Also, the really little ones don't care so much. The entry level recreational skates do not come in black. You have to spend at least $80 for black, as opposed to $50 for white. Boot covers are a cheap solution for the boys who object to white.

BTW, most woman coaches wear tan boots, as do some competitors and many synchro teams. My ex-coach, however, stuck with white because she loved the look.

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I've been wearing tan Klingbeils for 17 years. I like them because they seem to be more scuff resistant than white boots and I despise that Sk8Tape stuff for anything else other than practice.

I just ordered new boots and I almost joined the purple boot club (or the teal boot club... Paul had a sample pair of teal suede Klingbeils... but I was afraid that my OTB tights wouldn't provide sufficient coverage).

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

Casey S
Interesting, I'm guessing these are tiny toddlers (around 5 years old).

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but a "pretty boy" type might get away with wearing the white boot.


Anita18
That's a good idea. When in doubt - ask the coaches.


Well, it's comforting to know that the boots will eventually allow more flexibility in that area. Does sleeping on them help break them in? (a little baseball humor)




dbny

I didn't know there was a price difference. I'm guessing that's due to lack of demand for black boots.



jenlyon60
Yes, I also imagined that women had a tougher time keeping those white boots clean. I did a google search on this Sk8Tape and found their website. Interesting concept. I can see how in certain respects it won't give you the results you need. Do you apply this stuff around the toe of the boot to reduce scratches from falls?


lol, yeah I saw a picture of those purple boots somewhere on this forum. Quite a sight! I'm waiting for the pearlescents and air pump versions to come out myself. lol Seriously though, I wouldn't mind seeing some different nuetral colors or pastel colors. The fully saturated colors are too much for me.

Yes and no. There is less demand for black boots overall. I don't think it makes any sense not to make black in the lowest price level though, as that just reinforces the stereotypes. I once spoke with a Riedell regional rep about the problem, and was shocked at his sexist attitude. I would love to see Jackson make their entry figure skates in black, since they are wider and fit more kids anyway.

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I would hesitate to say "most." At my rink, I can think of only two female coaches who have tan boots. And interestingly, the trend in synchro is going back towards white boots!

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

Do you mean gay? Go ahead, you can say that here, lol! Although some of us may dislike adhering so rigidly to a stereotype.

Maybe someone can cough up the URL to the photo of ....oh, I forget his name...Jay something? The one who did the routine to MK's number, complete with costume and boots.


Nope! But tying baseballs into the ankle area will help break a skate in. (Helps 'punch out' the ankle bone area.)

Look for some photos of elite skaters doing things such as low sit spins, or hard jump landings...if you can get a close up of the boot, you'll sometimes see quite a crease at the ankle. They're getting plenty of knee and ankle bend, yet the skate is still supporting nicely. That's a benefit of good, solid leather boots. Support with flexibility (eventually).



You can apply it anywhere you want, to either prevent scratches, or cover them up. Most scratches aren't obtained from falls--they're either gouges from the opposite blade when crossing your feet in jumps or spins, or tripping over your own feet doing crossovers or footwork, or especially those nasty patches you get along the sides of your boots when you do a lot of 'drags'.

Lots of us would never dream of covering up our scratches, though....they're well-earned battle scars that prove that we're working hard! (It's nice to have the option of taping them over if you really, really want your boots to look nice for a competition, however.)

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

His name is Jay Kobayashi (just like in "Kobayashi Maru"...a little Star Trek joke here!) and here is a link courtesy of Ms Jazzpants (he, incidently, is her primary coach). Thanks, Jazzpants!

http://www.32degrees.us/funny.html

We do a lot of drags in synchro, so I always tape my "drag spot" to keep from burning a hole through the leather. Some synchro skaters cover their whole skate with beige skate tape, if they need to have beige skates for the team but prefer white skates for freestyle.

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

He did a very Kwan-esque spiral in his routine at Oberstdorf, too! Incidentally, Jazzpants, he has a little something for you from me, so don't let him forget to give it to you (only one of my bars of soap, but I thought you'd like one).

