrical Trapezoid) hollow? Tried it before; didn't notice any huge difference in my shuffling, but it did feel less stable when I was skating outside of my crease. I prefer my regular 3/8 hollow.

[seagoal]

I guess asymmetrical, yes.  Inside sharper than outside, for good bite in stance on the inside with more ability to slide laterally on the outside.

I used a 1/2 my whole life and switched to 7/16 since goalie camp this year.  Needed more bite for more power in my pushes.   Definitely took a bit to get used to but now I love it.

Edited August 29, 2019 by seagoal

[kyledjean]

4 hours ago, seagoal said:

Has anyone every tried having the inside and outside edges sharpened differently?  I had 1 person ask me if I wanted that a while ago and I hadn't really heard of it or even thought that was possible.  I guess it makes sense why a goalie would want that.....we don't spend a whole lot of time using our outside edges.

. I believe I heard  henrik lundqvist and Petr mrazek both have there inside edge high meaning their inside is much longer. Lundqvist’s reasoning was it made his tpushes easier and could get a wider stance.

[Scythe]

I played on this really hard ice yesterday and it about sucked! .. no bite at all. That place use to be the best rink to go to but it has really gone downhill over the last few years. 

They didn't resurface the ice before we went out so i don't know if that was part of the problem but it just felt like crap trying to move around couldn't catch an edge 

Edited August 30, 2019 by Scythe

[Felix]

I need your help about to find the right number for me. I don't remember all those hollow numbers because I haven't to thinking about that since 2012 when I stopped to playing with juniors and jumped to low level seniors. I got a pair of True skates that need both profiling and sharpening and I don't trust my local skate shop to sharp my skates before asking you at TGN about this. Can I use same profile/sharp on my True as my old Bauer?

The senior sharpening guy did only a normal goalie hollow to me. The junior sharpening guy did two different set up for me;

#1. Normal hollow but mid sharp. Not player-sharp but not flat. He started to screw on the machine to get a little angle.

#2. Was trying this one strange set up some months before I stopped with juniors. Don't remember exactly but something like this.

FYI; my style are smiliar as Kiprusoff/Price. Haven't playing since 2014.

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Felix

[dstew29]

22 minutes ago, Felix said:

I need your help about to find the right number for me. I don't remember all those hollow numbers because I haven't to thinking about that since 2012 when I stopped to playing with juniors and jumped to low level seniors. I got a pair of True skates that need both profiling and sharpening and I don't trust my local skate shop to sharp my skates before asking you at TGN about this. Can I use same profile/sharp on my True as my old Bauer?

The senior sharpening guy did only a normal goalie hollow to me. The junior sharpening guy did two different set up for me;

#1. Normal hollow but mid sharp. Not player-sharp but not flat. He started to screw on the machine to get a little angle.

#2. Was trying this one strange set up some months before I stopped with juniors. Don't remember exactly but something like this.

FYI; my style are smiliar as Kiprusoff/Price. Haven't playing since 2014.

 

I can't speak to the custom asymmetrical grinds you were getting (#s 1 & 2), but for me, switching to True 1-piece made me go FLATTER than my usual preferred hollow (less energy loss all around vs riveted holders).

I was getting 1/2" hollow on my old Graf w/ cowlings and went to 11/16" hollow on True 1-piece (trust me, I really dialed it in - tried 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", etc.). 11/16" just seemed to give me the preferred bite out of the box with the longest life between sharpens.

Either way, the best general rule of thumb I heard with the 1-piece was go flatter by a 3/ to 4/16ths vs your usual hollow. Mine happened to be 3/16ths flatter.

[Felix]

4 minutes ago, dstew29 said:

I can't speak to the custom asymmetrical grinds you were getting (#s 1 & 2), but for me, switching to True 1-piece made me go FLATTER than my usual preferred hollow (less energy loss all around vs riveted holders).

I was getting 1/2" hollow on my old Graf w/ cowlings and went to 11/16" hollow on True 1-piece (trust me, I really dialed it in - tried 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", etc.). 11/16" just seemed to give me the preferred bite out of the box with the longest life between sharpens.

Either way, the best general rule of thumb I heard with the 1-piece was go flatter by a 3/ to 4/16ths vs your usual hollow. Mine happened to be 3/16ths flatter.

Wow. Exactly the answer I wanted! Very interesting that you did ended up getting flatter hollow. Did you profiling your skates or only sharpening?