Those brand new skates have finally been delivered! The box is opened excitedly, and as the skates are pulled out of their tissue paper\u00a0cradle, a small plastic bag of screws falls\u00a0out and hits the floor.\u00a0What are they for, and\u00a0should they be used? Somewhat remarkably, new skates seem to come with a distinct lack of clear instructions, so in this article let’s look at\u00a0what those screws are for, because as it turns out they are important!<\/p>\n

How Are The Blades Attached To The Boot?<\/h1>\n

There are two main ways in which blades are attached to figure skating boots (screwed or riveted), and four\u00a0ways they’re most likely to be purchased (riveted, fully pre-mounted blade, partially pre-mounted blade, separate boot and blade).<\/p>\n

Low\u00a0Price Skates\u00a0\/ Rivets<\/h2>\n

Boots towards the low end of\u00a0each manufacturer’s product range may well\u00a0have a blade which has been permanently riveted to the boot. The blade therefore can not be removed, but should also be pretty secure as a result.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It is in theory possible on some boots to drill out the rivets and re-mount the blade if necessary, but that’s very much an “At Your Own Risk” kind of task. Beyond that, the good news is that if you bought skates with riveted blades, in all likelihood there’s nothing you need to do, and there would not have been a bag of screws in the box.<\/p>\n

Low to Mid-Range Skates \/ Fully Screwed<\/h2>\n

Some skates\u00a0are delivered with the blade fully attached using screws.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

For example, the Jackson Ultima Classique skate\u00a0(which my youngest child has<\/a>) comes with a Jackson Mirage blade screwed\u00a0to the sole.\u00a0This may come as a surprise to anybody looking at this skate, because there are two types of screw on it (one is countersunk, and one is a flat head). However, the skate images\u00a0on Ice Warehouse<\/a>\u00a0confirm\u00a0that this is indeed how they come from the factory:<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

This skate model comes with no bag of screws because all the screws have been put in at the factory. As such there is only one task needed:<\/p>\n

\n
1. Periodically check the screws;<\/strong> screws can come loose and eventually they can drop\u00a0out. As somebody who has had a skate blade detach as I\u00a0took a step, I can offer my assurance\u00a0that even if the skate itself doesn’t sustain any additional damage, the fall for the skater isn’t pleasant. I ask the skate technician to double check the screws each time I\u00a0get the blades sharpened.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

   Mid Range Skates\u00a0\/ Partially Screwed<\/h2>\n

   A mid-range figure skate such as the Jackson Ultima Freestyle (which my middle child had<\/a>) is typically purchased as a bundle, with the blade coming pre-mounted and ready for use. \u00a0Or rather, mostly ready for use, as evidenced by the little baggy of screws that hides inside the box. Again, an image from Ice Warehouse confirms\u00a0how the Freestyle would look on delivery:<\/p>\n

   <\/a><\/p>\n

   The blade will\u00a0be factory-mounted in the most common alignment (intended to work well for most people) with – in this case –\u00a0just four screws, and\u00a0there may be\u00a0a further ten\u00a0or so screw\u00a0holes left empty and, coincidentally, there\u00a0will be around ten\u00a0screws in the plastic bag. The lack of direction with regard to the screws may be a little worrying, so here’s the deal:<\/p>\n

   \n
   1. \n
      \n
      1. It’s ok to skate on the\u00a0blades exactly as they\u00a0come from the factory<\/strong> for a few weeks. However, the boots must not be\u00a0used for jumps;\u00a0jumps put a lot of pressure on the blade mount, and as delivered, the blade would likely rip out of the sole as the skater\u00a0lands. Use this skating time to determine whether the blade mounting position works for the skater or if it needs\u00a0to be realigned (something usually best determined in conjunction with a coach or a skate tech). Once ready to commit to the blade\u00a0alignment, continue to step 2.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         \u00a0<\/p>\n

         \n
         1. Don’t grab a screwdriver and put all the screws in.<\/strong> This is really important, because the screws are being driven into (typically leather) soles. The screw threading can strip over time or the soles can rot if left damp, causing the screw to drop out and leaving behind a hole to\u00a0which a new screw would not grip. The idea is to add about half the screws, leaving at least one\u00a0unused screw hole at the back, and three to five at the front. That way, there will always be\u00a0fresh leather to screw into should it be needed. As to which holes to use, and how much\u00a0to tighten the screws, \u00a0I have left\u00a0that\u00a0decision to my skate technician. I am too scared of ruining an expensive pair of skates by not knowing what I am doing! I’m sure that there are other sites which\u00a0offer guidance on this subject, but\u00a0I’m going to play safe and leave it to a professional. Here are my middle child’s Freestyles after having the blade screwed on:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            <\/a><\/p>\n

            \n
            1. Periodically check the screws!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

               Boots Only\u00a0\/ No Screws<\/h2>\n

               If you’re (un?)fortunate enough to be buying skates at a level where they come without a blade attached (which usually means higher, or competitive, level skates), strangely enough there may be no screws in the box with the skates; instead the blades\u00a0usually<\/em> come with screws.<\/p>\n

               In terms of steps to take, my recommendation is to mount the\u00a0blades (tip: get your skate tech to mount the blades) using just \u00a0four\u00a0screws just as on the Freestyle boots above, then go and test the skates on the ice. At that point, follow the steps for Partially Screwed skates to complete the process.<\/p>\n

               Edea Boots<\/h1>\n

               If you have Edea boots,\u00a0please be aware that\u00a0Edea sells special screws designed for the thinner soles on their boots,\u00a0which means really only the Edea screws should be used. Edea also recommends that the screws are installed by an authorized dealer who will have their special mounting rig; some\u00a0skate technicians may disagree, so that decision is going to be up to the individual.<\/p>\n

               Do It Yourself?<\/h1>\n

               The obvious question, especially if one is impatient to get on the ice, is “can I do this myself?” Of course! It’s just a question of\u00a0confidence\u00a0and care. I know that plenty of people are happy\u00a0aligning a blade,\u00a0marking the hole locations, notching with an awl, then pre-drilling the hole before mounting the blade itself. Personally I’d rather leave that to people with more experience than me, but that’s my personal choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

               Whether you choose to use a skate tech or attach the blades yourself, I hope this has been useful in explaining what to do with the screws and why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

               Those brand new skates have finally been delivered! The box is opened excitedly, and as the skates are pulled out of their tissue paper\u00a0cradle, a small plastic bag of screws falls\u00a0out and hits the floor.\u00a0What are they for, and\u00a0should they be used? Somewhat remarkably, new skates seem to come with a distinct lack of clear … <\/p>\n

               Continue reading “Why is there a bag of screws in the box with new skates?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[13,9],"tags":[43,44],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n