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I got your email and will remind him ...and yes, I DO want one!!! THANK YOU!!!

Luckily for me, my lessons usually doesn't always feel like "Kobayashi Maru" with Jay. My secondary coach, OTOH...

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Another solution I've seen at our rink is to tape the boots black, or to dye them. There may be some issue regarding ease of resale once the boots are permanently dyed black (especially given the fact that so few boys figure skate!), so maybe taping them might be the way to go?

I started out in second-hand black skates and painted them white (it worked well, but was a lot of work to get a good finish that lasted), and I know others who have dyed old white skates black (I was told this was less work than I had had to do!). They also looked really good.

dbny
-Now I'm curious. I wonder what the regional rep. said.





luna_skater
-Yeah, most of the ladies who teach and do synchro at my rink wear white also. The tan vs. white sounds like a variable from rink to rink. Neither here nor there.






flippet
-No. This is not what I meant. (Oh my, the ambiguity of internet writing!) I was refering to men who are handsome and know that they are handsome and wear that pride on the outside. I know that sounds like being macho, but it is not the same. It's difficult to put into words.


-So you squeeze the baseballs inside the boot to stretch it out? Where does the tying come in?


-Interesting, I'll have to watch out for that. I was thinking once the crease lines start up, that boot is done for.



-Lol, I've seen that drag move before. It looks really nice when you can rotate in a circle with it. I could see how that would do a number on the coating of your skates. It could be just me, but it seems like the black boots look better after scuffs than the white boots. When the whites get scuffed there's a tan color underneath the top coat. When black boots get scuffed there's just an off-black shade underneath and the boots still look ok from a distance.



Cactus Bill

-lol, unbelievable picture Cactus Bill! I wouldn't be surprised if the guy gets all kinds of crap being japanese. Here's an example conversation-

Sk8r - "Wow! Are you Michelle Kwan's brother?"

Kobayashi - "No"

Sk8r - "Are you related?"

Kobayashi - "No"

Sk8r - "Are you Michelle Kwan?"

Kobayashi - "NO. NO. NO. Now leave me ALONE."

That's when he snaps and comes up with this routine. LOL.
I wonder how the audience took that performance at first. The spiral does look "Kwan-esque" though. Thanks for the link.



luna_skater
-Once again, something I've never seen - a hole in the side of a boot. I guess if you're doing drags every session, it's a real problem.


aussieskater
- That does sound like a lot of work. I can see how you can easily go from light to dark; just sand with ~300 fine grit sandpaper and dye. The reverse seems impossible to me. You must have been using some super-opaque white dye because anything less would have yielded gray boots (which might not be a bad look). Do you remember what kind of dye you were using? Any other forum members custom dye their own boots? It's something I'm willing to try on my next pair.

Apologies in advance for the long post following...

First note - I'd suggest you do not use sandpaper at all, no matter how fine the grit and no matter whether you're going from black to white or vice versa. I suspect you might hurt the leather.

Second note - all the figure skates I've seen, apart from hire skates, are painted. They may well be dyed first, but all seem to have a thick layer of leather paint over top. The trick is getting this off first.

Third note - changing the colour is reasonably easy but fiddly, and good preparation is the key. When you try this, allow yourself plenty of time for boot preparation and the application of each coat of boot paint.

Fourth note - it's good to have a few days of still and hot weather to do this, so that the paint dries without dust etc blowing into it while it's wet.

Now for the instructions. I have myself changed boots from black to white, and then worn them two or three times a week for a further year. Most of the people at my rink, including the experienced skaters, did not realise the boots were originally black. After a year of wear, they still looked as if they had always been white, with some "hard use" scar marks.

To go from black to white:

Step (1) Obtain some rubbing alcohol (available from a chemist (USA = drugstore?). You'll probably need about 200-300 mls of alcohol - a 50-ml (2 oz?) bottle won't be enough. Methylated spirits might work, but I haven't tried it myself.

