Ice skating is one of the most exciting activities in the winter. Many people prefer to use personal equipment for such a pastime, without resorting to rental services. However, without proper care, skates are capable of deteriorating at the end of the first season.
How to remove rust from skates? What to do to make the inventory serve as long as possible? We will try to answer the questions presented in our material, and also talk about what is the care of skates after skating.
Preparing skates for rust removal
Before proceeding with the cleaning of rust on skates, it is worth removing the dirt from the surface of the runners. For these purposes, it is worth using a soapy solution of insignificant concentration. A good option is a dishwashing detergent, which should be diluted in warm water.
Having prepared the cleaning fluid, you should take the skates and carefully remove the dirt with a sponge. Then it is necessary to wash off the soap solution under running water. In conclusion, it remains to carefully wipe the runners with a piece of dry cloth and wait for the blades to dry.
Rust removal
How to clean the blades of the skates from rust? An effective solution here is the use of products based on lemon juice. It is enough to take one lemon, and then chop its pulp. Then it remains to strain the juice through a piece of gauze, a small strainer or a piece of loose tissue.
The liquid obtained from lemon must be combined in approximately equal proportions with baking soda. The resulting slurry should be rubbed with a cloth in the places of rust formation on figure skates. You need to perform smooth movements, but with some pressure. Continue the procedure until the rust is completely removed. Having finished the work, the remaining slurry should be removed from the runners and the blades should be washed with water. Then you need to thoroughly dry the skates.
How to remove rust from the skates using blade sharpening?
It so happens that after applying a cleaning agent based on lemon juice, small areas still remain on the surface of the runners, which cannot be wiped off with a sponge or cloth. How to remove rust from the skates in this situation? To eliminate the disadvantage, it is worth resorting to sharpening the blades. To do this, pass the skates to a special workshop where the procedure will be carried out using the appropriate equipment. With self-sharpening runners, there is a risk of permanently ruining the inventory.
Polishing blades
Skid runners cleaned from dirt and rust must be carefully polished. For these purposes, it is worth using a piece of soft tissue. Polishing will allow to remove roughness from the surface of the metal that is hardly noticeable to the eyes. It is in them that moisture can accumulate, which will lead to the formation of a new layer of rusty plaque. Polishing skates is enough for several minutes. Thus, the desired result will be achieved. If you wish, you can use special tools for polishing skids, which are sold in sporting goods stores.
How to care for shoes?
Having figured out how to remove rust from the skates, attention should also be paid to shoe care. To protect them from moisture, you need to wipe the product after each ride. A thorough wiping of the outer cover of the shoes will not be superfluous. This point is important because smooth skin practically does not retain moisture on its surface compared to a material that has wrinkles and scratches.
During active skating, shoes are saturated with moisture from the inside. Therefore, this part of the inventory should also be thoroughly dried. In this case, do not put skates on a hot battery. After all, with this approach, the materials of manufacture can crack. Instead, shoes should be unlaced, leaving in a well-ventilated, warm room. If the skates need to quickly get rid of moisture, as an option, it is worth using a special electric shoe dryer.
Hardware Maintenance
Skate runners are connected to the sole of the boot with screws. In the process of operating the inventory, such fasteners will certainly loosen and loosen. In order not to have problems during riding, the screws should be tightened periodically. Twisting them too much is not worth it. After all, if you overdo it, you can cause stratification of the sole. The screws must be tightened tight enough to ensure a reliable connection of the runners with the sole. Regular maintenance of the fasteners will prevent accidental injuries during riding.
Shoelace Care
Maintaining the shoelaces in good condition seems to be a pretty important point when using the skates. This element has significant loads during riding. When there is the slightest suspicion that the lace may soon fray and burst, do not wait for this. It is better to replace an unreliable product in advance. It is always recommended that you have several spare laces in your pocket that you can put on your skates as soon as you need them.
How to store skates?
So we found out how to remove rust from the skates. In the end, I would like to say a few words about the storage of such inventory. To avoid damage to the blades, it is recommended to use special protective covers. You can purchase such skids for skids in almost every sporting goods store. The ideal solution is to purchase several pairs of cases. We are talking about hard plastic and soft rubber pads. The first will serve to maintain the sharpness of the blades when moving from the locker room to the roller. In turn, rubber adjustments will be used during transportation of skates and their storage in the off-season.
Covers directly for boots look like an accessory. With their help, it is possible to protect the material of manufacture from mechanical damage and moisture, whether it is leather or a synthetic base.
After the season is over, figure skates need to be greased with an abundance of shoe polish. This is the only way boots can survive the spring-summer period, remaining in perfect order. An alternative is to use regular petroleum jelly. When sending the skates to storage, it is recommended to tightly fill the boots with cloth or paper. The solution will avoid creases and cracks on the surface of the products.
What to do with skates? The blades of the inventory should be treated with machine oil, and then apply the same protective pads to them. Finally, it’s worth completely wrapping the skates in the newspapers, and then sending them to a dry, dark closet. When resorting to the above actions, you don’t have to worry that with the coming of the next season, the inventory will be in poor condition.
Finally
We figured out how to remove rust from the skates, as well as how to care for such equipment in general. In order not to have to spend time and effort on such events, it is better to prevent the occurrence of any troubles in advance. It is important to timely clean runners, dry and polish them. It is also worth resorting to the use of special overlays for blades and boot covers. Only with such a serious approach to the use of skates will it be possible to count on their use for many years.