How to Use a Skate Sharpener

Use a skate sharpener any time your ice skates start to snag or pull to one side. Blade wear on skates results from turning, stopping and jumping. The blades have two edges separated by a tiny tunnel called the hollow. A hand-held sharpener is good for removing burrs from the edges, but it does not reach the inner hollow. A precision skate sharpener has a positioning table for aligning a skate blade with a circular grinding wheel that routes out the hollow to leave two sharp and level edges.

Things You'll Need

  • Safety glasses or goggles
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose the appropriate hollow depth. The radius of the hollow is the radius of the grinding wheel used in a sharpener. Radii generally run from 1 1/4 inches to no less than 1/4 inch. Beginners use a larger hollow for improved stability, and hockey players use wider hollows than figure skaters.

    • 2

      Adjust the holding table so the skate blade is even with the highest rotating point of the grinding wheel curvature. Make adjustments while the sharpener is turned off.

    • 3

      Put on eye protection and turn on the sharpener. Hold the blade flat against the table as you run the length across the grinding wheel from heel to toe. Hold the blade against the wheel with an equal amount of pressure at all points.

    • 4

      Grind the toe pick on figure skates after every 10 sharpenings. Repeated sharpening lowers the blade height enough to cause the toe pick to become pronounced. Grind a small amount off the pick to lower its level. Hockey skates do not have toe picks.

    • 5

      Check for even edges. Hold a freshly sharpened blade upright and balance a coin on it. If the coin leans to either side, the edges are misaligned. The edges will be even as long as the grind wheel contacts the center of a blade that's held perpendicular to its rotation during sharpening.

    • 6

      Clean off the burrs. Use a sharpening stone or hand-held sharpener to rub off any tiny metal chips the grinding leaves on the edges.