Apply the alcohol with an old towel (which you are planning to throw out, as it will be ruined at the end of this) all over the boot upper, including the tongue. You're aiming to remove the waterproofing and the sealant which is sealing the black paint onto the leather. The towel is a little rough, although not as rough as sandpaper, and will help remove the coating. You will see and feel where the rubbing alcohol is working properly, as the leather will become matte and some of the paint will start to dissolve (good).

You are halfway there. Keep going with the alcohol until the paint melts away, and the leather starts to be exposed. You need to be thorough (any parts you miss will show when you get to the painting stage), but gentle too - you don't want to hurt the leather. You'll probably need an hour or two to do both boots.

Pay attention to the metal bits too, if they are black and you are going to want to change them. You might need to use metal paint stripper with a cotton bud on them. I was lucky - the black paint came off with fairly aggressive use of the alcohol.

Step (2) Once the boot is really matte all over and all the paint is gone, you have given the new paint a "key" to attach to the boot and hopefully not chip off in use! So give it one more go with the rubbing alcohol (just to be sure), and allow to dry thoroughly. Then take a plastic bag or similar and *lots* of ordinary sticky tape etc, and tape the plastic carefully around the sole, enclosing the sole edge, the sole itself, and the blade. You *don't* want to get paint on these. Again, be very careful about this - proper leather paint won't come off easily so you don't want to make a mistake. Also, stuff the boot right to the top with newspaper or similar, to keep the paint out of the inside.

Step (3) Take any good *aerosol spray* leather paint (ie: not bottle plus brush or applicator), and apply it to the boot as per the directions. I tied the boot by the blade to the clothesline outside as this made it easy to get to all the corners etc without touching the wet paint. Down here, we use Tuxan brand, but that brand may not be available in the States? The benefit of using leather paint is that it has some flex in it, so it won't crease off as easily in use, unlike normal aerosol house paint or similar.

Apply the first coat very lightly - lots of the black will show through. Allow to dry. When dry, apply the second light coat, then the third. You'll probably need 4 coats minimum. Make sure each coat is properly dry before the next one, and that all coats are light - a thick coat will probably run when drying and in any event will not adhere properly. Then allow to dry for at least a day, preferably 2, to allow the paint to cure.

The leather paint should adhere to the metal bits too. If there are patches where it didn't get into which are obvious, you can use Liquid Paper or similar to touch up.

Enjoy your new white boots!

To go from white to black, I was told the following (I haven't done this for myself): you follow steps (1) and (2) above, and then use Tuxan liquid leather dye (in a bottle with an applicator) on the boots. Two coats would probably be enough. Then you take the Tuxan leather spray paint in black, and apply it over the top. You don't need to be as careful with making sure your coats are even, as the dyed boot underneath is much more forgiving and will hide a lot of mistakes. Mind you, care will result in a lovely finish.

Enjoy your new black boots!

Nail polish will also work, or any "leather dye preparer." Magix brand used to make one.

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

ROFLMAO!!! Well, that's an interesting dialog there! And no, he's not as Japanese as you think. He's VERY American!!! His old hula program is interesting too! (He and his sister were hula dancers too.)

Well, it's also "Kwan-esque" since he does do the change edge spiral in his program.

Gotta go to bed now... I have an early day (in fact, b/c I'm seeing Jay for a lesson... speak of the devil...)

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Well, I guess with suede then, all bets are off! I've been told by multiple people that the proper way to restore smoothed patches on my suede boots is to use a bit of course sandpaper (don't remember what grit). I haven't ever done this, but probably will if/when I ever go to a competition, just so they look their best.

And my skates sure aren't painted, that would destroy the beautiful suede finish!


Speaking of alternative colors/finishing materials, when I bought my skates there was a brand new pair of custom Klingbeils waiting on the customer to pick them up. Instead of leather or suede, the external layer was real leopardskin, with the hair still on of course! The color of leopardskin went extraordinarily well with the gold-plated gold star blades that were on them. I guess you would have to wear a cover at all times except competitions to protect the surface though - can you imagine hitting that with your blade my mistake?

