So you got a new blade for your hockey shaft but you're a little unsure of how to put it in. Well, fear not. Replacing a hockey blade is a fairly simple process. All you need are a few simple tools.
BUT, before we go on, it is important to note that one piece sticks like the Gear Velocity, Mission M1, the Easton Synergy, and the CCM Vector 110 cannot have the blades replaced. Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let's do it.
Here in the shop we use a Multi-Purpose heat gun that we picked up at the local hardware store. You can get them for about 50 dollars. Ours has 2 heat settings. We use the higher of the 2 settings so a hair dryer probably isn’t going to work.
Some people swear by using a gas stove but we cannot advise against this enough! Getting that new blade in there isn’t worth burning your house down.
If you are pulling out a broken blade with very little material left to grab onto, you might need a table vice of some sort to help you out. In extreme cases, you can even drill in a screw through the wood toward the hollow of the shaft to provide something to grasp on to. For the purposes of this tutorial we will be showing you with the aid of a vice.
Step 1
Power up your heat gun to its top setting. Clamp the blade(not the shaft!) in the vise so that the toe is pointing in the air and the hosel toward you. Start heating the shaft of your stick about 3 inches from the bottom of the shaft where the hosel of your blade slides in. Move the heat over all sides of the shaft to loosen up the glue. It usually takes no more than a minute or so, maybe longer depending on how long the blade has been in the shaft.
Step 2
The glue will begin to loosen as it heats up. You want to continue applying the heat while pulling on the shaft. The blade will slowly start to slide from the shaft. It may be easiest to have one person pulling on the shaft, while another applies the heat on the blade.
Step 3
Now that you have the blade out it's time to put the new blade in. Most blades come with some glue dried onto the hosel (the part of the blade that goes in the stick). We suggest you add some glue of your own for a little more security, but the glue provided on the blade should be sufficient. Again, put the new blade in the vise the same way as the old one. Heat up the glue on the hosel until it's bubbling just a little. That's the sign to let you know the glue is ready.
DO NOT TEST THE GLUE WITH YOUR FINGERS!.
It's hot and it burns. Make sure that the glue is melted on all sides of the hosel. Don't heat to where it is dripping all over.
Step 4
With the glue heated on all sides, slide the blade into the shaft slowly, letting the glue harden as you do. The glue will harden quickly with no heat. You don't need to heat up the shaft again.
Step 5
Wipe away the excess glue that might have been squeezed out and you're done! Make sure the stick has completely cooled before using. Break your blade repeatedly so that you can buy more from Sk8.co.nz and practice this process to perfection :)
