My left blade rusted. On the side, and the bottom of it. But my right blade is still clean and new. Why is it that only one side rusts? It's Ultima Mark IV blade, so does the quality has something to do with it?
It's really humid here though, and I've only used my skates for 3 sessions.

It's very normal.

As long as your blades are still skate-able and that the rust is not on the edge, it should be fine. If it bothers you so much, get a sharpening.

And if you really hate seeing rust, put some oil on the blade. I warn you though, it's messy. And you fellow skaters may not like when you put your blades on the ice!

As long as you dry it enough and store it dry, you've done your best. It's humid here too, and sometimes the blades just start to show rust spots.

Don't worry about the small issue!

Do you mean it's normal for the blades to rust or it's normal for one blade to rust?

I'm not really worrying about the rust. I read that it will affect the skating, and I didn't want that to happen.

Too much has been happening to my skates, what with getting dirty and rusted, in just like a month. I wonder what will happen next to my skates.

Erm, I think that your first question is weird. I guess I can say that when blades rust, it's normal. And since it's normal for blades to rust, one blade can rust too, right?

It will affect skating when it's at the place where it's in contact with the ice and when the rust is those gritty kind. You will definitely feel it when it affects skating. You'll be slower and such. If you don't feel it, then it doesn't, right?

My skates are scratched, and the leather is getting "raw" (from falls. I know I should get around to taping my skates!), the sole has those marks from falling and deep edges (like flat at the side, KWIM?). That's normal signs of wear. Rusting may happen with any blade. You just have to be careful and take good care.

http://skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=20328

Are you leaving your guards on after putting the skates away? Make sure you remove them immediately and wipe them down. Maybe if you left your guards on, one of them retained more water than the other?

IF you are wiping the blades down equally, with an equally dry cloth (and assuming you don't leave the guards on), then I think it is strange that one blade is rusting. How long have you had these Matrix blades?

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I don't store my skates in guards. Only walk in them. But could walking in them possibly cause rusting?
They're not Matrix, they're just Mark IV. And I've had them for about a month.

Maybe it has to do with how you store them...

Like if you put them in a bag, do you always put the same blade on the same side of the bag?

It is not a good idea to store your skates in a bag, nor in a car or box or trunk, or in a locker at the rink (which likely has a high humidity).

If you wipe down your blades, then keep them in breathable terri cloth covers (e.g., Soakers), and leave them inside your house in the air when not in use, they probably won't rust. But the obvious exception, if you live in an extremely humid climate, and your house has no dehumidifier, might apply in your case.

Try applying a thin layer of mineral oil (say "3 in 1 oil", or any non-food oil) when not in use. Say, dry the blades, then lightly wet a paper towel with the oil, and wipe it over the blades.

If it is all that humid, do your boots last under a year too?

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Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

It could be that when the blades were made that there was poor quality control in the manufacturing in different batches. My knowlege is not perfect, but I've been told blade making is not an industrial process,but more of a batch process. That is there could be some variation between batches, the blades could have been made months apart.
It can't hurt to write a letter to the company. If only one blade is going bad, that may indicate that there are other problems in the future (a bad weld for example).

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When you say it has rusted on the side, do you mean the side of the sharpened bit, or higher up on the non-sharpened bit of the blade?

Correct me if I'm wrong here people, but I seem to remember in previous threads there being some issues, with chrome flaking off with this particular blade.

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Katz

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I store my skates in the house, not in the bag. But no, my house doesn't have dehumidifier so yeah maybe that's the case.. How would it feel when I skate if I oil the blades? And this is my first pair of skates so I do not know.

Higher up the non-sharpened part.

It's not my blade but just as an illustration. It rusted at the place where it's a bit darkened.

Okay, well that doesn't sound like a problem with how you take care of your blades then, it sounds to me more like a manufacturing fault. What does everyone else think?

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Katz

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I was over it, now I'm into it again !

It's just the weather. My country's climate is very similar to hers. My right blade looks very very nice while the left rusted while I was waiting to transit into new skates (2 weeks in soakers). MK Gold Stars.

I had Ultima Legacy, which has the same manufacturer as Ultima Mark IV. Legacy's chrome did flak a little on one blade, but I think it holds a sharpening much better than it's competitor like JW Coronation Ace or MK Professional. My Legacy didn't rust at all.

Luckykid, can you take a picture of the rust? Are they ONLY rusting at the side, matted areas? Or also on the blade where you skate on?

Most importantly, have you skated since the rusting? Is there any difference in your skating that you can observe?

ETA: I don't think all blades composition are exactly the same, correct me if I'm wrong. Thus it's not "unnatural" for one blade to rust, right?

It is hard for us to figure out remotely whether or not something was manufactured bad on one blade. Beyond asking your bootseller, I don't know what can be done, though maybe someone smarter than me can figure something out if you post a picture.

Regardless:

I think Katz in Boots is right - you are doing pretty much everything you should. The blades and the climate must have conspired against you.

I've never used that Ultima Mark IV blades, but they are beginner blades, and Jackson boots sold with the blades retail only about $35/pair (USD) higher than similar Jackson boots sold without.

Even the $500/pair blades probably only cost a few dollars to make (based on price of materials), so manufacturers have to make it clear that the extra money buys you something.

So the Mark IV blades are probably deliberately made of a steel that rusts quickly, especially at working end where the chrome has been ground off.

The cost of dehumidifying (BTW, air conditioners also dehumidify somewhat) your home is far greater than the price of cheap blades, so would not be cost effective.

Oil is cheap and fast. It comes off in the first few seconds of skating, so it won't affect your skating. Keep the oiled cloth or towel in a baggie so it doesn't smell or mess up your car or pack. Use a light machine oil, rather than a motor oil or grease, so it doesn't leave an unsightly spot at the entrance. (I don't know if cooking oil would work.)

They may still rust some while you skate, but that's life.

If you ask a mechanic, they say oiling is a good thing for most (non-stainless) steel tools, in all but the driest climates. Cautious ones oil stainless steel too.

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Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

While it's possible that batches of blades could have slightly different metal composition or treatment, I don't see how one blade can rust more than the other unless there's a defect.

The Mark IV's do have a history of chrome flaking problems. However, I've never seen them rust in those places - the shiny chrome just peels off and leaves the darker grey steel showing.

I'd focus more on the storage. Is the drying rag being kept in the bag, next to the blade that rusts more? Or is there a pocket on the outside that could be protecting/causing the problem?

Put a dessicant in the bag. A sock filled with silica crystals would help. I bought mine at the craft store - it's used to dry flowers - but saving a bunch of those "DO NOT EAT" packets from new shoes/purses/etc. would suffice.

Leave the skates in the bag, with it open a bit for air circulation. Leave the terrycloth booties on too; don't expose the blades to the air.

Try coating the blades with a light machine/sewing machine oil/WD40 after you dry them off. Just a little - you could even put it on a rag inside a plastic bag and just wipe down the business end of the blades. It'll crap up your terrycloth covers, but they're cheap compared to blades and sharpenings. The oil won't affect your skating or the ice unless you really go overboard and drown your skates in it.

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