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ASK MR. EDGE

June/July 2008

Mr. Edge is a qualified skate technician with years and years of experience. He can answer your questions on boots, blades and foot problems related to your equipment. Questions will be answered in SKATING magazine and later posted on the web site.



A couple months ago I received an e-mail from Anna in Greenwich, Conn. Anna asked what she might use to get the funk off her insoles and clean the inside of her boots. I must say this is a most interesting question. So, to confirm what I already knew and hoping to find out a bit more, I called a couple friends in the shoe repair business. Here is what they had to say.

Speaking of insoles, let's begin there.

    1. Pull laces completely out of boots and remove insoles.
    2. Using a small flathead screw driver, scrape the inside of your boots to loosen and remove any crud that may be stuck in the toe area, around the heel and elsewhere in your boots.
    3. Use a diluted household bleach solution and wipe down the inside bottom of your boots and let dry.
    4. You may use the same bleach solution on both sides of your insoles, provided they are leather or foam. If they are of a cloth material, you may want to throw them out and replace them with a new pair. Note: Leather insoles will sometimes curl up backward. If this happens, take a pair of scissors and cut off the end.
For the inside of your boots, here are some tips.

When the salt from the sweat of your feet enter the pores of the leather, it isn't long before you get a discoloration in the leather lining of your boots. There really is nothing you can do to bring back the original color and luster to your lining, but you can prevent long-term damage (drying out and cracking) that results from lack of care. On a monthly basis do the following:

    1. When your boots are new, rub the insides down with a leather conditioner/preservative (Lexol or Mink Oil). This will keep the leather from drying out, cracking or splitting.
    2. After skating, leave the laces loose, pull your tongues out as far as possible and leave your boots out to dry. Do not leave them locked up in your skate bag.
New or used, which is the better value?

With the economy skating on thin ice (pun intended), it might be time to consider used skates. To help you decide, I put together a checklist of things to watch for as you contemplate your next, or maybe even first, pair of used skates.

Used Boot Check List

    1. Condition of the boot – inside and out. Naturally, you'll want your boot to look as new as possible on the outside, but putting appearances aside, make sure there are no deep creases in the sides along the ankle area. Check the inside of the boot to see if the lining is intact and there are no tears. Tears on the inside lining can only be repaired with a patch, which is sometimes irritating on the foot.
    2. Support of the boot. Slight creasing on either side of the ankle area is OK provided the rest of the upper boot is supportive and not soft or supple. Too deep a crease will sometimes cause the boot to cut in under the ankle bone, causing pain to the ankle joint.
    3. Condition of the soles and heels. Give a good tug on the heels of the boots to see if they appear to be loose. You will almost always have some degree of looseness to the heels in a used boot, so don't be despaired. Only take a pass on the boots if you see that the soles and heels are starting to separate from the rest of the boot. Check the soles and heels for dry rot. Most old holes can be plugged and reused.
Used Blade Check List
    1. Overall radius of blade. This goes hand in hand with how much sharpening edge remains. As you continue to sharpen your blades, the overall radius of the blade becomes flatter, thus decreasing the amount of sharpening edge left on your blades.
    2. Remaining sharpening edge. After several sharpenings you may notice a decrease in the amount of edge life, thus making it more difficult to spin, and take off and land jumps. Make sure you have an adequate amount of remaining edge life.
    3. Toe picks. Toe picks almost never dull beyond use. If you find this to be the case, then the rest of the blade is probably worn down to nothing as well. Make sure the toe picks haven't been ground down or off.
When using new carbon steel blades, expect to get two years from them compared to those made of stainless steel, which usually last much longer. Used blades, however, may only have a few months of life remaining.

See you later this summer,

Mr. Edge

Mr. Edge and all related elements are property of Arena Sports & Consulting Services, Inc. ©2013. Send your questions to Mr. Edge via mail (Ask Mr. Edge, SKATING magazine, 20 First Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80906); FAX (719) 635-9548 or e-mail them online.

The opinions of Mr. Edge are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Figure Skating or SKATING magazine. Remember, if you have problems with your feet, check with a doctor – the problem may very well be with your boot, but it could be more serious. Check with your local pro shop for more information about boots and blades.