Question about my freshly sharpened blades

[AmandaS88]

I know there is a sticky about blade sharpenings, and I just read it, but still i am confused/worried. Long story short, i just got new skats and with that new blades. They are the same style blade I had on my old skates though. Anyway, I took them to a reputable guy for their first sharpening. He looked at how he sharpened my previous skates blades and said that they were a beginers level sharpening or something like that. He asked if i wanted them a little sharper this time and i said sure ( why not, I thought). So anyway, i've skated in them now 3 times and i feel like I am going downhill. I can't stop (stopped no problem before) I feel like my blade keeps catching stuff, and even spinning feels weird. After reading the FAQ on the sticky about blade sharpenings I'm worried that they weren't sharpened well ( it says you shouldn't have any adjustment time for newely sharpened blades). Someone PLEASE tell me that it is in fact normal and will get better! I feel like I suck now, where i was confident before..

[dbny]

After reading the FAQ on the sticky about blade sharpenings I'm worried that they weren't sharpened well ( it says you shouldn't have any adjustment time for newely sharpened blades).

That particular "FAQ" is debatable and has been debated here ad nauseum. I would say to just give it some time, although there may have been a problem with the sharpening. My blades are carefully sharpened by the same pro shop owner who does the blades of many elite skaters, and I always have a bit of a problem with certain stops, and also trouble with other moves for a while afterwards. I think some of the differences reported by different people have nothing to do with sharpening, but rather more to do with different levels of skill and/or talent. Get ready for a ton of differing responses.

[newskaker5]

I am having the EXACT same problem. I feel like I keep catching the ice. I have skated 3x since they got sharpended and am also having a hard time stopping etc. According to my coach, its because they sharper the skates are the more exact you have to be to do stuff correct and apparently I was "cheating" my stops, etc and therefore wasnt exactly hitting the edge/flat/ etc that I needed to and it shows up more once the skates are sharp (this made me feel SOO much better after I felt like I completely sucked already since the sharpening haha)

[samba]

Maybe you could check your blades against someone who has realtively new ones, you can see on new ones where there is a thinish margin line at the bottom whithin which sharpening should be done, if it has gone beyond that then the chances are that they have been overdone it usually tapers off slightly near the toe but some inexperienced/dont care sharpeners have been known to take the whole thing off up to half way from the toe to the back of the blade.

I am very fussy on who sharpens my blades and dont just leave them at the shop for anyone to sharpen, you could try asking around the experienced skaters and find out who they use.

However if its just a case of too sharp, try rubbing a coin along them to blunt them off slightly.

[Casey]

What he means by a "beginner" sharpening is that they had a larger ROH, probably 5/8" or something. This has minimal resistance against the ice so stops are easier as the blade can slide along, but your edges will never be as secure so you can't push yourself as far (which beginners generally don't care about. So he probably sharpened them at either 1/2" or the typical figure ROH of 7/16", which will certainly feel different.

But stick with them and I suspect you'll like them - 3 sessions is a bit hard to judge, especially if you're still new to skating and not pushing against the edges too hard. It will take time to acclimate, but I suspect you'll get used to them and won't want to change back then... If after a few more sessions you really certainly don't like the change, you can have him change it back - for some people duller blades work better, it depends mostly on your skating style. It would be a good idea to find out what the actual ROH your blades are sharpened to is, so that you know and can request a specific one in the future.

My personal preference is for 5/16", which is really sharp - the lower the number, the smaller the radius, and thus, the sharper/"grabbier" the edges. At the end of the day it's just whatever works best for you, but never be afraid to experiment :)

Good luck,

[Rusty Blades]

I started with MK Pro blades with a 7/16 ROH and really like the deeper hollow, though it does feel "grabby" - I am big and heavy and really like to lean into my edges so I feel confident on the 7/16 - haven't "lost an edge" yet!

Some people don't seem to like SHARP blades and run them back and forth over wood to take the bite off. Personally, I like the bite and have learned to adjust my stops accordingly. The extra bite (in my very humble opinion) seems to have more advantages than disadvantages but does take some getting used to.

[VegasGirl]

I'm sure they were sharpened perfectly right... the characterisitcs you explain are quite normal for a freshly sharpened sharp blade. If it really bothers you go to the side of the rink and drag the blades sideways across the ice a few times to take a bit of the edge off... otherwise just keep on skating and you'll see it'll get better each time all on its own.

[froggy]

sounds like your blades are a tad bit sharper than youd like them. you can rub the side of a penny along the blade edges. on ice you can scrape your edges along the ice. as you continue to skate youll see the sharpness will rub down. good luck!

[AmandaS88]

Thanks everyone!
I do feel a little better now. I think I'll try and get some public sessions in so I can dull them down a little, or at least get a little more used to them.
thanks again!

[icedancer2]

Well -- I'm glad they feel better!

The next time you get your skates sharpened ask the sharpening to "take off the burrs" -- they will use a piece of wood or a knife-sharpening stone and run it along the edge which will help TREMENDOUSLY.

I know some people like this feeling of stickiness after a sharpening and so they don't always do it. I have used a stone after a sharpening like that and they felt really fine afterwards (to me -- I know it's a totally individual thing). I have also been known to use the edge of the wooden bench at the rink, but I wouldn't try that if I were you (although I managed to be successful there, too!).

[Isk8NYC]

You can also scrape the blades sideways across the ice a number of times. That will take the too-sharpness off a bit. It's a good strengthening exercise to boot!

A kid saw me making little scraping-piles of snow and asked if I was going to make snow cones! LOL I told her to NEVER eat the snow or ice - people spit on it! I think that cured her curiosity.