Are these soles too rotted out for me to put in new blades?

[beesally]

Hi! I am deciding whether to purchase these boots from my friend. However, the condition of the soles really worries me.

Here is a picture of them:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...90888&upload=1

I am worried that since there are almost no fresh new holes in the ball of foot area I might have to use a plugged hole? Is that a good idea? I am putting figure skate blades in heh place of these synchro blades. Will I have a problem with the blades if all the ball of foot area holes are either presently screwed and there is only one fresh area for holes on the heel of both boots?

Thanks so much!

[Aussie Willy]

I can't see the pictures because facebook is banned at work. However I found if you use a bit of match stick in the hole, you can put the screws in that and they hold quite well.

[GarrAarghHrumph]

The black I'm seeing on the bottom of the boot that seems to go under the blade - that concerns me.

[jp1andonly]

usually the black doesnt go under the blade..just around it. Take the blade off and you will know if there is any damage.

As for plugging holes..flue and toothpicks works wonders

[scootie12]

At first glance, the sole doesn't look so great to remount blades. Also, is it me or is the side of the boot peeling off? It looks like a beige skate, but around the center part it looks like the leather is peeling back or something. Or am I just seeing things? lol

Anyway, before I got new skates and was still testing myself after returning to the sport, I took my boots to a well-respected boot repair guy that many pro shops recommended....he runs a shoe repair shop, so he's not exclusively a skate repair guy. For $125 he did a BEAUTIFUL job restoring the soles of my boots and I had a fresh slate to remount my blades. I noticed my soles were rotting since I hadn't used the boots in years, and they needed waterproofing.

So if you have some extra $$, perhaps replacing the soles is an inexpensive way to take care of your concern. Just make sure it's with someone that is familiar with skate boots, if possible.

Luckily my guy does work for a ton of big skaters, including Michelle so I was very happy with everything they did....the quality was well about the $125 I paid him.



ETA: what I would also do to check the soles is to really grip the blades and see if there is any shifting if you try to move them hard enough (unless all screws stripped). That's a worrysome sign OR if you really press your fingers into the sole and it grooves in slightly....or if you push the blade plate hard against the sole and it goes in any bit. That would usually indicate some form of rotting.

Since the last person did synchro skating, damage might not be as evident since there's no jumping involved. However, if there was a problem, and you started using those skates to jump and spin, you could run into a bad problem if you didn't catch a problem with the skates.