Ice Skate Sharpness Guide

Skate sharpening is a crucial but often overlooked aspect of ice hockey and figure skating. Whether you’re a regular skater or just starting, knowing how to sharpen ice skates is essential for a smooth and enjoyable skating experience.

Skate sharpening is an art that can significantly impact your performance on the ice. Proper sharpening and maintenance are crucial for a smooth and enjoyable skating experience.

What is Skate Sharpening?

Skate sharpening is the process of shaping the blade of an ice skate with a grinding machine to create two edges that are level, smooth, and sharp. Skate sharpening involves the removal of a small amount of metal from the blade's edges to create a concave groove, known as a hollow or radius of hollow (ROH). Skate sharpening is the process of creating two sharp edges on each skate blade by cutting a groove, or hollow, between them. On the bottom of those skate blades there are TWO sharp edges that are connected by a HOLLOWed-out region in between.

This hollowed-out region is created by passing the skate blade along a grinding wheel. The shape of the grinding wheel's surface will determine the size of the hollow on the skate blade. Then the size of the hollow on your skate blade will affect how the skate feels and performs on the ice.

Hockey skate blade sharpening is the process of creating two edges (a left and right edge) along the hollow. Notice that it doesn’t have a single edge, like a knife, right? Instead, you see an upside-down U shape. The inside of the U is rounded, hollow space. That space is called the hollow.

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The “Radius” of your skate blades can be described as the hollow that is ground into the bottom of your blades during sharpening that gives you your pronounced inside and outside edges.

As with skate blade profile, there are many factors to be considered when determining your best RoH or hollow.

Why Sharpen Your Skates?

Sharpening improves performance and provides better balance for skaters. It also provides effective stopping, play making, and direction changing. Sharpening assists with energy conservation and efficiency.

Properly sharpened skate blades are essential for on-ice performance as they provide the grip, glide and confidence needed to play at any level of hockey.

Regardless of how you sharpen your blades (aka ‘steel runners’ or even ‘steel’ for short), you need to recognize just how important it is to have sharp blades.

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How Often Should You Sharpen?

Hockey players and figure skaters should sharpen their skates approximately every 3-4 hours of ice time. Numerous factors come into play however, such as weight, skating style and ice condition. Skaters may experience difficulty in maintaining control or balance, indicating a need for skate sharpening. Ultimately, individual skater needs and preferences determines the frequency of sharpening. Proper skate maintenance is key to optimal performance.

Plenty of factors affect how frequently an ice hockey skate should be sharpened, but a general rule of thumb is once a month for indoor play. If players are on the ice three times or more a week, sharpening twice a month is recommended for consistent edge performance.

As a general guide, sharpen after every 10-20 hours on the ice.

How often you sharpen them is up to you.

Signs You Need to Sharpen Your Skates

There are a couple of signs which will indicate whether it’s time to sharpen your skates.

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• Less grip: For any ice sport, it is vital to maintain a certain grip so you can adequately perform your moves. If you notice that you’re slipping while skating or have less traction, your blades have likely become dull.
• Uneven blade wear: Inspect your blades for any signs of uneven wear or chipping.
• Visual inspection: Sometimes, a visual inspection can give you a lot of insight into the condition of your blades.

If you find yourself frequently falling down or sliding out on standard movements, you might be "losing an edge." You can perform the Touch Test by gently touching the fingernail on the blade edges from top to bottom.

When your skates feel like they’re no longer performing well, gently run your finger along the edge of the blade. You’ll feel small nicks and defects, which affect your on-ice performance.

Keep your skates sharp because you don’t want to lose control over them.

There are a few signs to look out for on the ice. If you notice you are bottoming out or hitting your boot on the ice during aggressive turns, it is likely time for a new pair. You might also feel like your skating strides are not nearly as responsive as before.

Skate Blade Profile

Profiling is a term used to describe the shape of an ice skate blade where it makes contact with the ice viewing from the side. Other common terms for hockey skate profiling you may hear are rocker or contouring. A hockey skate profile is measured as the radius of an imaginary circle, typically in feet.

If you were to draw a large circle with a 9-foot radius and then match the side profile of the steel to that circle, you would create a 9-foot radius profile on that steel.

Major manufacturers ship skates with profiles between 9’ and 13’ for player steel and 27’ to 50’ for goalie steel. Blade profiles help determine your speed, agility, power and performance.

A smaller profile such as 8 to 9 feet is excellent for agility, quick starts and stops, and quick acceleration. The downside is that you bite more into the ice which creates more stress on your joints, it requires a deeper hollow and burns more energy keeping your speed. Glide is lost a smaller profile, so you must move your feet more to keep your speed up.

Player positions that benefit from a smaller profile are ones like defense players. Quickness and agility are very important.

With a larger radius of 11 to 13-foot, glide and speed are enhanced. The larger contact area on the ice makes you dig in less, requiring a shallower hollow to achieve your desired grip level. The downside to a larger profile is that you lose acceleration and agility.

