Pablo's Weekly Workshop Diary: 14th September 2026
🛠️ Pablo's Weekly Workshop Diary – 14th September 2026 🛼
This week has been a little different. We've still had some lovely builds through the workshop, but the BIG project has been designing and developing something considerably smaller... our own Pablo's jam plugs! 🔥
🔥 What sounds simple, "just 3D print a jam plug", turned into prototype after prototype while we worked on thread fit, dimensions, shape and different head designs.
🔥The biggest challenge was producing a 3D-printed 5/8" thread that actually fits skate plates properly. Too tight and it's useless. Too loose and it'll work itself out. After lots of testing and tiny adjustments, we've finally got the fit exactly where we want it.
🔥We've experimented with different designs, tested them directly in plates and compared them against existing Ventro and Fomac plugs. The result is our own range of low-profile, replaceable jam plugs, available in loads of colours. We've even made GLOW IN THE DARK versions! 👻 Seeing one fitted to a skate and properly glowing was ridiculously satisfying. And because apparently normal colours aren't enough... we've now got GOLD Jam Plugs too! 😂✨
🔥It's a tiny component compared with a complete skate build, but probably involved more designing, testing, failed prints and tweaking than anything else on the bench this week. That's the bit of 3D printing people don't see. Making something is easy. Making something we're actually happy putting the Pablo's name on takes considerably longer.
🔥 Our custom parts have also made their way onto another stunning build. These Bauer Vapor Fly 3.0s were converted onto PowerDyne Reactor Neo plates, complete with one of our own custom 3D-printed heels and one of the very first customers to get our newly designed Jam Plugs! Finished with red laces, the black, silver and red combination looks absolutely stunning.
🔥 We also had another classic Nike Bauer conversion on Sure-Grip Avenger DA45 plates through the workshop. Those old Nike Bauer boots and Avengers just seem to belong together. 👌
🔥 Between developing our own heels and now our own jam plugs, 3D printing is becoming a serious part of what we do at Pablo's. It allows us to design parts around the real problems we encounter when building and repairing skates, test them ourselves and keep tweaking the designs until we're happy with them.
The next challenge is considerably more ambitious. We want to develop replacement toe caps and outer plastic soles for classic Bauer Flexlite and Nike Quest boots. These parts are becoming increasingly difficult to find as the boots get older, and being able to manufacture replacements could help keep some of these much-loved boots skating for years to come.
That's a considerably more complicated project than a heel or jam plug though, with complex shapes that need to fit the original boots properly, so there's still a LOT of development work ahead of us. But that's where we want to take this next. 🛠️🔥
As always, there's been plenty more happening behind the scenes, from conversions and customer builds to parts orders heading out of the door.
A huge thank you to everyone who's ordered from us, trusted us with their skates or supported what we're doing. ❤️
And this week's question has to be...
Would you actually skate glow-in-the-dark jam plugs? 👻🛼 Or are you going GOLD? ✨👇
See you next week for another workshop update!
Every retro skate featured in our Workshop Diary is individually hand-built in the Pabloskates workshop. Since we use pre-owned hockey boots, each pair is unique and no two builds are ever exactly the same.
Browse our latest converted skates or get in touch to discuss your dream setup only at Pabloskates.com.
Pre-Built Retro Skates - https://www.pabloskates.com/skates
Skate Parts & Accessories - https://www.pabloskates.com/parts
Custom Build Enquiries - https://www.pabloskates.com/services
Phone/WhatsApp - 00447848287929
Email - mail@pabloskates.com
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