GoalieNut

16 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

Did you just jam it on, or did you go full out like an auto detailer with the spray bottles mixed with water/baby shampoo and water/isopropyl alcohol?

I actually did nothing.  The knee block was clean and so I just simply applied the product.  It's holding up very well.

57 minutes ago, Chenner29 said:

@GoalieNut@insertnamehere -

I've got a roll of this in my Amazon cart.  How's this stuff holding up for you?  How many skates are you guys at with this stuff on now?

It's holding up well after about 4 skates so far!

42 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

Vaughn seems to have no plans to discontinue offering Graf cowls. That would be your safest bet.

Just sent an email to Vaughn!

10 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

It is also old enough that you NEED a cowl, not from the lack of outsole but from the boot lacking sufficient protection for shots. If worse comes, I do know someone who could clad your boot with composite material so you could run a holder.

I'll either try to find new cowlings and steel or just make the switch to the new cowling less skates.

2 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

If you don’t see a screw in the back, your skate tech is correct.

Ok, it doesn't have the screw so he is correct.  Thanks!

Folks, is it possible to just change the steel on an older Graf cowlings?  It's the Graf Cobra.  My skate guy said you couldn't but maybe he was mistaken?

23 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

.com . This was just one of those rabbit hole searches, so to speak.

Thanks!  

I have a side project set of pads this might be fun to try on.

Check out Future Pro on YouTube.  Lots of great advice and explanations.

Where on Amazon did you find this?  The .com or .ca?  I can't find white on the .ca site for some reason.

1 hour ago, bunnyman666 said:

It’s whether or not you can get the Bauer cowls. I think they are still available on Bauer custom skates, but the aftermarket blades are not regularly carried by the dealers. Since Step was bought by CCM, I don’t know how easy it is to just ring them up and get a pair of runners. My suggestion? If you find size 10 Vertexx cowls and Step blades, buy two sets of cowls and as many Step runners as you can! They are not old enough to be ancient stock, and you could find an independent dealer that has a good supply. But it’s going to be more work to find replacements. Buy plenty…

I bought up the Step Vaughn steels like they were going out of style and glad I did as finding them now has proven EXTREMELY difficult. I just went away from cowls, but have enough blades just in case I decide to take a trip down memory lane.

One other option, albeit very expensive, is a Swiss company that still makes cowls and their own blades. Bobrovsky was using them. Can’t recall the name. We’re talking serious money. 

Thanks for the feedback.  Can I go with a size 10 cowling on a size 9.5 boot?  Will that work or do I need a size 9.5 cowling?  And it sounds like the brand doesn't matter?

Do I have to go with Graf cowlings?  Could I go with Bauer?  And if so, would a Bauer size 10 be ok?

I should point out - it looks like the steel can't be replaced (the cobra model?) and so I might as well just put on a new cowling and blades.

27 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Do you want to get another cowling or are you looking to drop the cowling all together and get a holder?

I want to have a new cowling and possibly Step Steel for the blade.

Like the title says, I'm looking to change the cowling on my Graf skates.  Is it as simple as swapping them out to another brand?  They are a size 9.5.  Do I put a size 10 cowling on?  I plan on getting my local skate guy to do the swap but will order the cowling and blades myself.  Any feedback is appreciated!

On 11/25/2021 at 11:19 PM, insertnamehere said:

I cannot overstate how well this worked. After an hour on the ice, sliding through a snowy, roughed up crease felt almost as smooth as on fresh ice. I don't think I'll ever play without this stuff on my pads again, so long as it holds up for a decent amount of time. 

Awesome!  I love finding new goalie hacks that work.

4 hours ago, insertnamehere said:

Before, during and after not necessarily in that order. Little bit tricky getting the trimming just right on the G5 knee wing as there's not a lot of jenpro on the edges and the backside is velcro. 

Looks good.  Let us know if you noticed a difference in sliding.  I think you will.

2 minutes ago, BadAngle41 said:

 

So I had my car wrapped with XPEL, a product very similar to what @GoalieNut applied to the knee landing. It obviously adheres well to a painted surface and allows for some flex, the real trick is to minimize the edges that could peel up and any wrinkles. Looking at the initial video that was posted of the Miklin pad, they apply to the jenpro/weave material prior to sewing and more-less laminate it. Tack solutions can aid in ensuring good adhesion in corners etc.

That's why I wrapped it around the knee.  But I might just trace the knee landing area and cut and apply to see how it holds up.

50 minutes ago, Kayen said:

Is this for any specific 3M tape - I'm assuming we may want to look at PTFE too? I know on the PC gaming side of things, many newer mice are using PTFE mouse skates vs the old nylon ones, as they side much better on mouse pads. 

Also adding in a joke - hooray with this mod you've now successfully achieved what the Ritual G6 is. 

I put a link in the Thread for the tape.  

It does slide very fast IMO for what it's worth lol

3 minutes ago, Chenner29 said:

Neat - it does look pretty much invisible.  I can see a some shine in the top corner of the knee block and some bunched up material on the bottom corner, which I'm guessing is the poly tape.  A couple questions if you don't mind...

Have you tried Sliding Polish or Ice Kream or any other brand of pad sliding product before? If so, how's it compare?

How many skates have you had it on?  How easy is it to pull off?

I understand our sample size is small so far, but how would you rate the durability?  It looks like it's 8 mil thick, which is about 4-5 times thicker than most packing tape.  I'm assuming it's got some rigidity.

I haven't tried any polishes or such so I can't compare.  I've only had one league game skate in them so far.  I've got more skates scheduled this week.  Based on how the material feels and just the one skate I think it will hold up well.  It seemed not too bad to pull off - if that helps?  It does seem to hold well.

31 minutes ago, insertnamehere said:

Did you have to do any prep to the surface beforehand? How well did it adhere?

Just make sure the surface is clean and dry before applying.  It adheres pretty well. 

Just now, GoalieNut said:

I placed it on the knee block only as I just wanted to test it out.  I may add it to other areas as well but I want to get used to the knee area first.

To clarify - I put it on the knee block landing area and wrapped it around.

7 minutes ago, johncho said:

No this is great, and it's actually good to see that it won't show too much. 

So you've placed it just on knee block part? Or along the whole contact surface?

I placed it on the knee block only as I just wanted to test it out.  I may add it to other areas as well but I want to get used to the knee area first.

On 11/19/2021 at 4:22 PM, GoalieNut said:

When I get around to it I will.  It's basically like applying a sticker.

Not much to see really.

36 minutes ago, johncho said:

Can you post pics?

When I get around to it I will.  It's basically like applying a sticker.

I tried the tape out on the knee blocks of my Vaughn v7's and wow it really did improve the slide.  Almost too fast.  Very cool mod.  And it held up well.