Anybody can make their very own roller skates. It’s simple. It is very important to understand these handy skills if you cannot go out to a skate shop. Be sure to follow the instructions very closely. One of the best parts about creating your own roller skates is that you can make your skates in whatever design you please. In this article, we will teach you DIY steps on roller skating alignment.
Can I Align Shoes into Roller Skates
Roller Skating alignment is very easy. It is procedure, but eventually, you can turn your own shoes into roller skates. Some do not recommend doing this transformation because of the way your weight is distributed on roller skates.
Getting the Right Shoes
Take a shoe and listen to these easy steps on how to create your own roller skate. Don’s choose shoes like high heels or a fancy pair of shoes. Be smart in your decision. That means that you should not create skates alone. Ask a parent or get in touch with a local skate shop to answer questions.
Related: Roller Skates Pull to One Side: How to Fix Them?
Just be conscious that you may need to do some extra reinforcement in specific places. Typically, regular shoes will not offer the same level of support and durability as real skate boots. Use shoes that support your ankle. For extra comfort, use a hightop shoe or even a boot that has a thick rubber sole.
Get Innersoles
- Aluminum Strengthening Insole
Cut 2-3mm in the insole to the exact size of your boot insole. The Insole is what strengthens the boot, making it more skate-able. It also allows you to mount the plate. You can most likely purchase aluminum insoles in sheet form. Or if you would rather save time and energy you can purchase insoles from skating shops.
- Comfort Insoles
Purchase a new supply of innersole for comfort and protection. Dash out on something nice that will offer good comfort for long rides. Your feet need all the comfort that they can get.
Buy the Right Skate Parts
It is essential to have all the skate parts that you need for any DIY roller skating project. Establish your skates in the fashion that you want. It’s cheaper to buy used skates rather than buying new ones over the Internet.
Anatomy of Skating Alignment
- Plate
There a number of plates that work great on roller skates. Look into all the different plates. Not all of them are the same size.
- Trucks
Custom skate builds can use wider trucks. Wider trucks add stability and the ability to grind which is a huge benefit. Trucks that you can use CIB Grind Trucks. These are designed specifically for custom skate models and fit in a mixture of different plates.
- Sliders/Slide Blockers
Another optional addition to your very own roller skates is sliders. Sliders will take your set up and skating to the next level. Sliders/Slide Blocks make it more accessible to drop in and hinder. Most importantly sliders enable you to slide along coping, rails, and other obstacles you may encounter.
Tips for Sliders
- Align the Sliders to the center of the kingpins
- Mark and drill mounting holes in the sliders
- Use hardware to mount the plate and sliders to the boot
- Trim any excess hardware
- Wheels
You are looking for hard and small wheels in your search. Most skate shops have designed a unique wheel range.
Supplies That You Need
Here is what you will need. Plates, 8 wheels, and 16 bearings. You should have some knowledge and experience with most of the tools. Sounds expensive, right? That’s because it is. Before you decide to rip up your favorite shoes for this alignment experiment, make sure that you have the money.
- 2 plates with trucks
- 8 wheels
- 8 bolts
- 8 nuts
- A power drill
- 16 wheel bearings
- A pair of shoes
- A marker
- 8 washer/Snyder cups
- A toe stopper brake
Building Your Own Custom Roller Skates
- Step 1: Taking Apart Your Shoes
After you have chosen the shoe that you want to use, it’s time to start creating. First, remove the sole from the interior of each shoe. Keep all the parts close. You will be restoring them to cover up the bolts after you screw on the plates for a much comfortable skate.
Eliminate the laces from the shoe. Note that if you have chosen to recycle your old skates, remove the plates from the bottom of the skate and the wheels from the trucks.
- Step 2: Take Apart the Skate
After you have covered the shoe, now it’s time to take the alignment off of your regular skate. Remove the insole of the skate and unscrew the base plates of each skate. It is recommended that you do one at a time. Use the old skate as a reference when drilling the holes in your shoes.
Take off all the laces, tape, toe stops, wheels, and hangers. The only thing that you should be left with are the empty plates. Save the cushions if you want to use them on the new plates.
- Step 3: Aligning the Plate
Next, align the plate in the center of the bottom of your shoe. Use the tools that you have to remove the plate. Trace the outline of the existing plate. It does not matter which plate you apply. There is not a left or right alignment.
Once you have aligned it on the bottom of your shoe use a marker to mark the spot. Make 4 holes and poke through the hole in the plate for each screw. Once you have removed everything, give the bottom of your boot a cleaning. Be sure that you don’t erase the pencil markings. Reiterate this on each shoe.
- Step 4: Fill in the Holes
Grab a power drill and drill holes in the marked spots. Make sure the hole is flat and that the bolts can fit through it. To avoid the bolt from going through the shoe when you twist on the plates, place a Snyder cup washer between the bolt and shoe.
- Step 5: Where Will the Axels Sit?
Set the Snyder cup inside the shoe on the head of the hole. Then push the bolt through each hole. The bolts will stick out of the bottom of your shoes. Now it’s time to push the plate on to the rear of the shoe.
Put the plate on the bottom of your shoes and align them properly. Place them almost on the back of the heel. Use a clamp to hold the places down while drilling holes in the heel.
- Step 6: Determine the Centerline of the Boot
Conduct the plates on the shoes and then twist on the nuts to each bolt. Take notice that the bolts are long. Time to put in your strength. Use a wrench to snap off the extra bolt. Note, when screwing on the nuts, be sure that the bolt does not cut through the bottom of the shoe. Place your hands inside the shoe when turning down the nuts.
- Step 7: Secure the Boot
Secure your kingpin into position. It’s okay to skip this step if your kingpin came assembled. Install the bolts and drill the fronts without using a clamp. You may want to remove the wheels so they won’t get in the way when drilling holds. Or you could also remove the truck.
As a test, tighten one bolt of the skate. While the bolt did some work at removing the sole of the shoe as it was recessing, there is still lots of debris in the boot to keep skaters from getting the bolt fully flush.
- Step 8: Setting the Wheels on
Depending on the plate that you use, DIY skaters will need to figure out your new tightness for your trucks and, in the case of new plates, adjust the pivot pin.
Most people who have old nylon plates merely had the trucks seated within the pivot cup. The new plates enabled skaters to adjust how deep the pivot pin sits within the cup.
- Step 9: Go on an Adventure
Wind on the wheels and lace up your new roller skates. First, admire the work that you did and give yourself a pat on the back. Now go on an adventure around the neighborhood and enjoy your new skates.
Problems From Roller Skating Alignment
One problem that occurs due to aligning skates with regular shoes is the possibility of the bolts ripping through the heel of the shoe. This is one of the most common problems that happen with roller skate shoes. The Snyder bolt/washer prevents from happening.
Make sure to remove the whole insole of the shoe. That includes any foam parts that stick to the base. Throw away all the original parts of the innersole. Keep the laces! Plate placement on shoes is vital to your skating adventures. Skates that are off-center make for a bad skating experience.
