Soldering eyeglass Frames
vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com
solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
- = -
Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vjp2/vasos.htm
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---
[Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards]
[Urb sprawl confounds terror] [Remorse begets zeal] [Windows is for Bimbos]
Edwin Pawlowski
<vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote in message
news:fmub7b$4ee$1...@reader2.panix.com...
>I can reasonably solder electronics although I get an occasional cold
> solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
> cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
> ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
> to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
> uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
> is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
> more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
Yes, buy a new pair of glasses.
Will it hold? We can't tell you that not knowing what the material is that
you are soldering. It may be brass, titanium, zinc, or something else. If
they are junk now, you have nothing to lose so give it a try. Worse case
scenario is you get a new pair.
msg
> I can reasonably solder electronics although I get an occasional cold
> solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
> cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
> ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
> to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
> uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
> is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
> more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
Consider brazing the joint; you may be able to find a hobbyist
minitorch that uses tiny propane and oxygen cylinders -- Radio Shack
used to sell these in the States.
FWIW, I have also made repairs on tiny objects using very low
currents with a wire-feed welder; build up the repair and grind
to final shape.
Michael
Logan Shaw
> I can reasonably solder electronics although I get an occasional cold
> solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
> cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
> ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
> to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
> uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
> is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
> more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
I tend to be skeptical that solder joints hold well. They're meant
to provide an electrical connection, not to be a structural component.
But then I also pretty well suck at soldering.
Since the glasses are fairly useless as is, why not try soldering
them and find out empirically how well it works?
- Logan
JoeSpareBedroom
> solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
> cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
> ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
> to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
> uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
> is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
> more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
You could try a little JB Weld. It might look awful, but it might also work.
John Beckman
Dad working in his office. He was an "old school" Optometrist. Back in the
day when Jewelry stores had Optometrists. His office was one of the few
places that repaired broken frames. It requires gold solder and an acetylene
jewelers torch. Quick and easy if you have the tools. It will discolor the
finish some. If you attempt any other method, it will not work for long and
they will be rendered un-repairable. See if you can find a good Jewelers.
john
<vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote in message
news:fmub7b$4ee$1...@reader2.panix.com...
Richard J Kinch
Cannibalize dollar store readers for a replacement temple piece.
You can braze with propane or MAPP and air.
A soldered butt joint won't typically hold, but it may work if you
splint with a bit of steel or stainless wire there (any old guitar strings
around?). You can gammon with fine Nichrome wire sold for ignitors on
eBay.
mc
solder and is familiar with metals other than the ones we ordinarily work
with?
<vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote in message
news:fmub7b$4ee$1...@reader2.panix.com...
Anthony Matonak
> How about taking it to a jeweler who can use a harder, stronger kind of
> solder and is familiar with metals other than the ones we ordinarily work
> with?
For the cost of hiring a jeweler to fix the frames, it's quite
likely he could buy a new set of glasses.
Anthony
Edwin Pawlowski
"Anthony Matonak" <antho...@nothing.like.socal.rr.com> wrote in message
news:4792d596$0$7173$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
Have you priced prescription glasses recently? I wear a progressive lens
with anti-glare coating and darkening lenses. Typical price is about $400.
$500 at one place I checked. Actual cost is probably $20 in material.
Walter R.
http://www.globaleyeglasses.com/cat/bifocal.html
Net cost about $ 40 each. There is no point in repairing eyeglasses.
--
Walter
www.rationality.net
-
<vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote in message
news:fmub7b$4ee$1...@reader2.panix.com...
Stormin Mormon
That's just another word for liberal, you know.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote in message
news:pKAkj.8312$pA7....@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
Stormin Mormon
Optical, they are out of Hong Kong. You likely have your prescription, they
will cheerfully sell you eye glasses cut to your Rx. You won't believe the
prices, and the glasses are light weight, but I was pleased with the optics.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"JoeSpareBedroom" <dishbo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Jxzkj.2384$Sa1....@news02.roc.ny...
Shawn Hirn
"Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote:
True, but the OP could use the original lenses in new frames. There's no
law that says a frame and lenses must be sold together.
Pete C.
Solder would never hold, those frames are typically brazed. You can
certainly re-braze them, though you would potentially also need to
re-paint / re-finish them afterwards.
Pete C.
They keep changing frame shapes to prevent that (more profits). The
lenses may be perfectly fine, but it's very likely you won't find new
frames of the same size and shape if it's more than a year or two old.
Al Bundy
> I can reasonably solder electronics although I get an occasional cold
> solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
> cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
> ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
> to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
> uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
> is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
> more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
>
lead free solder. You can test to see if the solder sticks first.
Rough the area up a bit with sandpaper or a file or a Dremel with a
small wheel. You can buy stainless solder at the hardware store for
about $5 that has more aggressive flux. The lead free solder will be
stronger and take more heat to flow.
