Strike 1

[Skittl1321]

Some of you may know that my boots are too narrow in the toe box. My rink lacks any sort of pro-shop, and as they break in, they don't appear to be stretching (well they might be- I used to loose feeling in my feet in 5 minutes, now it's 30.)

You may ask- why did I buy these skates. Well because NOT skating, they really aren't too bad, they fit perfectly in the length and in the heels. I didn't realize they would be this big of a problem, and assumed they would loosen up a bit with skating.

So I finally called the only shoe hospital in our city. To be told "We can't stretch figure skates. I've tried, but they are designed to be stiff, and unstretchable" urgh.

So now I'm off to call the two other rinks nearest us- one about a 45 minute drive the other a little over an hour. Here's hoping someone can either stretch or punch out the toe box without affecting the heel.

[sue123]

I thought it was fairly common to punch out certain parts of the boot, including the toe box. Also, have you tried having htem heat molded (if they are heat moldable)? That would soften the material inside and as you put your foot in, it should conform to the area. Good luck thouhg. I hope you get your skate problems sorted out.

[Skittl1321]

I know punching out is common- but maybe it's a pro-shop/figure skating specific thing, because the shoe hospital said he had tried to stretch figure skates and he couldn't guarantee the machine wouldn't damage them, because skates aren't made more solid than regular boots.

As for heat molding- yep they are, yes I did- it definetly helped. The boots are the PERFECT fit, except for the widest part of my foot, in the front. Problem is my feet are split width, and I just don't skate enough to order semi-customs.

They work for now, and I rarely skate more than an hour, so it's no BIG deal, it would just be nice for my feet to not be going dead while I skate.

[doubletoe]

My mixed width boots were only $25 - $50 more than the single width boots, but they've been worth every penny! Mine are SP Teri, which tend to be roomier in the toe box as well (I have duck feet).

[blue111moon]

The shoe hospital guy is wrong - or just doesn't know how to stretch figure skates.

Back in the days before we had a decent skate shop within an hour's drive, I had one of the local shoe store guys stretch my patch boots a couple times and he had no problem. Of course, he was also an older guy who'd spent a few decades making orthopedic specialty shoes and there was nothing he didn't know about leather.

I also had him replace a tongue that ripped at the base and repair the hooks at the top when they bent.

A good shoe repair guy is invaluable.

[Isk8NYC]

One of our Australian board members did a major reconstruction on her own skates because of the lack of pro shops. I'll see if I can find the thread - she made some sort of a thingamajig (*technical term*) to push out the toe box.

Found it!
http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=18969 (http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=18969&highlight=bunion)

[Clarice]

Jessi - I skate at the rink in Davenport. Our pro shop can heat mold them again for you, but I don't believe will be able to stretch them. There is a shoe repair shop in Rock Island, IL that might be able to do something. Otherwise, I don't think there's a lot available locally. Most of us get our skates out of Chicago or Omaha. PM me if you want more information.

[Team Arthritis]

I can help! I bought
http://www.emocs.com/stretchers.htm
the long handled boot stretcher and 2 of the "extra bunion buttons". Then take a 1/8" drill bit and drill holes in the metal stretcher where needed to put the bunion buttons (only if you have bad bunions or corns) The trick is that the darned thing wants to slide back as you open it up. So you must take a block of wood and cut/carve it to fit in the heel and keep the stretcher up in the toebox while you crank it open. Don't forget to cut out a groove for the handle to fit in.

I also bought the stretching solution but it is nothing but rubbing alcohol! Stretch a little over night. The boots need to be restretched a couple of times before they stay in the right shape. The only bad thing is that stretching the toebox wider makes the top come DOWN and if you like to grip with your toes like me they can then rub on the TOP of the toe box. Easy enough to fix - get a 1" pvc female female couple (just a small smooth piece of PVC pipe) loop a strong piece of string through it (learned the hard way it can be tought to get out otherwise) and leave it pushing up the middle of the toebox overnight after each stretch wider.

This worked much better than anything the pro shop or even the boot makers ever did for my fit.
Lyle