Rusty Skates

[Luckster013]

How can I get rust off my blades?

[Award]

How can I get rust off my blades?

How much rust is there? If it's real bad, and the rust has penetrated into the blade by quite a bit, then probably not much can be done about that. If it's just recent surface stuff, it might be possible to polish it off....like take it to the skate shop and see what they say.

[Casey]

Just get them sharpened and you ought to be fine....if it's crept up the sides then it can likely be remedied by rubbing vigorously with a cloth with some WD-40 on it. But you'll definitely want to get them sharpened in any case as rust makes oodles of tiny pits on the blade bottoms. And from here on out, just be sure to dry them every time after skating, and put on a pair of dry soakers after wiping them down thoroughly with a towel. But it's not the end of the world :)

[Casey]

Just get them sharpened and you ought to be fine....if it's crept up the sides then it can likely be remedied by rubbing vigorously with a cloth with some WD-40 on it. If it's bad then the sides may need to be filed with a soft grit, and that's tricky business best left to a good sharpener. But you'll definitely want to get them sharpened in any case as rust makes oodles of tiny pits on the blade bottoms. So what I'd do is just get a rag and some WD-40 and really rub them down as best you can, then take them in for a sharpening. And from here on out, just be sure to dry them every time after skating, and put on a pair of dry soakers after wiping them down thoroughly with a towel. But it's not the end of the world :) If you wanna be really paranoid you can rub a bit of oil or wax along the blade after drying.

[sceptique]

A tip:

A while ago I discovered that auto shops sell WD-40 in felt-tip pencil format (they look pretty much like highlight markers). I found it quite handy to carry all the time in my skating bag and to put a thin layer of WD-40 every time I finish skating before putting on the soakers.

[NickiT]

A tip:

A while ago I discovered that auto shops sell WD-40 in felt-tip pencil format (they look pretty much like highlight markers). I found it quite handy to carry all the time in my skating bag and to put a thin layer of WD-40 every time I finish skating before putting on the soakers.

That's a really good idea! I've been told that if you don't skate for a while it's worth applying WD-40, but never thought of carrying a pen to do it. I have one of those pens knocking about at the back of the drawer. Me thinks I should put it to good use and keep it in my skate bag!

Nicki

[Mrs Redboots]

If it's only a spot, you'll probably skate it off, and if not, it will go when you next have them ground.

Do be careful to dry them off really well when you finish skating - some of my friends always wipe them off with a tissue or lavatory paper before towelling them. I find a micro-fibre flannel is one of the best things to dry them with. And make sure you keep them in soakers - if you have none, you can make a pair very easily out of an old face flannel or towel, but any skate shop sells them. Never, ever keep the hard guards on once you take your skates off (the only exception to this is if you are flying and must pack them in your suitcase, when the guards will protect your blades).