Often different radius's are used at each end of the blade. This depends on the a variety of factors related to the player. Height, weight and position played are to be considered.

Blademaster Skate Sharpeners and Blademaster trained skate technicians are more than capable of creating your best blade profile!

Skate Sharpening Radius Hollows

Skate sharpening radius hollows are made by a fraction of an inch. Common measurements from deep to shallow are 1/2" (13mm), 5/8" (16mm), 3/4" (19mm), 7/8" (22mm), 1" (25mm), and 1-1/4" (31mm). Lighter skaters typically use a deeper hollow such as ½” or 5/8” to get enough bite on the ice.

As a general rule, the heavier the skater, the larger the radius needed. A heavy skater trying to skate on a small radius (too much edge) will bite into the ice so hard that they will have trouble stopping without chatter or going over the top of their skates. Another disadvantage is they will also lose glide to excess friction and be working harder to skate full speed.

On the other hand, they will be able to hold a very tight turn!

Please note that beginner level skaters can learn most skills (particularly the hockey stop) easier by grinding their skates with a very large radius. Another variable to consider is ice temperature. Most rink managers shoot for an ice temperature of approximately 25 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature of 17 to 23 degrees is considered “hard hockey ice,” 25 to 26 degrees is considered good figure skate ice.

The deeper the hollow, the more grip (edge bite). The shallower the hollow, the more glide and top-end speed. Typically speaking, new hockey players should use a deeper, grippier hollow at the beginning and as they gain skating experience, they should work towards a shallower hollow to capitalize on the extra glide and speed shallower hollows offer. For the youth or junior player, we recommend starting with a 1/2" standard sharpening.

Skate blades with shallower hollows have less friction with the ice surface, or more “glide.” Skates with better glide let you skate faster while using less energy. A deeper hollow will give you more bite and less glide, leading to a feeling of more “grip”.

Keep in mind that factors such as rink temperature and surface conditions, your weight and your skating stride all can have an impact on how your blades perform at a specific hollow measurement. On colder ice, it’ll be harder to dig in and you’ll skate on top of the surface. Most high-level players tend to know what surface conditions to expect at a given rink.

The hollow of the blade refers to how deep your skate blade is cut. A shallow hollow (1” to 5/8”) might be for you if you prefer more glide in your skate. It general requires more edge control and more knee flexion to drive the edges into the ice. A deeper hollow (9/16” to 3/8”) might be for you if you prefer more bite or edge. Skaters who might not have the size to drive their edges into the ice might prefer this.

Sharpening Skates at Home

Sharpening your ice skates at home is not as scary as it might seem. Sharpening your skates can improve your performance and overall enjoyment of ice skating.

Gather the right tools: You will need a torx wrench, sharpening jig, skate sharpener, or a sharpening stone and needle file for proper skate sharpening. Find the right radius (blade hollow): The optimal radius for blades varies depending on personal preference and skating style. It usually varies from 1″, meaning less bite and more glide, to 3/8″, giving you more bite and less glide. Experiment with different angles to find what works best for you. If you use a skate sharpener such as a Sparx or ProSharp machine, we recommend using the instructions given by the manufacturer since processes vary here.

It takes more time and skill to sharpen your skates manually, but you will better understand how your blades work. Place the boot upside down in the sharpening jig so that the edges face you. Add some lubricant to the stone and move it in one direction along the blade. Repeat this about 15 times until you do the same in the opposite direction. Wipe off any residue during the process. A needle file is a pre-measured tool for your size that will help you create the desired hollow. Move the file from heel to toe several times. Once done remove your skate from the jig.

Load your blades or boots to the sharpening jig. The boot should be loaded upside down with the edges facing you, ready to be sharpened. Add the lubricant to the stone, then pass the stone in one direction - heel to toe - about 15 times. Then do the same in the opposite direction. Keep wiping off residue or bur periodically during the process. Take a needle file to create your hollow. These files come pre-measured to your desired size. Like with the flat stone, pass the file from heel to toe to create the hollow. This process can take several minutes and often requires trial and error. When you’re done, remove the blades from the jig. Use the cloth and other tools to remove any nicks and blemishes.

Step-by-Step Sharpening Guide

Here is a step-by-step guide to manually sharpen your skates:

