FC SERIES PORTABLE MACHINE

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SAFETY 4
(*BE SURE TO READ THIS SECTION
BEFORE OPERATING YOUR MACHINE)

FC SERIES PORTABLE MACHINE 7

SPINNER DRESSING SYSTEM 8

INSTALLING/CHANGING A SPINNER 9
ROTATING THE REVOLVER 9
DRESSING THE GRINDING STONE 10

THE TRI LIE HOLDER

HOW TO PLACE A SKATE 11
OPERATING THE ADJUSTMENT KNOBS 12
CHANGING THE FELT PAD 14
MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES 14

CALIBRATION BLOCK 15

HOW TO SHARPEN 16

USING THE EVENESS GAGE 18

CHANGING THE WHEEL 19

CHOOSING YOUR SHAPE 20

SKATE SHARPENING SCALE 22

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 SAFETY
Please read all instructions BEFORE using this machine!
1. REDUCE THE RISK OF UNINTENTIONAL STARTING
Make sure all switches are in the OFF position before switching the main disconnect
electrical power ON.

2. DO NOT USE MACHINE IN A DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT

I. Do not use sharpening machine in damp or wet locations
II. Use in a work area that is dry and well lit
III. Equipment should not be used in below freezing temperatures

3. MAINTENANCE
I. Disconnect the power supply to the machine before maintenance, adjusting belts
or adjusting guards
II. Keep machine and tools clean for best and safest performance. Improper use
may cause risk of injury
III. Clean the tabletop and around the grinding wheel and dressing system after
each use. (a vacuum is ideal for this process)
i. DO NOT use compressed air, this will blow particles further into the
machine instead of removing them.

4. KEEP AREA CLEAN

To avoid accidents it is important to keep the work area clean.

5. TOOLS
Always use proper tools and approved Blackstone accessories.

6. GRINDING WHEELS
I. Perform PING TEST before using a new wheel
i. Place your finger or any other object through the center of the
wheel to hang/suspend the wheel vertically. Using the wheel
wrench lightly tap the wheel. If you hear an even ring the wheel can
be placed on the machine. If the sound is dull, does not ring, the
wheel may have a fracture or crack and should not be used. The
wheel could crumble and cause serious damage.
II. DO NOT over tighten grinding wheel nut.
III. Use ONLY wheel wrench furnished with the machine.

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7. WHEN DRESSING OR GRINDING THE STONE OR SHARPENING SKATES
I. Use Blackstone approved skate holder
II. REPLACE cracked grinding wheel immediately
III. Keep fingers and hands clear of grinding wheel and skate blade
IV. ALWAYS USE SAFETY GLASSES
V. ALWAYS USE GUARDS AND EYESHIELD
VI. NEVER LEAVE THE MACHINE RUNNING UNATTENDED
VII. ALWAYS turn power off when not in use
VIII. KEEP GUARDS IN PLACE and in good working order

8. NEVER STAND ON MACHINE

Serious injury can result if the machine is tipped.

9. WEAR PROPER APPAREL

Do not wear loose clothing, gloves, neckties, rings, or other jewelry that may get caught
in moving parts. Non-slip footwear is recommended. Wear protective hair covering to
contain long hair.
I. If you wear a lanyard; remove it or tuck it in while operating the machine

10. VISITORS and CHILDREN

Keep all visitors, and especially children, a safe distance from the work area.

11. CHECK DAMAGED PART THOUROGHLY

Before further use of the tool, a guard, or other part that is damaged, check to determine
that it will operate properly and perform its intended function. CHECK for alignment or
binding of moving parts, mounting, and any other condition that may affect its operation.
A guard or other part that is damaged should be properly repaired or replaced.

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 FC SERIES
PORTABLE MACHINE
1. ON-OFF SWITCH

8
7
2. TABLETOP
3. GRINDING WHEEL 6
5
4. DRESSING SYSTEM
5. WHEEL COVER 1
6. THUMB SCREW 4 3
7. EXHAUST

Specifications

 Precision ground aluminum table infused with Teflon for easy glide
 One finishing head operating at 3450 rpm grinding speed
 Removable head unit for easy maintenance
 Blackstone® Spinner System
 Plugs into 110, 15amp, outlet (Or 220v for Euro Spec machine)
 OPTION: Wooden Travel case with wheels and telescopic handle

The Blackstone® FC Portable Skate Sharpening System is available with or without a case. It
is perfect for home use, teams, and travelling. This machine is built for those who are serious
about skate sharpening. The FC Skate Sharpening System weighs 55 lbs and 75lbs with case.
This machine is NHL tested and offers a direct drive setup that operates at 3450 rpm. The
tabletop is precision ground for a flat surface and Teflon coated for slick, easy movement.
Ability to do Flat Bottom V® (FBV®) and Radius of Hollow (ROH)

