The best method is in an convection oven. Preheat oven to 185 and insert the skates for 2 minutes with heat on. After 2 minutes, leave skates in the oven, but turn off the oven completely. Make sure to place the skates on a baking sheet of stand them up in a pan. Below is a good suggestion if you are baking ice skates- if you are baking roller skates then you can place the frame on the balking sheet of in the pan with no damage- of course, make sure the wheel are off.
Depending on the brand of skate your baking time will vary- Most brands will be good with 10-15 mins. Make sure to check them after 8-10 mins to see if the pads on the inside are getting too hot- then every couple of mins until they are well heated. I would not recommend having them in the oven for more than 15 mins. If this doesn't do an adequate job, you can always re-bake the skates at a later date.
When the skates are hot enough put your feet- with socks (it's hot), in the skates and lace the skate tight pulling the laces out, not up- the eyelet could become dislodged due to softening from the heat. sit with your feet in an upright position with heels firmly against the back of the skate. Do not move or wiggle your feet as the molding process is cooling. This will cause uneven molding to your foot and require re-baking.
Cooling down should take about 20-25 mins. After that you are finished with the baking process. You should NOT skate with the skates for at least 24 hrs. after baking.
Couple of tips...I have wet down the insides of the skates with a good spray bottle to simulate sweat prior to heating the skates. This makes the skates a little more pliable.
In order to keep your ice skates upright, run a skil saw through an old 2 x 4 to create a groove...just enough to slide the blade through. Gives the added stability.
Improved by Scappi90 on 10/8/09
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