Have you ever looked at the bottom of your ice skates and wondered why the back two rivets are copper rather than steel? You might be surprised to hear that there is a purpose behind this.
Copper rivets are used on the bottom of hockey skates because the metal doesn’t rust like steel does. As you skate on ice, it is inevitable that the bottom of your
Why Are Only Two of the Rivets Made of Copper?
When you look at the bottom of your hockey skates you’ll notice that only the two back rivets are made of copper. This is because the heel of your skate experiences the most pressure when you are skating.
With each stride on the ice, most of your weight is being transferred through the heel of your skate where the copper rivets are located. The copper rivets are placed in this location because they would wear out much faster if they were made of steel as the other ones are.
How are Copper Rivets Stronger Than Steel Rivets?
It isn’t the strength of the metal that makes copper rivets more durable than steel rivets. Its actually coppers resistance to rust that allows them to last longer than steel.
As you probably know, the bottom of your skates get wet when they are on ice. Ice shavings that land on your skates when the blade carves through the ice eventually melts causing rust on the steel.
Why Aren’t All the Rivets Made of Copper?
So if copper is resistant to rust, why don’t the hockey skate manufacturers just use copper for every rivet on the blade holder? The simple answer is that it cuts costs to only use two copper rivets on each skate. Copper is much more expensive than steel so hockey skate manufacturers only place the copper rivets in the heel of the skate to prevent rusting in the part of the skate that endures the most stress.
Although each copper rivet can cost around $1.50, this cost multiplies in the mass production of a hockey skate manufacturer. In the bottom of each skate there are a total of 14 rivets. Using copper rivets instead of steel rivet would multiply the cost for the manufacturer.
Should You Replace Missing Steel Rivets With Copper?
If one of your steel rivets rusts and pops out you might as well have the missing rivet replaced with a copper piece. Since the copper will last longer, it’s in your best interest to spend a few extra cents to make sure that it doesn’t come loose again.