Often asked: How Long Does It Take To Sharpen Skates?

When should you sharpen your skates?

The rule of thumb is to sharpen ice skates after every 15-20 hours of use. This is typical for athletes who play hockey or figure skate multiple times on a weekly basis.

Can you over sharpen your skates?

There are many people that ask for their skates to be sharpened not too sharp, as they don’t like the feel on the ice. This is a common misconception. You can’t sharpen skates ‘not too sharp ‘, or to put it another way, you can’t sharpen them blunt.

Can you sharpen skates at home?

You can manually sharpen your skates with the right tools, but doing a good job requires a precise level of skill and technique. Skate blades have two ridges, and you must sharpen both to the same level for proper performance. Put each skate into a sharpening jig and tighten the front support first.

Do new skates need to be sharpened?

New skates are not sharpened, so you will need to get them sharpened by a trained sharpener, and then re-sharpened every 15-20 hours of ice time – to keep them in tip top condition by removing knicks and deformaties in the metal edge.

Do NHL players sharpen their skates between periods?

Most players do not get their skates sharpened every period. In the NHL, players will have freshly sharpened skates for every game, but not in between periods. That is a ton of weight to wear for an entire game.

How often do hockey players sharpen their skates?

A rule of thumb is for every 15 to 20 hours of ice time, but let’s go beyond the basics. The biggest factor is how often you skate, hence the rule of thumb based on ice time. It’s not unheard of for some players to sharpen their blades before every game, and others once or twice a year.

How often should goalies sharpen their skates?

It is also important to have your blades sharpened regularly— about every 6-8 hours of practice or game time is ideal.

What depth should I sharpen my skates?

Best Depth For Figure Skaters We recommend a 5/8″ shallow grind to help with good fundamental skating skills, this will produce much better first and second skating marks. 5/8 (Shallow) grind is what most figure skaters skate on. This gives you a good flowing edge and has little friction on the ice.

What should I sharpen my skates at?

You can get your skates sharpened anywhere from 1/8th of an inch to one inch. 1/8th would be the sharpest, and one inch would be the least sharp. The majority of pros use something with a shallower hollow, but preference does widely vary.

How often should you sharpen your knife?

Do I need to sharpen and how often? Your knives should only need to be sharpened every few months depending on how often they are used – I would also recommend having your knives professionally sharpened every 1-2 years.

How can I sharpen my skates without a machine?

Use your flat file and begin at the toe or heel and move it across the blade in a diagonal motion. The file should always remain perpendicular to the blade when sharpening. Run the flat file across a blade in one direction 15 to 20 times and then repeat in the opposite direction. Do the same for the other skate.