1. Step 1: Determine the skater’s hollow. Usually, you can locate this on the bottom of the skate boot.
2. Step 2: Make sure the steel is not bent. If there are bends in the steel, you will never achieve square edges. Butt a ruler up against the steel and hold up steel to the light. If there is light coming through, then you have found a bend and need to bend it back (carefully). Check the cowling to make sure there are not any plastic burrs that you will catch on the skate holder. If there are burrs, remove with an Exacto knife.
3. Step 3: Dress your wheel to the correct hollow using the diamond quill and dressing arm. Your wheel is dressed when you see the red spark travel from the bottom of the wheel all the way to the top of the wheel and back down. Be mindful and look for this visual queue.
4. Step 4: Insert boot in skate holder. Insert skate in holder with the heel to the left, toe to the right. The runner should be pushed up against the anvil and the steel flush on top of the anvil. Make sure boot is perpendicular to your body and the tabletop before sliding on the clamp. Slide clamp onto the post with its arm facing the left. Pull the lever up to the 10 pm mark. It should sit on its own at the 10 pm mark. If it does not, tighten or loosen the top set screw on the post. When you find that 10 pm sweet spot, you should be able to bring up that lever to the 12 pm mark with two fingers. Be mindful not to overtighten! This will cause the steel to bend, and you will chase your edge squareness if you bend the steel. Once installed, you can make up one or two cross grind passes on the steel to clean it up.
5. Step 5: Create witness marks on the blade to ensure that the holder is setup properly. You should only have to do this when it is your first time back to the holder. Lightly touch the heel to the wheel, and then the toe to the wheel. Repeat this process until you have found the center.
6. Step 6: Once the holder has been adjusted to the center, make 3-4 passes, and then check to see that your radius has reached all the way to the edges of the blade. If it has not reached all the way through (you will still see the old edges along the steel), continue to sharpen.
7. Step 8: Hone the blade. Remove skate from holder and stone both edges of the blade (Make sure to keep stone flat on blade to remove burrs from sharpening. If not the stone on an angle could remove newly sharpened edge).
8. Step 9: Check your edges. Using one of our BR-series gages check to make sure you have square edges. The recommended tolerance is one (1) line above or below the center line. If your sharpening exceeds that, adjust the skate holder, and re-sharpen the blade. Wipe the blade clean with a towel and place the skate on a rubberized surface to protect the skate from any damage until ready for use. IMPORTANT! Do not hone carbon steel (black steel). If you do, it will scratch it up and patrons will get upset.
9. Step 10: Repeat on the next skate!

Skate Sharpening Machines

When it comes to maintaining the sharpness of your ice skate blades, sharpening machines offer a convenient and efficient solution.

• Consistency: Sharpening machines deliver consistent results, ensuring that each blade is sharpened to the desired level of sharpness.
• Precision: Sharpening machines are engineered to provide precise sharpening angles, giving you greater control over the sharpness and profile of your blades.
• Time and Cost Efficiency: By having a sharpening machine at your disposal, you can save time and money in the long run. No more waiting in line at a pro shop or paying for frequent sharpening services.
• Longevity: Regular sharpening with a high-quality machine helps prolong the life of your skate blades.

Automated Sharpening

Another option in the world of skate sharpening and profiling, and for those who are new skaters, skate very regularly or are competing in hockey at a very advanced level, can use automated skate sharpening services like PROSHARP. Automated sharpening offers consistent and accurate skate sharpening on your skate blades each an every time.

In fact, relying on the consistent wheel pressure and pace of an automated skate sharpening system such as PROSHARP Bauer puts you miles ahead of skates sharpened by hand. We recommend automated skate sharpening for the most accuracy.

The PROSHARP BAUER ADVANTEDGE home skate sharpening machine offers consistent and accurate sharpening at the push of a button.

Sparx Sharpening Machines

One notable company in the world of skate sharpening is Sparx. They bring state-of-the-art sharpening machines that combine advanced technology and user-friendly features. They offer three different types of sharpening machines that adapt to your needs.

Skate Blade Care and Maintenance

You can also do a few things to ensure that your skates last for a long time. If you are skating on wet synthetic ice panels or refrigerated ice, wipe down your skates with a towel after each training session. It is essential to remove any moisture to prevent rusting. Ensure the blades are completely dry before storage. Store your ice skates in a cool and dry place.

• Skate blade care: Use a soft cloth or towel dampened with warm water to clean the blades. Gently wipe the blades from heel to toe to remove any ice or dirt.
• Drying time: After cleaning the blades, allow them to air dry thoroughly to prevent the formation of rust.
• Boot cleaning: To clean the exteriors, use a damp cloth or mild soap diluted in water. Wipe the boot surfaces gently to remove any dirt. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning materials and avoid using harsh chemicals that may damage the boot materials.

There are a few key tips and accessories players can use to help keep their skates sharp. The most important is to protect the blades when they are not on the ice, meaning players should use specific walkable skate guards when walking on hard surfaces like concrete and when they put their skates back in the bag.

The most popular skate blade sharpening tool is The Re-Edger, which quickly fixes small nicks in case of an emergency.

Synthetic Ice and Skate Sharpening

Experience the joy of skating at home with minimal maintenance by introducing synthetic ice!

Glice Eco Ice is designed to offer a smooth and realistic gliding experience. And the best part? You can use it with any skate. Our Eco Ice is made from a highly durable polymer with a low-friction surface formed into interlocking panels.

Glice synthetic ice is designed with durability in mind. It can withstand intense use, including hockey drills, figure skating jumps, and general skating activities, without compromising quality or performance.

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