|
|
How to Heat Mold Speed Skate Boots
Instructions for improving the fit of a pair of speed skates
by heating them up and molding them to fit your feet perfectly.
How Does Heat Molding Work?
There are some carbon fiber boots
that can be warmed until the boot is somewhat pliable.
When the boot material is in this state, you can push
a painful area of the boot away from
your foot, or reform the entire boot to more closely
match the shape of your foot.
Contact Your Boot Maker First
Before you try heat molding your boots, you need to make sure
you have the type of boots that can be heat molded. The best way
to find out is to ask the manufacturer. It is very important
to check, because if you warm up boots that are not heat
moldable, you can destroy them.
Questions to Ask Your Boot Manufacturer
-
Ask whether or not your boots are heat moldable.
(be prepared to provide the boot model,
the approximate month and year you purchased the boot, and whether
the boot is custom, semi-custom, or off-the-shelf)
-
Describe the problem you are having with your boot,
and ask the manufacturer if the discomfort you are
feeling could possibly be relieved by
by adjusting the position of the frame, or by
changing your skating technique.
-
Ask the manufacturer if they recommend that you skate
in the boots for a period
of time, to allow the natural heat of your body to mold
the boots to your feet over time (sometimes this will happen).
-
If the skate manufacturer recommends that you try heat
molding your boots, ask if the
heating instructions in this document are safe and
appropriate for their boots.
What NOT to Do
-
Do not use a heat gun to warm the boots,
because it will get too hot. It can burn the boot material
or start a fire.
-
Do not put your boots in a plastic bag and
boil them. It will change the entire shape of the boot.
-
We do not recommend heating your boots in the oven,
because it can change the basic shape of the boot,
but several boot manufacturers do recommend this method.
If you decide to try oven-heating your boots
YOU MUST REMOVE THE WHEELS FIRST.
-
Make sure you only heat the carbon fiber
portion of the boot. Other materials, like velcro closures,
will melt very quickly if you heat them.
Heat Molding Instructions
-
We recommend using a hand-held hair dryer for heat molding,
because it will not heat the entire boot, causing it to lose
its shape.
-
Work on one part of the boot at a time.
-
Leave the frame on your boot. This will help to prevent
the boot from distorting when it is heated.
-
Since you are
not heating your boots in the oven, you can leave the wheels on
the frame. You want to leave the wheels on, because after
the boots are warmed, you will put them on and stand in them.
-
VERY IMPORTANT:
Loosen the laces on the boots, and spread both sides of
the skate as far apart as you can. Pull the tongue out of the boot
all the way. You want hot air to flow freely out of the boot,
so the hair dryer will not overheat and shut down.
-
Set the hair dryer to high heat, and place
it inside the boot, pointing in the direction of
the area you want to modify. (High heat has worked
for people using these instructions in the past,
with hair dryers ranging from 1200 to 1500 watts.
Use caution with higher wattage hair dryers).
-
Turn the hair dryer on, and set a timer for 10 minutes.
-
Leave the hair dryer and the
boot alone for 10 minutes. (Many skate manufacturers will
tell you to keep the hair dryer moving, and to heat
both the inside and the outside of the boot.
This part of the process may depend on what you are
trying to accomplish. Follow your boot maker's instructions.)
-
While you are waiting for the boots to heat,
prepare your feet for the molding process:
-
If you need to push the boot away from your foot,
use Mole Foam to build up a padded layer on
the part of your foot that is feeling
pressure from the boot (Mole Foam is a Dr. Scholl product
similar to Mole Skin, but it is thicker,
because it has a layer of foam).
-
Prepare your foot for skating, the way you
normally do. If you usually wrap your foot with
athletic tape before you skate, do it now too.
Wear the same socks you normally wear to skate.
-
After your boot has heated for 10 minutes, quickly put it on
your prepared foot, and lace and tie the boot as tight as
you possibly can, without damaging the boot or your foot.
-
Stand firmly in your boot until it has completely cooled. Some people
like to speed up the cooling process by applying an ice
pack to the warm part of the boot (a bag of frozen peas or corn will
also work nicely for this).
-
You may need to heat mold your boots more than once
to get the best fit, because heated boots cool rather
quickly. Remold the boots as many
times as necessary to make them fit well and feel
comfortable on your feet.
Heat Molding Instructions on Other Web Sites:
Bont Heat Molding Instructions
Scroll down to the "heat moulding" section of this Australian
boot maker's FAQ.
Miller Heat Molding Instructions
Select TECH TALK on the home page then select BOOT FITTING in the drop-down box
NettRacing Heat Molding Instructions
Photos and instructions ON the NettRacing speed
skate shop explaining how to heat molda Verducci
Corsa boot.
Roller Montreal Heat Molding Instructions - Oven Method
How to heat mold speed skates using a kitchen oven.
Roller Montreal Heat Molding Instructions - Heat Gun Method
How to heat mold speed skates using a heat gun.
Swat Skates Heat Molding Instructions
Heat molding instructions from the Swat Skates skate shop.
|
|
Visit Our 12 Skating Forums
Forums for discussing aggressive, artistic, beginning, hockey, fitness, recreational,
roller basketball, roller derby, roller dancing, rollersoccer, quad skating,
slalom skating, and speed skating.
|
Related Links
Speed Skates - Main Menu
About Speed Skating
100 Skate Manufacturers
More Different Types of Skates
|
Official Skating Federations
|
2007 Skating Wall Calendars
National Federations
FIRS
SKATERS
by Country
by Name
by Birthday
El Patinador Solitario of Havana makes his own skates.
[ Read More ]
|
A Belgian skater talks about her broken arm.
[Read More]
|
FUN IN HOLLAND!
I got painted orange in
Heerenveen and almost arrested in
Groningen)...
|
My 92 year old
skating buddy
|
Subscribe to our Atom formatted
Newsfeed