Custom Curling Shoes

Teflon is the common material used for its low friction properties. The point of the curling shoe is to limit friction to increase the amount of speed you can slide out with when delivering the stone. Other materials such as stainless steel was considered for its low coefficient of friction, but is not ideal as it can damage the ice. 

The 3D print helped to optimize the shape of the sliders and to show where the slider may be too short or long compared to the shoe. 

After testing was complete and a design was finalized, the files were sent to the waterjet cutter to cut it out. This process was a little nerve wracking as we only had one sheet of teflon which was fairly expensive. However, the waterjet worked great and cut the sliders out very quickly. I was surprised at the precsion of the machine, being able to cut out even the thumb on Otto's hand. 

To ensure the slider was only touching ice, the epoxied area had to be recessed. This also decreases the weight of the slider and decreases surface area leading to faster slides. 

Because the sliders were shaped specifically to the shape of the shoe, they did not fit into the vice well and a soft jaw was needed to be made from wood to ensure the slider didn't move during the machining process. 

Shown is my partner Matt, who made a pair of curling shoes with me.

The lower part of the slider was cut to a little less than 1/8". In hindsight, a little too much material was removed, as the epoxy did not full stick to the teflon after it cured, leading to thinner areas to come loose. I believe that removing only 1/16" would be enough material surrounding the epxoy to prevent it from moving. 

After milling was complete, the slider was sanded down, starting with 200 grit going all the way up to 1800 grit wet-sanded. While sanding, I made sure to sand in the direction the slider would be oriented as random sanding might have added a little unnecessary friction to the surface.

Quarter inch acrylic was cut on the bandsaw for the shoe wihtout the teflon to keep both feet on level ground. The acrylic was then covered with rubber material cut out from traditional step-on curling grippers.

Both sets of sliders were then attached to the shoes using heavy duty velcro. Velcro was used instead of the epoxy, as after speaking with a curler who witness someone's slider come off mid-throw, he suggested a stickier adhesive would fare better than resin which gets brittle in the cold. 

A season in, and the shoes have been working out great. They seem to pick up a little more dust on the ice than normal curling shoes, which I think is due to only sanding them to 1800 grit. This was definitely a fun and rewarding project that I hope to use for years to come!