I got tired of replacing those pads on the temple of my running
glasses so I broke off the arms and ground off the burrs. Then I
soldered a center piece on from another pair that had solid plastic
inserts. They work great. You can buff the area afterwards with a
Dremel and a small wire wheel to remove much of the discoloration.
Edwin Pawlowski
differently now!
"Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4792ebe6$1$31804$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
buffalobill
my wearing of glasses for forty years was over after one LASIK and the
other PRK.
Doug Miller
>I can reasonably solder electronics although I get an occasional cold
>solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
>cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
>ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
>to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
>uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
>is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
>more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
Your uncle's right. Eyeglasses frames are brazed, not soldered. Last time I
had to get frames repaired (about 5 years ago), it cost $25, which is a *lot*
cheaper than a new set of frames.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
William Sommerwerck
and install the lenses.) If the frame is still manufactured, they'll
probably be able to find it for you, or a frame that has the same lens
shape.
Another possibility is to contact the frame's manufacturer. They might be
able to supply an exact-replacement temple (or a compatible one).
Marsha
> Shawn Hirn wrote:
>>True, but the OP could use the original lenses in new frames. There's no
>>law that says a frame and lenses must be sold together.
>
>
> They keep changing frame shapes to prevent that (more profits). The
> lenses may be perfectly fine, but it's very likely you won't find new
> frames of the same size and shape if it's more than a year or two old.
When my mother's frames broke, the first shop we went to said they
didn't have frames to fit her lenses, but they could do both frames and
lenses. When I said we go someplace else, it was amazing how fast they
found a pair of frames that fit.
Marsha/Ohio
JoeSpareBedroom
There are too many factors to be able to argue the point. For instance, if
the lens is small, and it's a bifocal prescription, trimming it might remove
too much of one of the focal "zones". It all depends....
Jeff
Not sure where the OP is, but I'd hit one of the flea markets that cater
to blacks. All of them have a row a Korean selling gold and most of
them will do jewelry repairs on the cheap. Cheaper than investing in a
torch and high strength solder (or learning to braze).
Jeff
>
> Anthony
hchi...@hotmail.com
I have a pair of glasses for the computer that I periodically
re-solder. I couldn't get a successful join until I took an onld
barss track connector from an HO railroad set, and made it into a
sleeve, and soldered the ends into that. The same could be done with a
half inch of small brass hobby tubing. Looks like crap, but you
can't see me through my screen (yet).
aemeijers
Been there, Tried that. Lotsa luck finding new frames where the lens
holes are the same shape and size. Now that Stylists design frames
instead of Engineers, and they change them pretty much constantly, the
chances of a plug-in replacement are slim at best. Unless you can find a
local lab that is willing to whittle the old lenses to fit (which would
probably cost more than new lenses), this is probably not a plausible
solution.
aem sends...
imascot
news:Xns9A2AEE9E496...@216.196.97.131:
This fellow uses silver solder to repair glasses. Not to be a shill for him, but we used him for DH's
glasses, and he did a fine job.
http://www.adamsfashionoptical.com/Services/repair.htm
J.
Ivan Vegvary
Marsha,
That's a horrible story but probably very typical. I've always suspected
that most glasses purchases are a rip-off. I can't see more than a few
dollars worth of materials and labor in a pair of frames.
Fortunately, I need only reading glasses and have never paid more than 3
pairs for $19.95! Other family members need prescription lenses and get
screwed on price all the time.
Ivan Vegvary
JoeSpareBedroom
news:A5Pkj.2340$YH6.337@trndny03...
What business are you in? How do you make a living?
Pete C.
>
> "Marsha" <m...@xeb.net> wrote in message news:fmvp8i$rkl$2...@news.datemas.de...
> > Pete C. wrote:
> >
> >> Shawn Hirn wrote:
> >>>True, but the OP could use the original lenses in new frames. There's no
> >>>law that says a frame and lenses must be sold together.
> >>
> >>
> >> They keep changing frame shapes to prevent that (more profits). The
> >> lenses may be perfectly fine, but it's very likely you won't find new
> >> frames of the same size and shape if it's more than a year or two old.
> >
> > When my mother's frames broke, the first shop we went to said they didn't
> > have frames to fit her lenses, but they could do both frames and lenses.
> > When I said we go someplace else, it was amazing how fast they found a
> > pair of frames that fit.
> >
> > Marsha/Ohio
> >
>
> Marsha,
> That's a horrible story but probably very typical. I've always suspected
> that most glasses purchases are a rip-off. I can't see more than a few
> dollars worth of materials and labor in a pair of frames.
The How it's Made series that runs on the Discovery Channel had an
episode showing the manufacture of eyeglass frames, as well as an
episode showing the lens manufacture. There is a bit more involved than
you probably think, and on the lens side there is some very expensive
specialized equipment involved.
> Fortunately, I need only reading glasses and have never paid more than 3
> pairs for $19.95! Other family members need prescription lenses and get
> screwed on price all the time.
