We've all bought a pair of new skates at one point or another without warming them up properly. Stiff and unshapely skates are usually not very comfortable and you feel immobile out on the ice. Then there are some who like when the skate is hard, and that's perfectly OK too, we're all different!
The reason why you bake your skates is to soften the material so that it can then be molded to your feet for a more comfortable fit!
The more expensive a skate is, the more malleable material there is in the skate that helps shape itself around your foot.
And yes, you can rebake the skates several times if you bought used or were not satisfied after the first time. However, wait at least 24 hours before baking again.
*(NOTE! We take no responsibility if something should happen to your skates, but only convey information that we have obtained from others and tested ourselves!)
Bake/heat/shape skates at home
Not all stores have a "skate oven" available when you decide to buy a pair of new hockey sticks. Then you can solve it at home instead with just as good results!
Step 1:
Turn on the oven to 80 degrees Celsius and untie the skates so they are loose and open. Some choose to remove the strings before baking in the oven, especially waxed strings. However, there shouldn't be any problems. What can happen is that the wax dissolves a little and it might get a little sticky. You can choose to string on regular unwaxed strings if you are a little unsure.
Step 2:
Turn off the oven when it reaches 80 degrees. You don't want the heating coils to grill the skates, but rather for the warm air to take care of the shaping.
Step 3:
Remove the soles from the skates before they go into the oven.
Step 4:
Place the skates on a plate, preferably with a towel or cloth as a base, as the plate gets hot and may leave marks on the skates. Then put the skates in the oven if there is room for both, otherwise run one at a time.
Step 5:
Set a timer for about 8 minutes (6-9 minutes is recommended).
Step 6 (optional):
After half the time, turn the skates over so both sides get equal exposure to the heat.
Step 7:
Remove the skates from the oven (don't burn yourself!).
Step 8:
Sit down on a chair or similar and lace up one or both skates carefully. When you tighten, pull "outwards" and not "upwards" as you usually do, because then the eyelets can come loose as the laces go through as they are made of sheet metal and become soft from the heat.
Step 9:
Sit completely still with your "feet flat on the ground" and wait about 15 minutes.
Step 10:
Allow the skates to cool for at least 24 hours before use and loading.
Step 11:
Clear! Enjoy the feeling with a pair of freshly baked skates that fit like a charm!
Below are two videos from Coach Jeremy (How to hockey) on how to both bake skates at home and how to bake them in a store.
How to bake skates with professional in-store help.
