Goal

To provide a precision blade mounting and sharpening service that consistently machines blades to manufacturer's specifications. To educate the skating community on figure skating blade technology to the extent that will allow each skater to fine tune their blades. To offer a retail component to the business to ensure initial quality equipment standards. To provide a technical service relating to: boot fit, orthotics, leather repairs, boot stretching and associated equipment.

Objective

Given good quality blades that have been damaged by freehand grinding, restore the blades to manufacturer's specifications, with minimum material loss and using radius guages to measure accuracy.

Given dull blades that were previously sharpened by PBHE, to be able to exactly duplicate the radius, root and sharpen the blades with no more than four passes on the grinding machine. Major nicks will not be completely removed in one sharpening but properly dressed so as not to affect flow. The results will be documented and will meet the requirements set out in the engineering data sheets.

Have the skater reach a level of proficiency where they can identify problems with their blades so that corrections can be made by PBHE. (The skater has to take some responsibility if maximum performance is to be realized.)

Fit new blades to boots such that there is no blade torque and no blade warp. Use the blade adjustment holes for a positioning trial and then properly seal screws and leather soles. All screws will be stainless steel and properly centred.

Stretch good quality boots to ensure proper fit as the skater's feet grow or to compensate for foot problems. Maintain detailed records on temperatures used during the process and the amount that each boot is stretched. The boot is warmed and cooled from the inside out and controlled for a period of four hours.

Provide sound technical knowledge on associated equipment such as taping, eyelet replacement, laces, etc.

Food for thought

Many competitive skaters spend thousands of dollars on skating outfits while painfully skating on skates one or two sizes too small.

Many competitive skaters spend thousands of dollars on ice time and coaching while getting their skates sharpened once a year.

Many hockey players get properly fitted boots and get their blades sharpened at least every four weeks while wearing the same lucky underwear for the season.

Where is the reason in the sport of skating?

Precision Blade Honing Enterprises was registered in 1999 to meet the needs of competitive figure skaters. The services available at that time in skate shops and ice rinks were all based on a free hand - hockey blade grinding method. By its nature, accuracy and consistency is an unachieveable goal with this method. It's like hand blown glass; there are no two the same. PBHE's analysis of the industry documented major blade distortion and excessive removal of material. In a sport that requires such precision, free hand grinding is not adequate to meet the needs of all figure skating athletes.

PBHE outlined its goals and objectives and set out to make a contribution to the industry by designing and producing revolutionary equipment based on precise measuring equipment and years of machining experience.

The following highlights the process and some milestones.

• Extensive research was done to identify the physics associated with the needs of competitive skaters.
• Consulted with competitive skaters and international coaches to help bridge the gap between machining technology and the requirements of the skater.
• Investigation into laser cutting, NC milling and precision grinding to research the possibility of using existing equipment to meet our goals without the development costs of doing a prototype machine. Many problems arose when trying to retrofit existing machines and the cost was in the $800,000.00 range per machine.
• Development of a prototype machine that followed blade patterns and that could accurately and consistently grind the exact pattern on hollow ground and parallel high quality blades.
• Sharpened competitive skaters', coaches', and judges' skates with the continuous mind set of improving accuracy.
• Visited Sheffield England to talk with the technical staff at MK and John Wilson about manufacturing issues and our concerns with conventional blade sharpening techniques. Discussed issues with plant machinists on the shop floor.
• Continued to improve accuracy on the prototype machine that exceeded manufacturer's tolerances.
• Developed test guages using light to determine clearances, this precision is critical for PBHE to meet its goals.
• Developed master patterns that exceed the accuracy of the manufacturer's initial grind tolerance. These patterns are lapped for fine accuracy and finish, the process replicates this master pattern onto the blade.
• The set up and grinding procedure requires the skill of a qualified machinist. This process is not an art form but a precision tooling operation.
• Two more machines have been manufactured from the initial prototype and more machines will be constructed.

Hundreds of blades have been sharpened and/or reprofiled for recreational and competitive skaters, senior coaches and judges. Their feedback was instrumental in fine tuning the process.

Accuracy is ensured because the blade is ground to a very precise steel pattern that must be produced for each type of blade. Special grinding wheels and hones were designed and produced which far exceed specifications normally used by conventional sharpeners to ensure accuracy and micro finish. The blade setup adjustment can be measured to .0005". For this accuracy, time is required to set up each blade. There are no shortcuts. The equipment is designed specifically to sharpen expensive, high quality, hollow-ground, tapered and narrow edge blades.

Sharpening previously freehand ground blades requires PBHE to evaluate the distortion of the blade from the manufacturer's specifications; the greater the distortion the more time is required to restore the blade to its original design. To reflect this time variance there is a three tiered pricing system. Please check out our services for details.

Mounting blades, boot size, and fitting, also play a large part in the process. Special orthotics for pronation and supination are often required, and should be the starting point for all skaters, followed by properly fitted boots.

Ice temperature is always a concern when determining the proper grind for a skater. PBHE researched and designed an inexpensive ice temperature measuring system. This aids in determining the proper root diameter of the blade given the skater's skill level, weight, height and blade type.

The needs of the skater can only be met if they have an understanding of the basic technology of boots and blades. With this knowledge, they can request certain changes to meet their individual requirements. For this reason, a free one hour consultation is mandatory. Technical jargon will be kept to a minimum.

To maximize the potential of each skater, there is a commitment to the blade sharpening process that must be addressed by the skater and the coach. For younger skaters, a parent must be involved. Not giving directions to your sharpening service is to accept the results which could limit the skater's ability.