VALLEY FORGES NEW ICE AGE PACOIMA FIRM'S BLADE SMOOTHS RINKS, LEADS TO FASTER SKATING TIMES.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

PACOIMA - Few have watched the Olympic skating events over the past week with as much attention as a group of Pacoima businessmen. It's not patriotism or controversy that has piqued their interest. They're only interested in each skater catching a smooth ride on the ice.

Their company, 32-Degrees, is getting national attention for its Avalanche ice blade, used to smooth the surface of ice rinks from Salt Lake City to the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim.

``For the last 50 years, the blade's never changed,'' said Tom Fuentes, 32-Degrees' controller. ``The engines on the machines, the water in the ice, everything else has, but they've been using the same blade the whole time.''

The old style blade, similar to the industrial-size knives used to slice paper, rusts more easily and requires frequent sharpening. But its creators say 32-Degrees' product, crafted from heat-treated stainless steel, can last more than three months between sharpenings.

``It does everything they said it would,'' said Neil Slaton, manager of maintenance for the Georgia-based Augusta Ice Sports complex. ``You get a good slick finish, which is good for speed, because there's less drag. And if it makes people think they're skating better, hey, that's good for me.''

Its growing popularity has surprised co-inventors Andy Beilin and Bill Birch. For 20 years, Birch's company Accurate Double Disc Grinding shaved aircraft parts and medical supplies, grinding out steel in its industrial complex near Whiteman Field. But after the pair got their hands on an old blade a client wanted sharpened last year, they quickly saw a chance to break their way into a new market.

``After sharpening (the old blade), we thought: it doesn't matter if you make it sharper, it's still junk,'' he said. ``We knew we could make it better. And you see what's happening at the Olympics. We've got every ice sport they have, and every record in the book's being beaten.''

According to Clark Littleton, facility director for the Salt Lake City Sports Complex, which serves as a practice facility for both men's and women's figure skating and the short track events, the Avalanche blade's superslick cut has an impact.

``You can see the world records just falling,'' he said. ``It can make a difference in making the fastest ice in the world, which is what we've got now.''

He's souped up all his Zambonis with the blades, which rent for $189 a month, and the effect has been demonstrated markedly. Not only do his machines run more efficiently, since the Avalanche drags less on the ice, the resulting finish ``looks just like a lake.''

``It's like shaving your face with a sharp knife,'' he said. ``Zamboni's had the same thing for all this time, and this company has a sharper knife finally. That makes it so much better - it's smoother and it's cleaner.''

Each rink manager interviewed mentioned the price as a major consideration.

``They're my new heroes,'' said Allen Baxter, owner of Crystal Ice Palace in San Antonio. ``I've got two Zambonis, and it was costing $120 a week to sharpen the old ones. With theirs, I don't have to change them as often, and it's so much more reasonable, I don't even know what I'm paying.''

And, according to Beilin, the less frequent blade changes have an ancillary benefit to nervous Zamboni drivers.

``Since you don't have to change it every week, there's less worry about cutting your finger off,'' he said. ``People like that.''

So far, the blade has landed in roughly 100 rinks across the country, impressive since the company didn't exist a mere nine months ago. And with more than 8,000 facilities throughout the continent, Beilin and Birch see ample room to grow.

``It's a big statement to say this is the best blade in the world,'' said Fuentes. ``But it's possible.''

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Bill Birch, left, and Andy Beilin, above, are co-founders of 32-Degrees, a Pacoima firm getting national attention for its Avalanche ice blade. Below, manager Frank Marshall, left, and operator Jorge Valer prepare a blade for sharpening.

(3) Machine operator Jorge Valer sharpens an Avalanche ice blade at the Pacoima headquarters of 32-Degrees. The blades are being used at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer