Haven't made a rink on a pond since I was a kid... I would suggest that you stop at the liquor store on the way home from work on Friday, grab a 6-pack (at minimum) and plan your Friday evening around clearing the snow and prepping the ice. Good chance that you go out tonight, clear the rink and ano...

Mike, Understand the dilemma of the kickplates - nothing like having the shovel rip through your tarp. Possible addendum to my original suggestion... could you pump some of the water out of the rink to a more manageable freezing level and then once your base is frozen slowly add more water to the to...

First of all, that sucks and I know first hand because I had the same problem this year but that's what I get for trying to patch my old tarp from last year. As for the ice/water=slush patching of the rink... I use this method of patching every year. I used to build my rink with a snow base - pack i...

Would love to see a picture of this beast scraper that you made!

Chris, that reminds me of another lesson I learned this weekend. Do not drink copious amounts of alcohol (I'll ballpark it at 14 pints of beer) and then get the bright idea that you are going to work on the rink at 12:30 AM after a severe winter storm. Snowblower was hauled out of the garage (my poo...

Just remember not to add too much water to the slush until it is completely frozen - keep layering the water until there is a base over it - otherwise, the water will find it's way right through the exact same hole and you'll be right back where you started.

Skating on the ice is one of the best ways to level it and get rid of the bumps... ;-)

Need replacement parts (don't ask...) for my rinkrake so off to Home Depot... 'Can I help you?' "Yeah, I need to know where the underground sprinkler system section is?" 'Well, you may have a tough time getting through the frost'. Typical response... Couple of years ago, I asked the same t...

Yesterday was a "fun" day... first it dropped freezing rain all morning, followed by a couple of inches of snow and then turned back over to freezing rain. I settled into my couch by the fireplace and told myself that I would check it after the Senators game. At 9:30PM I went out to find t...

Another option for you... if you are 'lucky' enough to live in an area where there is snow, fill the remaining area with snow, pack it down really well and slowly soak it with your 'rink rake' or 'homeboni'. It will eventually turn into ice and fill at the same time. At the very least, it will prote...