Hmm I don't see this one:
I buy 2 boxes of refrigerator pack Baking Soda. The boxes are great for eliminating odors in the refrifgerator. They have paper tear outs on the side that cover a meshlike material. I put these in my boots each night and they help them dry more quickly and they never stink. Replace monthly.
Lyle

I just bough a pair of those lycra boot covers to keep my skates scuff-free - too much crashing into the barrier on my part I guess - and I was wondering if I should take them off after I had finished skating and overnight? I can just roll them down to tie my laces, but will they hold too much moisture or anything?

I use the neoprene boot covers, which do seem damp after a good skate. I remove and dry them separate from the skates.

__________________

Yes, take them off when you have finished skating and roll them up like a pair of socks - put them in your skate bag separately.

They shouldn't hold moisture, but you won't really be able to do your laces properly when they are on your skates - I always wear boot covers (hence my username - the first pair I ever had was red, and when I lost them, kind DBNY gave me another pair, which I still wear to this day) but don't think I'd be able to get my skates on if the covers were on them.

Whereabouts do you skate?

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

Alexandra Palace, in London.

Ah yes, I know it well - I was at Dance Club there on Wednesday night. I train at Streatham, but we are members of Alexandra Palace, and I'm more likely to go to their dance club than I am to Streatham's.

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

Went to get my blades sharpened today and the woman in the skate shop told me that Torvill and Dean had been spotted training at Ally Pally!
Mrs Redboots - don't suppose you seen Pam O'Connor training with Neil Fox for Dancing on Ice 2 have you? Rumors have been floating around that they're training there...

I haven't seen them, but it's well probable. There were certainly several training sessions last year at Streatham - I got to meet John Barrowman and Kelly Holmes, which was nice. And David Seaman and Pam spent the whole of one patch GETTING IN MY WAY while I was having my lesson, which was actually rather irritating - I gather he is still skating regularly and still gets in everybody's way, so a friend told me the other night!

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

I probably would have told her she was my idol and asked for her autograph, but each to their own!

Does anyone have any ideas how to rejuvinate ice skates?

Mine were sitting in the loft for years and now I'm using them again they're pretty dried out and faded........ A very off white.

Any tips on getting the leather back to its former condition and also what good for getting them back to being white again?

__________________
If you want the best seat in the house, you'll have to move the cat!

1) Sweat them up good, or follow Klingbeil's instructions HERE. Some saddle soap will add back some oils. 2) Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and white boot polish.

__________________

Will give that a go.... Thanks

__________________
If you want the best seat in the house, you'll have to move the cat!

I've had my figure skates for about a year and a bit now. When í've finished on the ice, i put some soakies on to soak up any remaining ice, so my blades don't go rusty. You can buy these from any skating shop. Sometimes they are called blade buddies, which you can buy in different designs!
Sk8erel

You could buy some white boot leather polish and see if that works?
sk8erel

It's sk8erel again, instead of polish, you could put some white boot covers on. I have Black, white, blue, and purple. They're good!

Ok, thanks for those tips sk8erel, will have a go at them.

__________________
If you want the best seat in the house, you'll have to move the cat!

OK, I'm really confused . When I got my skates, I asked if I needed to do anything with them and the woman who sold them to me said no. She said I didn't need to polish them or anything, and yet everyone on here seems to be going on about sealing them (!??!) and stuff, and I've got no idea what anyone's talking about. Can someone help?

If you have leather skates, and skate in them frequently (I'd say once a week or more), they will last longer if you waterproof the sole, and make sure to let them dry out after each session.

The pro-shop at your rink should be able to do the waterproofing. You can either buy beeswax (comercial name sno-seal), and melt it on using a hair dryer (easy, takes about 15 minutes -- needs redoing periodically), or pay for the proshop to put a waterproof coating on the leather sole (I think it's some kind of varnish).

If you don't have leather skates, don't bother. (But do take care to dry the blade so it won't rust).

Oh, *some* leather skates supposedly come with good waterproofing from the factory. Reidells do NOT. Perhaps either Risports or Jacksons do?

OK, thanks

It does depend on your skates, of course.

I do polish mine sometimes (not as often as I should), using Renapur leather balsam, and most men I know use ordinary Kiwi or Cherry Blossom to polish theirs. Over here, using Sno-seal or similar doesn't seem to be as common as it is in the USA, but I'm sure you're careful always to dry off the bottom of your boots when you're drying your blades.

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

Well I do try
Thanks.

Here's a great column from Mr. Edge, a monthly contributor to Skating magazine. (A USFSA publication) It's all about making your old skates look new again.

Mr. Edge's Recipe for Newness
http://www.usfsa.org/Magazine.asp?id=55&issue=35813

__________________

Someone asked about "custom" sharpening. I don't know what the practice is at your local rink(s), or what exactly they're offering, but I can tell you about my experience.

First, even though I'm not a very high level skater (testing adult silver), I can tell the difference in sharpenings. A poor sharpening can be lopsided, or feel funny when you do edges. Even more, there's stuff that can go wrong over time - for e.g., wrecking the rocker. With expensive equipment, why take the risk?

Anyway, when I moved here, I asked a bunch of figure skaters for recommendations for a sharpener. (Key: ask a figure skater. Hockey skates are different.) I found almost everyone gave me 2 of the same references. These guys are the ones I trust, and I think they're worth the cost ($12).

I'd definitely ask around. Also, over time, you might figure out your preferences. I like an sharp cut, as I mostly practice on hard hockey ice. I also like to sharpen frequently (6-8 weeks, practicing around 3x/wk.), but can't always get my wish. I can tell when I need it, though, as I fall off my edges even more than usual (especially on camel spins, my nemesis).

Some skaters carry around sharpening stones, but I haven't trusted myself with them. Maybe I should see if someone would train me!

Hope this helps.

bv

When you are back from stating practice you should bring them in you're house so they dont get really cold.

One of the girls I coached used to take her skates to the rink pro shop to get sharpened, even though I cautioned her mom about poor/careless sharpening jobs. When I finallly convinced her to go to where I get my skates sharpened (approximately 2 hours away), she was angry to find out that the rink pro shop sharpener had knicked her toepick and done a little damage to it! So, as far as my students' experiences go with local skate shops, it's a big no-no in my book...

As for sending skates away to be sharpened, it can sometimes be inconvenient, but worthwhile. (Just look at my above example.) I drive about 2 hours to another state to have my skates sharpened. After what I pay for my skates and blades, there's no way I would let just anyone mess around with them, despite claims of "expert sharpening."