4 votes

Restoring and skating in 100 year old figure skates

3 comments

  1. [3]
    Adys
    Link
    @kfwyre just gonna tag you on this one since.. you know, sports 😉

    @kfwyre just gonna tag you on this one since.. you know, sports 😉

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      kfwyre
      Link Parent
      It was really interesting watching her get progressively more comfortable with the skates. Before she stepped on the ice she was clearly nervous, and each successive cut had her looking more and...

      It was really interesting watching her get progressively more comfortable with the skates. Before she stepped on the ice she was clearly nervous, and each successive cut had her looking more and more confident.

      Also, I need to break this bad habit of mine where my mind refuses to believe we ever moved past 2000. When I saw "100 year old" and found out the skates were from 1919, my mind automatically went "but that's only 80 years ago!"

      Also, those skates are in incredible shape for their age.

      2 votes
      1. Adys
        Link Parent
        Glad you liked it :) Yeha no kidding she was nervous! Holy hell I'd be nervous as well. Not only is the balance completely off, but these things look SUPER FLIMSY. Skating boots are very hard, and...

        Glad you liked it :)

        Yeha no kidding she was nervous! Holy hell I'd be nervous as well. Not only is the balance completely off, but these things look SUPER FLIMSY.

        Skating boots are very hard, and as you progres you usually get harder and harder boots (what some call "stiffness rating"). This page from the Jackson manufacturer talks about stiffness ratings. They rate these at 10, which … hmm, I'd compare them to standard dress shoes: Stiff, but still flexes when you move your feet or apply pressure.

        At 90-100, you basically need a saw if you want to make a dent into the skates, it feels as strong as metal. But that gives you so much confidence that you won't, like, slip and break your ankle. It's necessary in order to do good jumps.

        Well, put it that way, those shoes in that video looked like they had the stiffness of my gloves. You might as well be wearing bladed socks.

        Still, they're beautiful, and I'd love to try them for the novelty. But it's very telling she didn't even think about attempting the simplest possible jump.

        Makes me wonder how much progress is still possible in skate manufacturing.

        2 votes