Maximize Your Speed

The “finish” of your skate blade refers to how smooth and clean the bottom of your skate blade is after sharpening, which directly affects glide and speed. A blade with a poor finish (chatter marks, ripples, etc.) is actually causing more friction with the ice during gliding than if the bottom of the blade is completely smooth and clean. To maximize glide, it is important that you apply a smooth and clean finish to the bottom of your blade during the final pass of your sharpening.

Poor Blade Finish Proper Blade Finish

How to Apply Proper Finish

The “finish” is the very last step of the skate sharpening process. Before your “finishing pass”, apply a thin coat of Wissota Skate Sharpening Wax to the bottom of the skate blade. Now make a slow grinding pass WITH the rotation of the grinding wheel (from left to right), wipe off excess wax, and examine the bottom of your blade. You should have a clean, mirror-like finish on the bottom of the blade just like the picture above. If not, re-apply wax and make another finishing pass.

Not getting a smooth finish?

There are a couple different variables that affect the finish of your skate blade. If you’re not achieving a proper finish on your blade it is more than likely due to one of these reasons:

1. Wheel Cleanliness: A clean (freshly dressed) grinding wheel will apply a much better finish than a wheel full of excess blade residue and wax.

2. Wheel Size: Wissota’s motor RPM stays constant, but with each use the grinding wheel gets smaller, and therefore, the grinding SFM (Surface Feet per Minute) decreases. Because a higher SFM will produce a better finish than a lower SFM, a larger grinding wheel will produce a better finish than a smaller grinding wheel. If you are really struggling to get a proper finish on your blade, it might be time to replace your grinding wheel.

TRY OUR “SPEED SKATE” TOOL

Our new revolutionary, patent pending SPEED SKATE tool allows you maximize the speed of your skates by reducing friction between your blades and the ice. This tool has been scientifically tested to increase the glide distance of your skate blade by up to 100% (depending on prior blade finish), and tested in a pro shop for 2 years with nothing but positive results!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Our precisely machined tool contains a patent pending material that buffs and polishes the bottom of the skate blade WITHOUT dulling the edges since the material is soft enough to conform to the hollow of your skate blade. When polishing, the SPEED SKATE tool removes poor finish and roughness from the bottom of the skate blade caused by either skating or less than ideal skate sharpening.

HOW TO USE IT:

Make approximately 25 strokes (back and forth) along the length of the blade using water as a lubricant. Simply dip SPEED SKATE in a cup of water or get wet under a faucet to polish the bottom of a newly sharpened skate. Rinse SPEED SKATE with water after every use. It can also be used dry when in a hurry, but be sure to rinse and clean with water to maintain polishing effectiveness. SPEED SKATE will load up if used dry too many times and will need to be rinsed with water.