If you dont seal the leather parts of you're boots will they get ruined quickly? Does it matter if you seal them or not? Also, they have some at my pro shop but it comes in a tin can, do those work also?
thank you!

Your boots should be treated, but talk to your fitter about your boots specifically. Some boots come very well waterproofed (Grafs, for example) so they can't even absorb any more Sno Seal.

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Natalie

http://www.ILoveTaB.com

But if you mistreat your boots and don't do anything-they can get ruined in short time!
1-If they weren't sealed-seal them
2-If you skated in them today-wipe them down, put soakers on the blades, take them out of the bag when you get home and open out the tongue to let them breathe, but keep them away from the heat
3-If it's been a while since they were sealed-seal them
4-If you rushed out of the rink and didn't wipe them down-wipe them down as soon as you can, put soakers on the blades and see #2
5-If you mistreat your skates, how can you expect your parents to buy you new ones (or better ones that cost more $$$)? I'm saying this as a mom...

Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Woah there! Sorry, but this is not true - Grafs definitely need Sno Seal!

Furthermore to the original question - the uncoated bottoms of the soles and forward-facing side of the heel should be sno-sealed, you needn't worry about the sides of the soles or boots.

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I don't agree w/ this. The soles of my boots often get wet on the sides & on the heel too.

None of the Grafs (Edmonton Specials at least) sold where I currently live need Sno Seal -- they come very waterproofed, and won't "accept" anymore of the product.

In 6 months or so, I will try again (this is what the fitter recommended), and maybe at that time it will absorb some more.

As I said, you should definitely talk to your fitter/pro-shop about your particular boots --find out what they recommend, and how often. In general, the entire sole and boot should be waterproofed, not certain portions. My SP-Teri Super-Teri's did not come waterproofed, and I used about 4 coats of Sno-Seal initially to prep them.

And regardless of whether they need additional waterproofing or not, you should always dry the blade and boot carefully after each wear, and leave them open (tongue pulled open) if at all possible--ie. exactly what SkateDelaware suggested.

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Natalie

http://www.ILoveTaB.com

I sealed the whole boot-sole, heel, and sides.......don't want to take any chances!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I've had my boots - SP Teris - for going on 7 years (no one knows why, I had a normal break in period, so I wasn't massively over-booted), and I've NEVER used sno seal on them. Over that time, I skated an average of 3 or 4 days a week, and I passed all my tests through intermediate moves and pre-juv free, so it's not like I'm particularly easy on a pair of boots. The only stuff I've used on the sole is some type of shiny polish that I think provides some waterproof benefit, but is more there to look pretty. The first time I heard of sno-seal was on this board, and my two skate stores are Cooke's in Wilmington and the pro shop at Sport-o-Rama in Monsey, so they're pretty knowledgeable people. Anyway, while I totally admire all of you who spend so much time taking care of your skates , I'm not convinced it's completely necessary. I dry my skates well, and leave them sole up to air out in my rink locker, and they seem to have done pretty well.

My old skates (harlicks) had sno seal on them and i had no problem. However, now i have Klingbeils, and the guy who sold them to me said Sno Seal may not allow your boot to breathe. I think it depends on the boot. My Klingbeils make me sweat more, and i have also kept them in the car at times (bad for boots and also make the stuff evaporate for the sealant).

He recommended boot oil, and use a blow dryer on low on them. Don't get them on the boot part, just the heel and sole, and take the blade off to put it on. Hope that helps!

He also said keeping boots in the car breaks them down faster. I sometimes have to however because i leave my job and go straight to the rink sometimes.

I skated before work over the summertime, and looked pretty silly carrying my skates into the hospital so they wouldn't sit out in the 90+ heat. But they went in every day. Right now, I'm skating after work, but it's still hot, so they go in with me still.

And especially in the forward instep if you do a lot of lunges and don't wear boot covers or OTB tights.

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I agree with Kelli - I had my old Gams for about 7-8 years until they broke down, and I don't think they even sell Sno-Seal in this country. All I ever put on my skates is wax polish on the uppers. I make sure I dry off the blades very thoroughly each time I skate (4-6 times a week), and store them in soakers, and each boot in an individual cloth bag. Never had a moment's problem.

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Mrs Redboots
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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Me too--I usually Sno-Seal my boots really well when they're new, but then I get too lazy to ever do it again. I rarely pull the tongues forward, and they always sit around in my closed bag--half the time it stayed in my car, because I'd forget to take it out. And I never had any kind of problem. The only thing I was careful about was drying the blades and using soakers. I think that 'damage' may depend partly on your body chemistry--one person's sweat may be more prone to breaking down a boot than another's, and so you'd need to let those boots breathe every chance you get.

You need to use something to seal the leather sole, but YMMV as to what substance works best for you, and how often you may need to do it.

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Count me in to the no sno-seal crowd...Been skating for 20 years and never used the stuff. The only time my soles were ever waterproofed was when my shop would put new blades on.

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I can't buy SnoSeal here (I asked at one rink and they'd never heard of it) so count me in on the no SnoSeal crowd. What I do use, however, is Dubbin which prevents the leather from drying out too much and cracking. It's usually used on leather workboots, coats and bags. I apply it like shoe polish - put on a bit then buff it off.

Typing "sno-seal" into Google, I see all kinds of places where it can be ordered.

On their website they have info about how to care for ice skates:
http://www.atsko.com/T13.html

Rob

oh duh! I never thought to look for it outside of a pro shop because I only associated Sno-Seal with skates. Paddy Palin, an outdoor specialist, seems to have it. Hooray!