There’s nothing more important in the world of hockey and rollerblading than the skates involved in the sport.
Considering skates are what you use to get around, they play a crucial manner in how good you can be in the sport.
Of course, your physicality and overall skill will determine how good you are at any sport, but having the tools necessary to thrive can add an additional bonus.
Whether it’s skates or your hockey stick, all of this important.
With this in mind, how do you bake skates with a hair dryer?
To answer this question…you can bake your skates with a hairdryer by placing the hairdryer in the foot hole of your skates and having it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Like baking skates in an oven, you want to make sure the skates are warm enough for them to mold to your feet. Make sure you don’t burn your skates, as this will cause you more harm than good.
Suppose you’re not familiar with the world of molding skates with a hairdryer or oven.
In that case, you might be entirely confused about this.
Don’t worry, we’ll discuss why people do this and how you can go about doing the process yourself.
No matter how odd or otherworldly something like this might seem, realize there a reason why people do this and why you should consider doing it too.
Plus, the entire process is very straightforward and shouldn’t take you too long to do.
Nevertheless, down below, we’re going to discuss everything there is to know about baking skates with a hairdryer.
We’ll discuss why people do it in the first place, how long you should do, and tips for how you can do it.
From there, we’ll go over various other information tied to the matter that’ll help you move forward in the right direction.
Don’t be afraid to read into the subject and see if it’s a good idea for you to do.
Let’s get started!
Why do people bake skates with a hair dryer?
The term baking has been coined since the early days of hockey when hockey players wanted their skates to mold quicker to their feet.
If you’re an experienced hockey player, you know how long it can take skates to break-in.
Sometimes, players don’t have the time necessary for the skates to break-in and want the process to rush ahead.
This typically happens if they have a game coming and recently just bought a new pair of skates.
Baking can be done in many ways, such as with an oven, steam, or with a hairdryer.
Hair drying is one of the safest ways to do it since it makes it more difficult for you to accidentally burn your skates in the process.
If you happen to overcook your skates, you run the risk of them being ruined entirely.
Considering this should always be avoided, it makes sense why so many people take the time necessary to efficiently do it.
Not taking the time necessary can run the risk of ruining your skates, which should always be avoided.
In a situation like this, it’s still better to play it safe than sorry, so make sure you follow the instructions necessary.
How long should you bake skates with a hair dryer?
Pinpointing how long you should bake skates depends on the method you want to bake your skates with and how large they are.
For instance, if you’re using an oven, you’ll need the temperature and time.
However, we’re discussing hair dry baking, so who cares about the instructions with an oven.
Nevertheless, a hairdryer should be in the foot hole of a skate for 15 minutes while being on.
Depending on how warm your hairdryer gets, cooking it up on the middle to high setting should be more than sufficient.
If you feel the molding isn’t being effectively done, consider upping the temperature a bit.
Remember to not do it too drastically; otherwise, you run the risk of causing a potential issue with your skates, which is always an annoyance.
Consistently using your hairdryer on it for 15 minutes should be more than enough, and once one is done, move on to the other one.
Remember to place your foot in the one as soon it’s done for it to properly mold.
Make sure you don’t burn yourself in the process, but you’ll begin to see how effective the method is if done correctly.
However, if your skates aren’t well-made, you may want to skip out on this entire process and let them mold naturally.
What are some tips for baking skates with a hair dryer?
Baking skates is a reasonably straightforward process, but there are still a good number of tips to pay attention to for you to do it properly.
Generally speaking, following directions is a must for any specific matter, and ignoring them is always a bad idea.
Nevertheless, take a look at your hairdryer and see the temperature it can reach.
From there, find an appropriate gage on where you should put the hairdryer at once you begin the process of baking your skates.
Once you have the temperature ready, lace the skates up and place the hairdryer in your skates to begin the process.
Let them go from 15 minutes or so, and once done, make sure you put your foot in to start the molding process.
Once your foot is in, make sure you’re standing up how you would when you skate so they can mold effectively.
If you try to do it standing up, it won’t work correctly, which means you’ve only wasted your time and energy on the entire process.
While your foot is molding to one, repeat the process for the other one, and place that on once the heating is complete.
After several more minutes, the molding process should be concluded, and you can check how it turned out.
What should be avoided while baking skates with a hair dryer?
Before beginning this process of baking your skates, you need to take a deep dive into what should be avoided while baking.
Like cooking or other areas that utilize heat, there’s a good list of rules and tricks that should be noted while doing the process.
For starters, make sure the skates you intend on baking can actually be baked.
If you buy them from a local shop, they’ll be able to tell you if they can be baked or not.
Although the term baking may seem very niche, they’ll know what you’re talking about.
If your skates are okay to be baked, make sure you don’t overcook them or keep them in the process way too long.
Since heating can damage anything it touches, you want to make sure the entire process is done correctly and not overkill.
Lastly, make sure you stand up how would when you skate when you actually mold them.
Sitting or standing in the way that isn’t like how you are on skates can cause them to mold the wrong way.
As annoying as this might seem, make sure you follow instructions correctly.
All of these points are relatively straightforward to follow, and it’s in your best interest to pay attention to what you’re doing.
Also, be aware if your foot is burning or not. Never accidentally harm yourself, especially with something as damaging as heat.
How often should you bake skates with a hair dryer?
As great as baking is for skates, people tend to be confused about how often it should be done.
Since the entire process may seem a bit odd or otherworldly, it can be overwhelming for beginners in the subject to know what to do.
Fortunately enough, there is an endless slew of experts in the field who can help people who aren’t entirely familiar with what to do.
Nevertheless, most people only bake skates when they first get a pair to help break them in.
At this point, they typically only bake them three total times for them to mold appropriately.
If done too much or each process is done for too long, the skates can get damaged, which will prompt you to get a new pair of skates.
On the other hand, not baking them will mean you’ll have to endure the annoying nature of non-broken in skates for a reasonable amount of time.
Thus, why the attractiveness of baking skates is such a popular subject for people to consider.
Other than baking skates early in the process, people sometimes do it when they haven’t touched their skates in a long time.
Still, once a pair of skates are broken in, they don’t really need to be broken in again unless your feet considerably change.
Baking skates will remain an incredibly popular thing to do in the world of skating and rollerblading.
Considering it’s a very useful and easy way to get your skates how you want, why not do it?
Be sure to check out local rollerblading and ice skating shops near you!