Dimensions: 20” long, 18.5” wide and 15.5” high Weight: 55lbs
IN CASE: 21” long, 21” wide and 16” high Weight: 75lbs

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SPINNER DRESSING SYSTEM

SINGLE SPINNER

1. Drag Cap
2. Spinner 1
3. Feed Screw Knob
3
2

THE REVOLVER SPINNER SYSTEM

8

5 2
4. Drag Cap
5. Revolver Key
1
6. Spinner
7. Locking Lever
8. Feed Screw Knob 4
3

The spinner is a crush and roll system that uses manufactured discs (spinners) to dress your
desired shape into the grinding wheel. These discs allow you to produce Radius of Hollow or
Flat Bottom V® shapes on the skate blade.

See Choosing Your Shape to decide which spinner to use and follow the instructions below to
install the spinner and dress the stone.

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INSTALLING THE SPINNER

The drag cap is left-hand threaded, turn it to the right (clockwise) to remove it. Place the
spinner on the post with the size (e.g. “BLACKSTONE 100/50) facing UP. Press the spinner down
until it is snug. Replace the drag cap; turn it to the left (counter clockwise) to tighten. Be sure
the cap is on tightly, the spinner should not move up and down.

TIP: The Revolver Spinner System has the ability to hold four spinners of your choice.

ROTATING THE SPINNER REVOLVER

To change the spinner in the Revolver; press and hold the

locking lever towards the left and turn the revolver key until
the desired spinner faces the grinding wheel. When the spinner
is in place release the locking lever and check that the spinner
is locked in place (if locked properly, you should no longer be
able to turn the revolver key).

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DRESSING THE GRINDING STONE

Make sure all of the protective guards are in

place. Turn on the grinding wheel.

Slowly turn the feed screw knob towards the

back of the machine (counter clockwise). As the
spinner gets close to the grinding wheel be
careful to use only slow, careful movements.
Stop turning once you hear and see the spinner
touch the stone.

Dressing the stone requires minimal contact with

the spinner. The drag cap creates enough
friction that the wheel is dressed instantly.

When the wheel is dressed, there is no need to back the spinner off; it is ready for the next
dress.

TIP: BE CAREFUL when dressing a NEW wheel. You must dress the stone very slowly;
the corners of a new stone have the potential to burn off the coating on your spinner.

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 TRI-LIE HOLDER 7

1. Holding Grips 6 5
2. Adjustment Knobs 4
3. Pitch Knob 8
4. Anvil Plate
2
5. Bronze Clamp
6. Cam Arm 2
7. Top Screw
8. Top Post 3

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1

HOW TO SECURE THE SKATE

With the flat side facing away, remove the bronze clamp from the holder by lowering the cam
arm to the left, loosening the top screw and sliding the clamp off towards the right.

Place the skate on the holder with the top post between the blade and the boot. Rest the blade
on the anvil plate making sure to maximize the amount of exposed blade. This will prevent the
holder from being hit by the grinding wheel during sharpening.

TIP: It does not matter whether the heel of the skate is facing left or right in the holder. The
blade will sharpen the same way.

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To secure the skate replace the bronze clamp. It should be resting on top of the blade and
pressed snug against the top post. Tighten the top screw until it is “finger tight” against the
clamp. Raise the cam arm until the skate is secure – this should be no higher than
12:00/perpendicular. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN. Proper tension will ensure a consistent, high
quality pass.

TIP: Tighten your boot the same way each time to maintain consistency from skate to
skate.

HOW TO ADJUST YOUR HOLDER

Your Blackstone Tri-Lie Holder comes equipped with three knobs. Left and right adjustment
knobs (UP and DOWN) and a pitch knob (FORWARD and BACK).

To obtain equal edges when you sharpen, the center of the blade needs to line up with the
center of the grinding wheel. To do this you may have to adjust your left and/or right knobs. Use
witness marks to determine which adjustments, if any, are needed.

Witness marks are small ovals on the blade indicating where the grinding wheel makes
contact. The goal is to have the witness marks centered on the blade between each
edge.

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To create witness marks, gently touch the blade to the wheel near the toe and the heel. Do not
drag the blade across the wheel. Look at the bottom of your blade. Judging by the placement
of the marks, use the adjustment knobs to center the blade to the wheel.

If the witness mark is low, towards the bottom of the blade, that end of the holder is
too high. Turn the knob in the DOWN direction (clockwise).

If the witness mark is high, towards the top of the blade, that end of the holder is too
low. Turn the knob in the UP direction (counter clockwise).

