How to Heat Mould Bont Skates at Home (Carbon and Fibreglass)
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Written for OurSkates. Reviewed and verified by Vincent Henry, 50x British National Champion and FISS Level 3 coach. Last updated July 2026.
A new pair of Bont boots is not meant to fit perfectly out of the box. That surprises a lot of skaters, and it is the single most common thing we explain at race events. The boot you receive is a starting point. Bont builds every base from a thermoset resin that softens at low temperature, which means the entire shell, not just a panel here or there, can be reshaped around your foot. Heat moulding is how a stock boot becomes your boot, and it costs nothing but an hour of your evening.
Done right, the difference is dramatic. Skaters regularly tell us a moulded boot feels up to a full size roomier than it did out of the box, without losing the heel lock that makes a speed boot work. Done wrong, you can crack a carbon base and void your warranty. So before anything else, answer one question.
Which boot do you have?
This decides everything. Carbon and carbon composite boots (the Vaypor, Slipstream, Eclipse, Jet and similar race boots) are moulded in a domestic oven. Fibreglass boots are never put in an oven. They are moulded with a hair dryer instead. If you are unsure which you own, check your model on the product page or ask us before you switch anything on.
Moulding a carbon or carbon composite boot
You need your oven, an oven thermometer, the socks you skate in, and a timer.
Strip the boot first: wheels, frame and mounting bolts off, removable insoles out, and waxed or shimmer laces removed, since both react badly to heat. Set the oven to 85°C and verify it with the separate thermometer rather than trusting the dial. Domestic ovens, and fan ovens especially, often run hotter than they claim, and temperature is the one variable that can ruin a boot. Anything beyond the recommended heat risks damage and voids the Bont warranty. There is no shortcut here: a hotter oven does not mean a faster mould, it means a damaged base.
Give the boots 15 to 20 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, squeeze the back of the boot. If the resin gives under your fingers, it is ready. If not, back in it goes, checked every 5 minutes.
Now the part people rush. Let the boot cool until you can comfortably hold it, because a boot straight from the oven will burn skin. Put it on over your skating socks, tighten the laces and buckles as you would for a race, and stand with your knees slightly bent in your skating position. Stand still. Do not walk, and do not lift your heels, because warm carbon will crack under those loads. Hold the position for 5 to 10 minutes while the resin sets around your foot.
While the shell is still warm, deal with any hotspots. A bunion, a prominent ankle bone, a pressure point over the fifth metatarsal: press the area out from inside using the rounded end of something blunt, a screwdriver handle works well. This is the fine-tuning that separates a decent mould from a great one.
Moulding a fibreglass boot
Fibreglass softens differently and an oven will wreck it. Instead, remove the wheels and insoles, then work over the boot with a hair dryer on its highest setting for around 5 minutes, keeping the dryer moving the whole time so no single spot scorches. Put the boot on, tighten fully, and hold your heel firmly back into the heel pocket as it cools. Then leave the boots alone for 24 hours to cure fully before skating.
How often can you remould?
As many times as you like. The resin does not degrade with repeated moulding, so if the first attempt is not right, or your feet change, or you buy secondhand boots shaped to someone else's feet, simply run the process again from the start.
The five mistakes that damage boots
Turning the temperature up to save time. Walking in a hot boot. Lifting your heels while the resin is soft. Skipping the oven thermometer. And one from outside the kitchen entirely: leaving skates in a hot car, which can un-mould everything you just did.
Not sure which boot or size to mould in the first place? Contact us before you order and we will talk through your foot shape and setup. Every Bont boot we stock is heat mouldable: browse inline speed skating boots. We also attend FISS race events around England with a limited range of stock to try on, so message ahead and we will check whether we have your size with us.