Heat molding to skinny ankles
OK.. so i have purchased some bont jet speed skates...
I have wide feel and really skinny ankles... just like a duck....
My issue is that the boots fit great and the ankles seem roomy.... how tight are the ankle areas meant to be.... how much should I be able to move it left to right?
I did heat mold them at 85c or 185f... but the ankle areas didn't seem to bend in a lot...
Anyone have any tips?
Comments
You can ask somebody to sqeeze, but that area is hard. So using wood/glue clamps is a better idea.
From The Netherlands
I assume you mean to bring in the heels. Ankles don't need to be tight. It is the heel where you really want a vice grip.
I've performed this excercise on a couple of boots and my Pinnacle customs. It is a tricky thing to get right. You are trying to reshape an area that still needs to have a curve.
I used word working clamps like https://www.amazon.com/WORKPRO-16-Piece-Spring-Muslin-Backdrops/dp/B0109K8F3O?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_3 and https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-6-in-100-lbs-Trigger-Clamp-with-2-43-in-Throat-Depth-DWHT83139/204389199
Care must be used when clamping the boot cuffs when trying to control pronation/supination slop on an ill-fitting boot. If you clamp and compress the cuff onto your ankle during traditional after-market molding what can happen is that the stiffer less moldable outer shell 'springs back' a bit when released but the inner soft and more-moldable foam layer takes a set when held at the clamped state during cooling. Because of the shell spring-back... the cuff can actually get looser on the ankle.
If you have a large amount of slop to remove... you might consider a two step process. To begin, you need to figure out how much cuff width reduction you need. Then... step 1 is to heat mold the boots NOT ON YOUR FEET, using clamps in the oven and while cooling to slightly over- compress the cuff so that when shell spring-back happens after clamp release when cold the shell is closer to where your ankle wants it to be. Step 2 is to then perform a 'regular' heat molding to your foot/ankle AFTER the shell has completely cooled off and completely taken a set.
I started on Bont Jets, now have Bont Vaypors and Bont short-track Ice boots. The Bont standard last is very good for my foot... but I do perform a bit of tweaking.
just late... not dead 😀
Thanks all.
The heel grip is fine. I have no heel lift. I just wanted then closer on the top of the ankle because I was feeling wobbly.
It is partially being new to Cuffley boots and lacking strength and partially because the cuffs were so wide.
I heated them and gave them a squeeze then heated them again and wore them really tight... this helped loads....
Just the muscle and skill needs to grow now hehehe
oh... also i put some smaller rounded profile wheels in to start with... 100mm in a 125 frame. Made them easier to start with. Will them noce up to some 110 butter profile and then back to the 125 hydrogen wheels I was in.
I have molded my boots tight at ankle area. But after long sessions with 125mm ankles bones hurt. So remodelled to a little bit loose fit. And pay more attention to stand in balance.
From The Netherlands
You asked how tight should the shoes be in the ankle area, and Ese002 replied that not so much. I disagree. I started off on powerslide r2 boots and after a year, first time when I had a session with a coach he told me I needed stiffer boots as they offered no support in the ankle area. 50% of the problem was the boot, 50% was lack of sufficient ankle strenght. I was able to squeeze in a finger into the R2s when fully laced up. When I changed to Bont Jets I am not able to squeze in a finger at all, and that's how it's supposed to be, as I know it. You can also consider using special ankle 'socks' by powerslide that will add a 1-2mms extra width in your ankles to fill up a loose shoe.
I have been using ankle socks/footies. I feel with ankle socks, controlling is less responsive. I have better results with thin compression socks. But like taste, fitment is for everyone different...
From The Netherlands