Advice: How to tell if you're getting a "bad" sharpening?

[Fremitus Borealis]

Recently I've been wondering if I'm actually getting a "good" sharpening, and trying to figure out if the issue is the shop, the ice, my steel, or just me. I feel like I used to be able to get at least 3 or 4 games in before I'd start losing bite on the ice and need to go get my skates sharpened, but in the last little while it feels like I'm already slipping a bit halfway through my first game after a sharpening.

I've started getting the standard 1/2" this year, ironically to get a little more bite on the ice (I was using 9/16" before). I haven't had any massive weight fluctuations or anything. I do the "fingernail trick" after every sharpening just to be sure, and nothing ever feels or looks out of the ordinary.

So I'm curious what's different. I've had my skates for a few years, already replaced the steel once (it had cracked in half), so it's not super low or anything. I don't know a ton about skate sharpening, but is it possible the guy just isn't making enough passes on the wheel or something? I am obviously cautious about telling the guy how to do his job since it's all mysterious to me

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[Howie Hodge]

I'd try someone else to compare. I used to get mixed results at the rink, so I started going to a hockey shop in the area, and got much more consistent sharpening's.

Good luck, I know if our edge feels off it messes us up pretty good...

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Yeah for sure. At first I thought part of the issue was that it's outdoor skating season, and wacky stuff can happen from skating on outdoor ice (all that particulate matter, not to mention leaves and sticks in the ice )... but this last time I literally went straight from the shop to the (indoor) rink.

 

[Bruckuss]

Edit: outdoor ice will 100% dull your edges faster, especially if being cut to sharper hollow (as below)
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1/2" cut is deeper than a 9/16", so with that said the edge itself is both finer/sharper (and weaker). Doubt you are feeling the effects of a dulling blade over the course of a game, but you never know.

In other words, the 9/16 cut will hold the edge more consistently, for a longer period of time.

You can check an edge with a fingernail, but almost any job will shave the nail. What you really need to do is look at how level the edge is from left to right, are both sides equal? Further, how SMOOTH is the surface... Smooth is sharp, smooth is durable. You want to see minimal chatter or lines in the hollowed out surface, should be polished almost mirror smooth..

The real interactive test (assuming edges are level of course), is to run the pad of your finger down the length of the blade, it should feel silky smooth, with no burrs or grabs of any kind. A burr will literally "tear" off the edge it is attached to (and will cut you in this check). It's a good idea to carry a little de-burring or honing stone in your bag for touch ups before games for this purpose.

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Yeah I do the "finger" test all the time. I do have a honing tool, but I admit I'm a little gun-shy with it, since after one of the first times I used it (following the advice on the packaging and numerous YouTube videos) I damn near broke a leg going for a stop right afterwards.

Great info on the differences in hollow; thanks!

 

[Bruckuss]

Be careful with the honing tool (the snake tongue thing), those actually makes edges sharper (and even more brittle) with each pass. One pass is plenty with those things, I have never owned or used one personally.

The stone I am referring to, is normally charcoal grey in colour, it's literally a perfect little rectangle shaped stone, and it is the same stone a sharpener will use to knock any burrs off the sides of your blade after sharpening, especially if they perform any cross grinding of the blade to remove major damage. That doesn't make a blade any sharper or more brittle, it just helps clean up any nicks or burrs that appear perpendicular to the blades sidewall. Normally cost about $3 bucks.

Re: Hollow selection, scroll about half way down this link for a pretty good hollow chart and some related commentary How To Choose Your Grinding Ring [Infographic]

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Yeah what I meant was my "snake tongue" tool has a grey rectangular stone for burrs on the other end.

 

[LeifUK]

You really need to get yourself a BAT gauge also known as a skate blade edge checker. It allows you to check that the edges are level along the blade. However, this won’t tell you what hollow you are getting. It’s possible you are getting a shallower hollow than expected. Or maybe he isn’t dressing the wheel between each sharpen. It is also possible he is holding the honing stone at a slight angle which will remove some bite from the sharpen.

A good sharpener should apply some oil in the final pass to get a smooth finish.

 

[TheAngryHank]

Hold your skate blade up, put a coin across the blade like your balancing it in the middle. It should appear level.if its tilted its a bad job and find someone else.

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

A bit of a follow-up: I took my skates to a different place the other day, and noticed that the guy there took what felt like a lot longer to get them done, and I definitely noticed the oil one the blade mentioned above. I've only skated on them once, so I'll likely need another few weeks for a real verdict, but my inclination is that my "regular place" might just kinda zip through it in a hurry, whereas the guy at this other shop took his time to do it right. It's kind of funny how long I was able to go without even paying attention to this kind of stuff

 

[LeifUK]

I bet quite a few people learning to skate are on badly sharpened blades that slow down their learning significantly. It took me six months to realise a local rink shop sharpening was pants.

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Yeah good point, especially for people in places that aren't as hockey-heavy as where I'm living. I'm lucky that I probably have 100 places within 10 miles of me that can sharpen skates (to varying quality, apparently, but still); I couldn't imagine having like 2 places within a 100 mile radius, and having to hope for the best