W


MAKE AN EMERGENCY KICKPLATE REPAIR


by Ed Peduto T


HE KICKPLATE, KICKBOARD, Kydex, or “the stuff on the bottom of the boards,” plays a critical


role in protecting the dashers from degrading by the repeated threats from pucks, skates, errant curling stones or erratic ice resurfacer drivers.


When it breaks or gets damaged, it


usually requires an immediate fix or imminent replacement. While some rinks have the luxury of calling on someone to repair it, others don’t. At our rink, we can’t find a hands-on, 24-7 dasher repairman, so we take care of it ourselves. Te repair requires forethought, so if you find yourself in a similar situation be sure to have the following items on hand:


• Extra kickplate material • Drill • Countersink • Screws • Grinder with cut-off wheel or Dremel


• Screwdrivers • Saw • Mop or wet vac • Various heaters


Plan your work time accordingly


and try to allow extra hours for the inevitable broken screw that requires time to remove. Using your edger, cut as low to the floor as possible along the kickplate. If the kickplate’s lower edge is frozen into the ice, use low- grade heat to thaw the ice (if you have the luxury of an open morning to do the job).


or shrink wrap and place a small space heater


Tent your work area with a blanket approximately a foot away,


facing the area. Also, a heater on the backside of the boards can help thaw


any saturated wood that may have screws frozen into it. I usually leave both heaters running eight hours or so.


During this time, the new plastic should be laying on the ice, so it is


“pre-shrunk” to the temperature it will “live in” before it is cut.


As in painting, the prep work takes


longer than the actual work! After removing the damaged kickplate piece, cut the new kickplate to length. If the screws removed easily from the old piece, use it as a template when drilling holes in the new kickplate — often you can even reuse the screws.


While fitting the plastic, I use a


heat gun with a pipe right along the boards to help remove the lowest ice “lip” in front of the kickplate. Frequent mopping or using a wet vac gets rid of the water.


Any screws that broke off should


be cut flush with the cut-off wheel, insuring a smooth surface for the new kickplate.


Te holes in the new plastic should


be countersunk and any plastic shards should be swept off the material while standing off-ice.


Remove heaters and tenting, and


place plywood or carpet on the ice to keep yourself dry as you fit the new piece into place and tighten it with screws.


Voila! You are done until the next piece breaks!


Ed Peduto is general manager of Burbank Ice Arena and serves as the public/not-for-profit facilities representative to the ISI Board of Directors.


SPRING 2020 FAL L 2 019 25 by Ed Peduto


O


H


T O


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40