I'm pretty sure leopardskin isn't my thing, and I know jazzpants/tashakat's purple isn't my thing, but I do wonder what other unusual possibilities might be a good idea for my skates. I do like my current black suede quite a lot.

__________________
Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Oops - forgot suede finished ones !! (If I could get smilies to work, there'd be an "embarrassed" one now!!)

Here you go!

It was real calfskin dyed to look like leopard.

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Thanks for that tutorial aussieskater. I hope the mods. put up your post as a sticky on this forum.

aussieskater
and


luna_skater
Well, I can see this is going to be a smelly project. This sounds like something to be conducted outdoors with gooood ventilation.


jazzpants
Unfortunately, it probably isn't too far fetched. Ice rinks are definitely more diverse than they were 10 years ago, but ice skating probably isn't as diversified as it could be.


Casey S
Yes, I can imagine it. It would look pretty funny. After a few dozen hard falls and skids on those things you'd probably have these embarassing, conspicuous barren patches throughout the fur coating.


You know where I could find a picture of some suede skates? Velvet would probably be a neat look too...

HEY those might have been my friend's skates!!! lol!!! I have a friend with the leopard-print boots and gold MK Professional blades that she got within this past year... they were custom Harlicks, though. Are you sure they weren't just being sharpened? I thought she'd gotten them earlier than that... when did you buy your skates again? lol

Oh but she got new skates now... custom Klingbeil's. Yes, two new pairs within one year mostly because she felt like it. sigh. and on her new boots she has parabolic coronation ace. Because she felt like it. SIGH.

Yes, as they are just the way stock Graf Edmonton Specials come (which is what I have). They are also available in leather. Here is a picture of both:



And here are pictures of my very own skates!!!:


(by the way, I took these all with my Nokia 6230 phone (you can see it in the blade reflection). The 6230i is out now, and has a better camera. I want it. Who says camera phones are useless?!)

They probably were, since that's where you skate! I don't know if they were just there for sharpening, but they sure looked new! I saw them there in mid to late December. And yes, I think they were Harlicks now that I think about it - I just remembered that they were some high-end brand, I thought Klingbeil for some reason. I touched your friend's skates - LOL! Yet I haven't yet met you (though maybe that will change when I start skating at OVA soon ).

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Thank you for those pics Casey S. Those suedes look great.
Here are some comparison pics of a Riedell 117 boot and the Pro SP Teri.



Granted, one boot is much older than the other (and not used for ice skating), but here's a few things I noticed that probably don't depend on that.

1. The heel is higher on the SP Teri Professional and the back of the heel tapers closer in towards the foot.

2. Plastic heel on the Riedell, wooden on the SP Teri.

3. Longer tongue on the SP Teri with 5 tie hooks instead of 4 on the Riedell.

4. Less texture in the leather on the SP Teri.

5. The arch of the SP Teri seems to be punched out more.

6. The toe seems to be more rounded in the Pro SP Teri, especially when you look at the tongue/lace border.

7. This isn't a visual observation, but the Pro SP Teri Leather is definitely tougher than the Riedell 117. The SP Teri feels like a wooden shoe in comparison.

I added two extra pics. One is a picture of the double star symbol and the other is a picture of patent information printed under the boot of the Pro SP Teri. The photo is a bit blurry. Next time someone asks me what I'm wearing I will confidently tell them, "I'm on a 3,413,736 patent boot". I wonder what is contained in the patent. I didn't take a picture of the inside of the boot, but it says on the inside of the ankle area that it is "hand lasted". I don't know what that means.

Then don't rely on it - manufacturers are constantly updating and changing their models, and the modern equivalent might be quite different.

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Mrs Redboots
Point taken. I should also mention that the Pro SP Teri boot is pretty old as well. ~Both are atleast 5 years old. Hopefully, the post is still useful in showing differences in boot anatomy even if the character of the boot has changed for those particular models.