After becoming extremely dissatisfied with the poor workmanship and lack of knowledge available when it came to mounting of skate blades I started researching the subject. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would have to mount the blades myself to ensure they would not be twisted, warped and that they would be mounted securely. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that another skater’s father had come to the same conclusion 18 years earlier and had done something about it. Brian Holtham, who was a machinist by trade, has taken skate blade mounting and sharpening to a whole other level. I learned more about skates and blades during my first short phone conversation Brian than I thought possible. Not only does Brian get the blades on right but he has built his own honing machines to pattern sharpen the blades. Through consultation with the skater, testing and Brian’s knowledge and experience he determines the blade pattern that best suits the skater. The pattern is then used to sharpen the skates so that the curves on the blades aren’t altered every time they are sharpened. No matter how skilled the operator is on a free hand machine the curve of the blade is always changed every time the skates are sharpened. My daughter is not a national level skater, but to let anyone else do her skates is a waste of her ice time and my money.