Shoe stretching spray

[flippet]

Has anyone used this in their skates? I got a can because I just can't seem to find the time to take my skates to my skate guy to have them stretched properly again. If I could find a boot stretcher, I'd do it myself, but in the meantime, I thought I'd try this. I used it today, but I'm not sure how saturated is "saturate". :?

Does anyone have any idea how many tries it should take, or how wet to get the leather? (I'm just stretching the outer edge a little.)

[Anita18]

I've used it before, on my first pair of skates. I don't really remember how long it took to really stretch - I think only once or twice, just wet enough so it feels yucky when you put them on. :) I guess it depends on how stiff the leather is in the beginning. (The ones I did were low level Riedells). I did take it to a shoe store, but they weren't sure how to stretch a skate, so they told me to use the stretching spray instead. It worked pretty well; the skates fit until they broke down and got too big, LOL.

[satsang]

I've used Neetsfoot Oil (comes in a can) for stretching skating boots for over 20 years. Works every time. Soak the leather, rub it in, once or twice. Do more if it needs more. My feet were allergic to the oil but the reaction was quite tolerable and short-lived. :P

[Elsy2]

Hi Flippet! I've been on vacation or would have responded to this question sooner....I tried the shoe stretch liquid in my daughter's skates, and was hesitant to get them too wet, but found it more effective by really saturating the one spot that needed stretching. This was a long time ago, and it did help some. The main ingredient in this stuff is alcohol...I think it's 99% alcohol. So, you can save some $ by trying that too. It dries fast and will do the same thing. Good luck!

[satsang]

Alcohol on leather is BAD news. :( Alcohol dries out the leather, which is the LAST thing you want. Perspiration is acidic and you know what that does to leather - it dries it out.

An oil is perfect because it softens the leather and allows it to stretch. If [u:4392fb3a1e]your [/u:4392fb3a1e]experience has been consistently positive, though, go for it. Why not call Harlick in San Carlos - Belmont, CA, at (650) 593-2093 and get their advice, or email them at info@harlick.com? They're wonderful people.

[Elsy2]

Satsung,
What you say makes perfect sense, and I didn't mean to be giving bad advice. I was just stating my experience with trying to stretch out a small area. I do know a coach who told me she would dump a whole bottle of alcohol in her skates (harlick's)...and although this is not good for the leather, some of us do things that are not recommended because we're desperate for comfort!

[garyc254]

[quote:7be28d7b52="Elsy2"]...and although this is not good for the leather, some of us do things that are not recommended because we're desperate for comfort![/quote:7be28d7b52]

I agree. My girlfriend's SP Teri's (about 1-1/2 years old) were hurting her feet so badly that she was prepping to buy some new Harlick's.

Her coach told her to soak them in a warm water bath for about 15 minutes, wear them for an hour, then let them dry completely. I applied mink oil to the outside afterward to help with the leather drying problem.

It may be rough on the leather, but her feet feel 100% better now and her skating has improved accordingly.

It may have shortened the life of the boots, but it was this or buy new now.