High

Centered

Low

TIP: When learning to adjust your holder, take a

dark coloured marker and paint the bottom of the
skate blade (the part that will be sharpened). This
will make the witness marks stand out. It will also
help you to see when the sharpening is complete
– keep making passes until the marker is all gone

THE PITCH: Your Tri- Lie holder comes with the pitch set in the correct position to sharpen
hockey skates. When sharpening a goalie skate or a figure skate, the thickness of the blade is
different than a hockey blade. If you are sharpening a Radius of Hollow shape, you can use the
pitch to change the position of the blade to the center of the wheel.

TIP: The Pitch will move the entire blade up or down, not just one side or another.
 If you are using the Flat Bottom V® shape, changing the PITCH will still require
adjustments to the left and right to produce equal edges.

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The pitch tilts the entire skate blade; changing the angle the blade approaches the grinding
wheel.
 Moving the pitch FORWARD will tilt the skate blade down.
The blade is no longer parallel; it will be sharpened with
the top section of the radius of hollow on the grinding
wheel.
 Moving the pitch BACKWARD will tilt the skate blade up.
The blade is no longer parallel; it will be sharpened with
the bottom section of the radius of hollow on the grinding
wheel.

TIP: If regular adjustments to your holder continue to produce unequal edges, it is

possible your holder is no longer square. Contact Blackstone and inquire about our
U-BLK. It is a tool that will bring your holder back to the original factory settings.

HOW TO CHANGE THE FELT PAD

The Tri-Lie holder uses a Blackstone® R-03C felt pad replacement. When it is time to change
your felt pad, place your holder in mineral spirits. This will help loosen the glue. Remove the
felt pad and scrape off any excess glue that remains. Peel the paper off the replacement pad
and carefully place it on the bottom of the holder.

MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES

Clean your holder with a damp cloth and brush off the felt pad regularly. Periodically check all
components for excessive wear or damage, and replace if necessary. Following these
guidelines will give your holder the utmost precision and accuracy while maximizing its lifetime.

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 THE CALIBRATION BLOCK (U-BLK)

The CALIBRATION BLOCK is used to reset your holder to factory settings.

This block can be used for the X-01, X-02 and Tri-Lie holder. When all three
of the adjustment knobs are corrected to the height of the block, your holder is
parallel to the table top. Each skate blade will still require individual slight
adjustments; each pair of skates has the potential to have a different thickness
of steel.

USING THE CALIBRATION BLOCK (U-BLK)

STEP 1: With the identification of your holder facing you, place the U-BLK under the
adjustment knob.

TIP: Make sure the arrow on the U-BLK is vertical, between the
middle plate and the base plate.

STEP 2: Turn the adjustment knob until the U-BLK is snug (If
the block doesn't fit, turn the knob "Up" until it fits, once
the block is in, turn the knob "Down" until the block is snug)

STEP 3: REPEAT Step 2 for each of the three knobs (Left, Right, and Pitch)

STEP 4: Check each of the three adjustment knobs AGAIN, readjust each knob height
with the U-BLK (as each knob is adjusted, it affects the other two knobs)

STEP 5: The holder is now ready for the skate blade and regular adjustments

TIP: Your holder is back to factory settings, each skate blade has different thickness,
adjustments to center the blade to the grinding wheel are still required.

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 SHARPENING SKATES
Place the skate in the holder making sure the boot of the
skate does not make contact with the holder (see Tri-Lie
Holder section). Once the skate is secured, do not hold the
skate by the boot, use the rubber handles (balls) on either
side.

Turn on the finishing head. Dress the wheel with the desired
shape (see Dressing the Grinding Wheel section). Line up
the centre of the grinding wheel with the centre of the blade
using witness marks, adjusting the holder if necessary (see
Tri-Lie Holder section).

You are now ready to sharpen. Start with the holder sitting
flat on the tabletop on the right side of the grinding wheel.
The skate is passed from right to left in the same direction
as the grinding wheel, which is spinning clockwise. Slowly bring the blade into contact with the
wheel. You should notice the wheel starting to grab the blade slightly. Let the wheel do some of
the work and while maintaining equal pressure, guide the entire length of the blade across the
wheel in one consistent, continuous motion.

TIP: The key to a good sharpening is keeping the pass SMOOTH, with CONSISTENT
SPEED and CONSISTENT PRESSURE.

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Repeat this motion until you see sparks roll over the top of the blade. This indicates the grinding
wheel has reached the edges of the blade and sharpening is complete.

HOW MANY PASSES SHOULD I DO? The number of passes varies for a number of
reasons: type of grinding wheel, pressure applied, type of steel used in the blade,
damage to the blade, shape or profile being applied, etc. It will most likely be between
10-15 passes.

