In the trailer outside the local outdoor rink I was listening to some guys telling someone how to form their skates. They said that you put them into boiling water with your feet in for half an hour (ouch). Now I’m a little skeptical about this because it’ll hurt your feet (right?) and wouldn’t it rust the blades? I’ve never even heard of the practice of forming skates but I find myself taking breaks often becuase the shape of my skates hurts the feet. Google didn’t help much so I’m hoping you Dopers can.
I joined yesterday and have seen 2 threads regarding skates. I came to the right place 
Here’s the deal, if you’re skates are new and you didn’t go for the 2 for $20 deal, most skates will form quite easily to your foot.
However, the idea of the skates being the problem when your feet hurt is not completely true. Often it is because your feet aren’t used to skating. There is a lot of shifting of balance in skates and all those little muscles in your feet are doing their best to keep up without really having been excercised before. A couple of ice-times a week will make a world of a difference after a few weeks.
That’s how my physiotherapist explained it to some of our players. Especially the first couple of ice times of the season when your foot is crying out for a break (apparently coaches don’t often believe in breaks )
Welcome to the boards Greenback,
How do I go about forming my skates though (Cheap pair of Bauer Chargers or Challengers? if it helps any). My friend was saying that they put his into an oven, but are there anyways I can do it at home? They’re about 1 year old, without too much playing time
The best way to shape skates is to stick them into what’s called a skate oven. Most pro shops at ice hockey rinks that sharpen skates also have this oven. It’s basically a box that you stick your skates into and wait for the gel mold to soften. Once it’s flexible enough, you basically put on the skates and then wait until it cools down. This should ensure a proper fit and molding to the contours of your feet.
Habs, that works with skates that have a gel mold. I’m not familiar with chargers but they may not have that gel.
That being the case, wearing the skates, tied loosely or untied completely, while walking around the house is one way to break in the leather.
I’ve heard about the boililng water thing but I’ve always felt that skates are just too precious to risk wrecking over something like that.
To find out more about the gel ovens, perhaps ask a local sports store clerk.
But to break in leather skates, there usually isn’t a fast way.
If they are not form-fit boot skates that are made to be put in a skate oven (they are quite expensive, so most skate shops where I live don’t have one), then I have never heard of anything you can do except break them in. The oven that I have seen at the pro shop of the rink I play at is in the shape of a miniature zam, with little holes for your feet and skates. The oven applies pressure around the skate while heating it.
Reported.
This sounds similar to the old traditional way of forming your western boots: soak them in lukewarm water,* then wear them until they dry. The warm water penetrates the water and makes it shrink, but it does so around your feet, so when they dry they are reshaped to conform to your feet. (The water can tend to stain the leather a bit, but for cowboys, boots were a utility item, not fashion.)
This was for western boots, nearly all leather, without all the artificial materials used in modern skates.
*For old West cowboys, the proper temperature was body-temp water. Or for real traditionalists, fresh piss.
[Moderaing]
Just a note that Tim didn’t bump this thread, so spare the zombie jokes.