ballemum Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hi all, My dd is doing her intermediate exam in march and was told last week she needed soft blocks which I bought. Now everyone is saying I need to soften them so they are softer for exam. While a tad annoyed as I would have got them at christmas so she had time to soften and get used to them I need to help her. thank you in advance to anyone that answers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Best way I've found - apart from wearing them a lot! - is to boil the kettle and hold the boxes of the soft block over the steam for a minute, then massage them with your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 How much dancing is your DD doing? My DD finds she wears in soft blocks quite quickly. My DD had hers about 3 months before the exam but she only wore them twice a week and they were good for her exam. DD's friend with same amount of dancing over the 3 months had almost worn hers out. Tip - darn the ends as for pointe shoes. This really helps them last a lot longer as they get scruffy with ripped satin way before the shoes are worn out. They are easier to darn than pointe shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swanprincess Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I just asked my grandad to cover the shoes with a towel, and hammer them!! it worked well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 The hammer trick works well, it also helps if you put them on a radiator or other warm place before you start. We also pulled back the insole and removed the hard inner lining from under the toes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
if only! Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 My daughter's Grishkos harden after every use and I have no idea why. Perhaps a combination of sweat and shoe glue and then drying rock hard? However, she gives them a good beating, anything and everyone in her vicinity. Even thrown them in the microwave. I leave her to it though as she always looks pretty lethal when she's in shoe bashing mode! Doesn't make an awful lot of difference as she's the noisiest in her dance class despite best attempts to land softly. She's got new soft blocks now and hoping that her last pair were just a fluke! Oh, she does run on the spot in them too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaris Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 We know exactly what you mean about Grishkos! My dd had their soft blocks and pointes until quite recently and they stayed rock hard, no matter what she did (she even made me run them over, on instructions from her ballet teacher - a useless exercise!!) I really don't think there's anything you can do about the noise either! Still, they do look pretty - and dd found them very comfortable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballemum Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hi, Thank you for the reples and my dd has grishkos as her pointe shoes are the same make and she has always liked them. wondering whether i should have come on here before buying them. Are all soft blocks this hard or are some other makes softer? Anyway kettle boiling and hammer in hand (can't believe i'm about to take a hammer to a £40 pair of shoes) Do i hammer the top, bottom or both bits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Bloch soft pointes also seem very hard. We wrap them in a towel, bash them with a hammer - all over the box, bend the shanks and sole both ways and hold the,over a steaming kettle as spannerandpony recommended. Very cathartic and great stress relief! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shimmer Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 A lot of my friends sleep in them for a few nights, the sweat softens them and they mould to the shape of your feet. I microwaved mine until the box felt warm then wrapped them in a towel and bashed them with a rolling pin. Softening the glue first helps them break down more evenly rather than cracking into lots of pieces. As long as the satin stays clean and undamaged you can't be too violent! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointytoes22 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Sleeping in them with big fluffy socks on top works for me, your feet get nice and sweaty and make the shoes soft. I would try this before any violent action! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballemum Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 I will try the sleeping in them first over the weekend. Thank you. 2dancers mum orry meant to answer you in last post. She dances all week because of the days her grades fall on as she is also doing her grade 6 exam but the intermediate three times a week up to exam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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