Once the blade is sharpened, check that the edges are even using Blackstone®’s BatGage or
ButterflyGage (see Evenness Gauges section). To do this you will have to remove the skate
from the holder, be sure to take note of which direction the skate is facing in the holder so you
can put it back in the same way. If your edges are not equal, adjust the holder accordingly and
pass the skate along the wheel until you see sparks roll over the top once again.

Once your blade has equal edges you are ready to polish the blade and do the Final Pass. With
your skate in the holder, coat the blade with Blackstone®’s Fine Shine. For the final pass do the
same smooth motion across the wheel but slower and with less pressure.

FINE SHINE is an oil product applied

with a dauber to the blade to keep it
cool while doing your final pass. The
oil prevents the blade from burning
and helps shine the blade for the ideal
mirror finish.

Once complete, remove the blade from the holder and pass a hand hone along both sides of the
blade to remove any burrs. Be sure to hold the hand hone flat to the blade, careful not to roll
the keen edges you have just created.

Finally, wipe the blade with a cloth and examine it. The blade should have a clear, shiny
appearance and a smooth, sharp feel along each edge. When you are happy with the result,
repeat the same steps for the other skate.

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 Evenness Gauges
Blackstone®’s BatGage and ButterflyGage are instruments designed to measure the edges of a
skate blade. Either can be used, each will give you the same reading.

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR EDGES

Place the evenness gauge on the skate blade.

BatGage ButterflyGage

1
1
2
1. Measuring Block
2. Thumb Screw
3. Measuring Tee
2 3

1. Thumb Clamp
2. Pointer
 Depress the thumb clamp by
 Loosen the thumb screw and place
squeezing the spring and place on the
on the skate blade
skate blade
 Place the magnetic measuring tee on
 Ensure the pointer makes firm
the blade ensuring firm contact with
contact with both edges of the blade
both edges

Read the edge of the pointer/tee on both the left and right side of the gauge. If they indicate the
same measurement, the edges are equal. If the left side of the pointer is not equal to the right
side, the skate holder must be adjusted and the blade re-sharpened.

The blade should be measured at both the heel and the toe of the blade.

TIP: Do not slide the gauge across the blade. Remove and replace it when measuring
the toe and heel. This will ensure that the gauge does not remove any part of the
sharpening and will keep your edges keen.

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 CHANGING THE GRINDING WHEEL

This machine is designed to operate at its optimum when the wheel is at 8” in diameter. You
should consider changing the wheel when it is between 5” and 6” in diameter.

Begin by turning off the switch which operates the grinding wheel. Remove the two thumb
screws securing the wheel cover, remove the cover. Insert the wheel wrench in the two holes of
the wheel nut. The wheel nut is left hand threaded therefore, turn the wrench clockwise to
remove the nut.

Discard the used wheel.

Perform a PING TEST to check the new wheel for cracks. Place your finger, or any other
object, through the center of the wheel suspending it vertically. Using the wheel wrench lightly
tap the wheel. If you hear an even ring the wheel can be placed on the machine. If the sound is
dull or does not ring, the wheel may have a fracture or crack and should not be used. The wheel
could crumble and cause serious damage.

Place the wheel with the BLACKSTONE® logo facing up. Replace the wheel nut with the relief
side facing the stone. Using the wheel wrench, turn the wheel nut counter clockwise. DO NOT
OVERTIGHTEN.

The new grinding wheel is ready to be dressed.

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CHOOSING THE CORRECT SHAPE

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 HARD ICE SOFT ICE
REGULAR
(More Bite) (Less Bite)

ROH FBV ROH FBV ROH FBV

AGILE: digs deep, cuts

5/16 100/1 3/8 100/75 7/16 95/1
hard, huge grip

BALANCED: balanced
cut, average bite and 7/16 95/1 1/2 100/50 9/16 92/75
glide

STRONG: less bite,

11/16 85/1 3/4 90/75 13/16 85/50
max glide

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 SHAPE SCALE for SKATE SHARPENING
This scale indicates how the bite of the skate blade changes. If you are looking for more bite,
move up the scale. If you are looking for less bite, move down the scale. Find your ideal shape
for the best performance.

5/16 100/1
3/8 100/75
7/16 95/1
95/75
1/2 100/50
9/16 92/75
98/50
5/8 90/1
11/16 85/1
92/50
3/4 90/75
88/50
13/16 85/50
7/8 95/50
15/16 85/75
80/1
1 90/50
1 1/8 80/75
1 1/4 82/50
1 3/8 80/50
1 1/2 75/50
1 5/8 72/50
1 3/4 70/50

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