Regina Speed Skating Club

Boot Moulding

You can mould your speed skating boot to fit your foot closely. This page contains instructions on how to do so.

True the Blade to the Boot

Attach the two small bolts per blade cup, and hand tighten, so that the cup remains loose with respect to the blade (figure 1).
Position the blade on the bottom of the boot and place a washer over the bolt followed by the nut (figure 2).
Tighten the nut that attaches the blade to the boot. Do not over tighten, but ensure the nut is snug (figure 3).
Tighten the small bolt that attaches the cup to the blade (figure 4).

Heat the Boot in the Oven

Remove the blade. Preheat the oven to 180 F. Once the oven is preheated, place the boot on a cloth on top of the rack. Close the over door and let bake for 20 minutes (figure 5).
Once the boot has been in the oven for 20 minutes, remove and attached the trued blade (figure 6).

Moulding the Boot to Your Foot

There is a five-minute window of time while the thermoplastic is cooling but still very malleable. The thermoplastic should fully harden in 20 minutes. Cold packs can be to accelerate the hardening.

Loosen the laces and ensure the buckle strap is out of the way (figure 7). Do not use the buckle during the moulding procedure; it will damage the boot.
While inserting your foot into the boot, hold the top of the boot very tightly around the Achilles area. This will ensure the integrity of the counter (figure 8).
Lightly tighten the laces. It's important not to over tighten the laces during the moulding procedure because this can damage the eyelets and eyelet area (figure 9).
Begin the thermoplastic shaping by pressing very hard around the heel area, behind the ankle bones. Ensure your knee is as far over your toes as possible (figure 10).
It's important during the shaping process to intermittently pull up in the arch area if you have a high arch (figure 11).
During the moulding procedure, it's also very important to take the ankle joint through a range of motion. Go from the forward flexed position to a fully extended position and back, applying pressure around the heel lock the whole time. Do this every four minutes (figure 11 and 12).