Do WIFA skates come 'Sno-sealed?'

[abbi_1990]

Hi, I got new WIFA skates on saturday and i skated in them for the first time today.

This evening i noticed that there is a small dent and scuff on the sole on the inside of each skate near the ball of my foot and on the heel. I did practice forward drags, so was wondering, do you think the drag caused the dent or do you think water could have caused the leather to swell? i did dry the skates off throughly after skating.

i am just worried in case they havent been sno sealed or something :?? :??

any help would be much appreciated cus im really worried now, i dont wanna ruin my skates, they were too expensive!

[Morgail]

It's probably just from doing the drags. I get those on the inside of the sole of my right boot (that's the only side I can do them on). I have one near the ball and a smaller one on the heel.

You may want to put sno-seal on them anyway though. I don't think most skates come with it already on. And even if they did, a second coat won't hurt. :)

[abbi_1990]

Thanks!

Is it hard to apply the sno seal? Do i have to remove the blade?

[dooobedooo]

If you really want to protect your boots, and you are doing moves like drags, or moves where toe-pick will scrape the boot; then Snoseal will not stop these from marking the boot - you will need to wear either overboot tights or boot covers for all your practices.

[Isk8NYC]

Most skates (even Klingbeil's) come with lacquer or polyurethane on the soles. Some skates have better waterproofing than others. SnoSeal won't soak in until that finish has been penetrated and the heat needed to use SnoSeal will damage the original coating. SnoSeal also darkens the soles somewhat, so if you like the current color, hold off.

You've scuffed the boot with lunges and SnoSeal won't prevent future scuffs. Use boot covers or apply skate tape to the friction area for prevention. If you don't see dark wet areas other than on the scuffed area, don't do a full waterproofing, it's a waste of time.

SnoSeal directions are on the package or in this thread (http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=18326).
You don't have to remove the blades -- the finish below is intact because they're still new.

[abbi_1990]

i dont mind having scuffs from the lunges n other such things, the thing that i am concerned about is weather i need to waterproof the soles or not.

if there are droplets of water on the sole of my skate and i wipe them away with a towel little dark circles are left.

[Isk8NYC]

Just do the scuffed parts, but you'll need to let it dry thoroughly before sealing. You'll have to reapply often if you don't protect the lunge area.

As I said, you don't need to do the entire sole if there aren't any other dark, wet spots. If the droplets always leave dark spots, then you need to waterproof. Before your first waterproofing, you should rub off the factory finish with some steel wool.

[abbi_1990]

will over the boot tights or boot covers protect the lunge area?

i have ordered a packet of sno seal from the internet today so i will waterproof the skates as soon as it arrives.

do i need to waterproof the top part of the boot (the white part)?

the droplets do always leave dark wet spots so i guess i need to do the whole sole.

[Isk8NYC]

will over the boot tights or boot covers protect the lunge area?
YES

do i need to waterproof the top part of the boot (the white part)?
NO - it won't soak into the painted leather.

Some good quality shoe polish is good to use, though. (Don't get it on the sole - it's hard to get the white off.)

[abbi_1990]

thanks for all your help :)

[Morgail]

thanks for all your help :)

IS8NYC is right - you don't have to remove the blades. I usually heat the bottom of the boot with a hair dryer and then apply the sno-seal with a q-tip. Let it sit to soak in, and then wipe off the excess. I try to get some into the empty screw holes on the boots too.

And it's good to reapply it every 6 months or so. :D

[sk8_4fun]

I have Wifas and a nice lunge 'scar' too. I've just been putting dubbin, like the stuff you use on footie boots, on mine, on the upper and on the soles.
I always dry them thoroughly with chamois leather too.

[abbi_1990]

i always dry mine with a towel, im a bit obsessive about it lol

i have ordered a packet of sno seal from the internet just waiting for it to arrive.

the lunge scar doesnt really bother me, i just need to make sure the soles are waterproofed. i am thinking of getting some boot covers though.

does dubbin change the colour of the soles?

[abbi_1990]

oh, i forgot to ask:

which model of WIFA boots do you have?

[sk8_4fun]

synchro deluxe in tan. I love them!:mrgreen:

[abbi_1990]

kool :) did yours come waterproofed?