Why do my ice skates click?

As stated above, its probably the blades. Of course there is the one in a, million chance that there is some weird leather clicking going on in the boot itself; but 9 times out of ten, when your ice skates are making a clicking noise, its because your blades are slightly loose.

So why are my blades loose?

Well, your blades are screwed into the leather soles of your boots (or synthetic soles if you have Edea skates), sometimes those screws come a little loose. They may be unnoticeably loose, by such a tiny fraction you can’t even see it, but even a slight looseness can cause the annoying clicking noise when you walk or skate.

All loose crews are not born equal

No, they are not, if you have identified a loose screw on the blades of your skates, you need to work out if the screw is loose because it just needs tightening or because the screw is just spinning in the sole of the boot.

How to fix loose screws to stop your ice skates clicking

The obvious one is to get a screwdriver and tighten the screw. If the screw tightens up nicely (you don’t need the screw to be ultra-tight, they are not the wheel nuts on your car, they just need to be tight enough, to be hand tight with a screwdriver) then you are done, give them a go, see if you have fixed the clicking. If, however, when you try to tighten the screw and it just spins round in the boot, then you have got a slightly bigger problem, not majorly bigger, don’t worry, just slightly bigger.

Stopping spinning screws from spinning

Basically, the hole that the screw goes into is too big, this can be because the leather has rotted (check out the article on how to waterproof your skates), because the hole has just worn bigger over time, or because its been over-tightened and has torn out the leather. Either way there are two ways to fix it, the proper way and quick fix way (I have only ever done the quick fix way).

Take your skates to a qualified repairer

Yes, this is the proper way, its also the most expensive. If you take your skates to a qualified skate technician, they will take the blade off, drill out the dodgy hole and put a leather plug in, they bond the plug into the boot, to make the hole as solid as the rest of the sole; then with the hole totally filled, they will re-drill the hole (with a smaller drill) and re-screw the blade back on.

Stuff a bit of wood in the hole

Now this is what I, and most skaters I know do, I’m not saying that you should do it (as legally I need to recommend the safest way, which is get it done properly by a skate technician), I’m just saying this is what I do and most skaters I know.

So you get a small piece of wood (a match from a box of matches works well, obviously not the end with the burning bit on, you don’t want to set fire to your skates) and stuff it into the hole (once you have taken the screw out), then snap off the wood level with the boot. Then get another piece of wood, stuff that in and snap that off, keep stuffing wood in until the hole is pretty-much full. Now you have something solid that the screw can bite into. Screw the screw back in and you’re done.

Why do my ice skates click if its not the screws?

There are a few other reasons why your ice skates might click:

• You have used Snoseal or another waterproofing wax and it is causing a click if the blade moves slightly because it is sucking or sticking to the bottom of the blade (though this does require movement in the blade, so still check your screws)
• There is something trapped between the blade and the boot
• You have a crack in the blade or the mountings of the blade
• The leather of the boot is making a weird noise

Snoseal or waterproofing causing your ice skates to click

If you have Snosealed your blades and the blade becomes a bit loose over time due to loose screws or similar, the wax used in the waterproofing can stick to the underside of the blade. When the blade moves away slightly due to loose screws, the wax makes a clicking noise as the blade sticks and unsticks to it.

To fix this, tighten the screws and then get a hairdryer (be careful, don’t get the boot or the wax super-hot) and remelt the waterproofing wax; wait for it to cool, check the screws again and buf up the cooled wax with a cloth for a nice finish. This process should even out the wax under the blade and provide hopefully stop the clicking.

There is something trapped between the blade and the boot

Well this one is fairly obvious. Check if there is any grit or debris stuck between the boot and the blade. If there is something trapped between, loosen the screws, remove the debris, screw the blade back up and you’re done.

A crack in the blade or blade mount

There is no fixing this problem without buying new blades. If the blade has a crack in it, or the mountings that are joined to the blade (where the screws go through), DO NOT SKATE ON THEM, buy some new blades and get them fitted.

The leather of the boot is making the clicking noise

I really don’t know how to fix this, hopefully it will go in time. If the boots are new, it may go in time as the leather softens. You could try waterproofing the boots with Snoseal, as it leaves a lubricated polished finish it might cause the leather to stop clicking, this is just an idea though, as I have never had it happen with my boots.