How Do You Bake Ice Hockey Skates?
Got some new Bauers or CCMs? If your feet don’t fit your new skates, they may be painful and irritate your skin. Fortunately, baking your skates makes the material soften and adapt to the shape of your foot. Personalized skates allow you to skip the long breaking-in period.
Baking (often referred to as heat molding) shortens the break-in period and offers a highly personalized fit for your foot. The materials in the skate’s boot get softer due to the oven’s heat. You will put on a warm skate and lace it up so it may form around your foot for a truly personalized fit.
How To Bake Your Ice Hockey Skates At Home
Many skaters have this process done by a professional at their local shop. Still, it’s entirely possible to do it at home. This guide will show you how to bake your ice hockey skates in a standard home oven.
STEP 1
Prepare everything before baking the skates. Place a mat on the ground and a chair nearby. Put on the hockey socks you typically use for skating. Put an oven mitt and baking sheet at your fingertips.
Prepare a clock nearby and untie the laces just enough to allow you to insert your foot inside. When the skates are ready to be molded, running around the house is the last thing you want to do. You should give this procedure your full attention.
STEP 2
Depending on your oven, it will take around 15 minutes to heat it to 175°F (79°C). The materials will soften at just the right temperature without harming the skate. Since ovens usually don’t show the proper temperatures, an oven thermometer is recommended.
You also want to squeeze the boot before putting it in the oven to know the stiffness before baking. This will help you gauge whether the boots are ready or not for the next step.
STEP 3
The skates’ likelihood of being ruined increases with any direct heat source. So, after the oven has completed heating, switch it off and give the heating components 30 seconds to cool. Set one skate on the baking sheet in the middle of the rack when ready.
Even if you can put both skates in the oven, don’t rush the procedure. While working on one at a time may take longer, this is a sensitive operation that has to be handled with care. Make sure the skate stays in the baking tray and close the door.
Remember that certain skates come with specific baking instructions for that specific pair. To avoid confusion, read it in advance. Remember that you might ruin your skates permanently if you aren’t careful. If feasible, have them cooked by an expert to prevent potential harm.
If you insist on baking your own skates, keep in mind that your oven is hot and that your skates almost certainly will be as well. To prevent burning yourself, take all essential safety measures when handling the heat.
How Long Does It Long To Bake ice Hockey Skates?
The skates should be in the oven for 3-5 minutes. After two minutes:
- Keep an eye on them. The quarter panels are ready if they feel substantially softer and more flexible.
- If not, leave them on for another minute or two.
- AVOID overbaking them.
After the allotted time has passed, take the tray out of the oven with an oven mitt and bring it over to your chair. The skate should be warm, but you should not touch the metal eyelets or the steel. Make sure your heel is back, and gently slide your foot into the skate.
Never tug the laces up, down, or in any other direction. Due to the softness of the boot, the eyelets may come loose. Fit your shoes by pulling the laces straight out of the eyelets. Then, tie them as you do when you want to skate.
For 10 to 15 minutes, sit with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Avoid standing or moving around to allow the skates to cool and adapt to your foot uniformly. Once done, carefully loosen and remove the skate’s laces. As the skate continues to cool, the materials will once again solidify.
Wait 24 hours before using freshly baked skates. But if you must use them immediately, freezing them for an hour can hasten the procedure. Still, you should not use them for 12 hours at the very minimum.
How Often Should You Bake Your ice hockey Skates?
You can break in your hockey skates quickly by baking them. But what if you’ve already baked them and your skate starts to come loose? What if you purchased an old pair of baked skates instead? Can your hockey skates be baked more than once?
Yes! You may do so several times. A pair of skates may usually be baked 1-3 times without problems. More than three baking sessions might hasten the premature deterioration of your skates.
Baking your skates might quickly go bad. So, ensure you are doing it correctly if you insist on doing it yourself rather than hiring a professional.
Advantages of Baking Your Skates at Home
- Spend less by avoiding paying the pro shop.
- Your skates break in more quickly than usual
- It gives you the best fit possible
- Lessen the discomfort associated with purchasing new skates
Disadvantages of Baking Your Skates at Home
- Cheap skates made of inferior materials will degrade more quickly than a skate made of superior materials.
- Your boots will wear out faster the more you bake.
- After baking, the skates may only be used after 24 hours.
- If you don’t do it correctly, you might damage your skates.
Final Tips
Baking skates at home can ruin them if you don’t do it properly. However, baking your skates at home is a terrific option to acquire a tailored fit and speed up the break-in process.
Before you bake, check to ensure your skates are heat-moldable with the manufacturer or by checking a trusted review website like cleatshub.com. Entry-level or rec-level hockey skates are usually not heat molded. They can reduce the skate’s life expectancy if done improperly. Also, ensure you give the entire process your undivided attention.
