Parabolic Coronation Ace blades - curved inwards..? | Golden Skate

Parabolic Coronation Ace blades - curved inwards..?

Sinus Pi

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 18, 2018
As I'm looking at a pair of Wilson's Coronation Ace parabolic blades, I'm noticing they both curve very, very slightly inwards. They're not just 0.4 mm thinner in the middle - they seem to be curved on one side more than the other. Or, more correctly: they seem to be concave only on the inside edge; the outside edge seems more or less straight. I only have a straight steel ruler to align them against, but it does seem to rest flush on the outside, while leaving a tiny space on the inside.

If I'm right, then sharpening them as if they were straight may create a higher edge on one side!

So - is this normal, or do I have a flawed pair on my hands, or could they have gotten damaged due to improper mounting and/or usage?
 

Sibelius

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Well, Wilson and MK blades are more or less hand made and they do come with flaws sometimes. We had a new pair of regular CA's with a misshapen drag pick that we returned. These should have been rejected and never mounted, but I think some get complacent and don't thoroughly inspect them when they come in. We have another tech that says she rejects quite a few Wilson and MK's out of the box, and she much prefers Eclipse and Ultima because they are more reliably manufactured. That's great for her, but my skater is now a Wilson girl for life because they are a better blade for her so we will just insist on close inspection when we get new blades from now on.

So, if yours are new If they are new it might be a mfg. defect which should be returnable under warranty, if you've had them awhile it could be a sharpening issue.
 

Sinus Pi

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 18, 2018
Interesting and good to know.

Assuming the curve is quite minor, comparable to flattening out the curvature of a parabolic blade, so, like I said, 0.4 mm / 1/64" arc depth... Does that itself, or any potential sharpening edge bias, spell trouble for a novice skater (first single jumps level)? Or am I completely overreacting and expecting micrometer precision where there is none possible, and only curvature over, say, 1 or 2 mm arc depth could possibly pose a problem, and even then only for pros, or something like that?
 

Sibelius

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Interesting and good to know.

Assuming the curve is quite minor, comparable to flattening out the curvature of a parabolic blade, so, like I said, 0.4 mm / 1/64" arc depth... Does that itself, or any potential sharpening edge bias, spell trouble for a novice skater (first single jumps level)? Or am I completely overreacting and expecting micrometer precision where there is none possible, and only curvature over, say, 1 or 2 mm arc depth could possibly pose a problem, and even then only for pros, or something like that?

Way over my head on that question, but I'd ask a coach or a good tech their opinion on whether it will impact your skating. I would doubt it at this level (though if it gets in your head...). You aren't going to get micrometer precision from a Wilson or MK. Ultima and Eclipse are CNC milled, so you can expect it from them, but not JW or MK. Like I said, if you bought them new you should be able to exchange them. I don't think I would ever buy a used blade that isn't coming from a tech you know and trust.
 
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