I'm pretty happy with my contacts.
vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com
solder and then try a jeweler. THere is a place on Queens Blvd which
says "watch repair & shoe repair"
If I get sep read/walk glasses, Zenni is as low as $9. I got the
eyeglasses which broke in 2003 for $30 and that "factory outlet" now
costs $40. They must be cast iron because they hurt and I tried to
bend them in church when they broke. I used to be good at bending. I
really don't care if the temple looks different.
Marsha
> "Marsha" <m...@xeb.net> wrote in message news:fmvp8i$rkl$2...@news.datemas.de...
>>have frames to fit her lenses, but they could do both frames and lenses.
>>When I said we go someplace else, it was amazing how fast they found a
>>pair of frames that fit.
>>
>>Marsha/Ohio
>
>
> There are too many factors to be able to argue the point. For instance, if
> the lens is small, and it's a bifocal prescription, trimming it might remove
> too much of one of the focal "zones". It all depends....
>
I understand that it's not easy to fit frames on lenses, but just the
fact that they said they didn't have frames to fit, without even
looking, and then miraculously finding them AFTER we said we going
elsewhere was a little suspicious to me.
Marsha/Ohio
Richard J Kinch
> Have you priced prescription glasses recently?
Yep. Get them mailed here from offshore places like
http://www.zennioptical.com/ where they do a first-class job.
You're a sucker to pay the hometown optician racket any more.
Richard J Kinch
> Fortunately, I need only reading glasses and have never paid more than 3
> pairs for $19.95!
Huh. I never pay more than $1/each at the dollar store.
John Keiser
squeezed the ends into a short length of insulation from 12 gauge wire.
Worked well for many months and didn't look too bad. Eventually Zenni sent
a replacement.
--
Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me.
PaPaPeng
vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com wrote:
>I can reasonably solder electronics although I get an occasional cold
>solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
>cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
>ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
>to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
>uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
>is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
>more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
>
> - = -
>
The only time I did it successfully was with an acetylene-air torch
and silver solder it. It needs to be heated red hot, the borax flux
melts. A touch of silver solder instantly melts and wicks into the
heated metal frame.
PaPaPeng
wrote:
>True, but the OP could use the original lenses in new frames. There's no
>law that says a frame and lenses must be sold together.
The Dollar Store reading glasses have excellent eyeglass frames.
Marginally better ones (as in looks) can be got at the pharmacists for
$10 or less.
JoeSpareBedroom
news:Xns9A2BDB008EB...@216.196.97.131...
Looks interesting, but do they do a perfect job with wacky prescriptions,
like bifocals with extreme astigmatism?
John Smith
Geesh!
I was truly unaware such existed. Where are these people located? Have
you done satisfactory business with them? The product is good?
As I type this, with my ~$600.00 glasses, I am beginning to wish I'd
known about this sooner!
Regards,
JS
JoeSpareBedroom
news:fn1h1d$2re$1...@news.albasani.net...
Me, too. But, I've got an odd prescription (very nearsighted, bad
astigmatism, bifocals). A few years back, I tried to save some money. Pearl,
LensCrafters and Wal-Mart completely phuqued up the prescription, but all
said "We followed the numbers provided by the doctor". Well, not really.
Back to the usual expensive optician, who did a perfect job, as usual.
Fortunately, this little experiment cost me nothing but wasted time.
John Smith
>> ...
>> Geesh!
>>
>> I was truly unaware such existed. Where are these people located? Have
>> you done satisfactory business with them? The product is good?
>>
>> As I type this, with my ~$600.00 glasses, I am beginning to wish I'd known
>> about this sooner!
>>
>> Regards,
>> JS
>
>
> Me, too. But, I've got an odd prescription (very nearsighted, bad
> astigmatism, bifocals). A few years back, I tried to save some money. Pearl,
> LensCrafters and Wal-Mart completely phuqued up the prescription, but all
> said "We followed the numbers provided by the doctor". Well, not really.
> Back to the usual expensive optician, who did a perfect job, as usual.
>
> Fortunately, this little experiment cost me nothing but wasted time.
JoeSpareBedroom:
I am sure you realize that did NOT actually answer the questions I
posed. Mainly why I asked, when I do business with off-shore
associates, I get a mastercard debit card, place an appropriate sum on
the card and handle it that way ...
Could you expand on what I previously asked, it would be greatly
appreciated?
Such as, you have a pair of these glasses which you find acceptable? I
do take your previous text as an affirmative, but would like concrete
confirmation--I know the money is small, which is at risk, still I don't
like being "stiffed."
Regards,
JS
JoeSpareBedroom
Sorry if I went off on a bit of a tangent. I can't speak to the quality of
the offshore product, obviously. In fact, they might actually do a great job
with odd prescriptions, and finding out is a pretty cheap gamble.
In order to get a perfect answer to your question, you will need to compare
your prescription with those of other people who've used the service. Good
luck.
William Sommerwerck
> I do take your previous text as an affirmative, but would like concrete
> like being "stiffed."
One of the problems in getting a good fit is determining the optical center
of your eyes. Just because a particular frame fits two people well, that
doesn't mean their eyes are in the same positions relative to the frames. If
all you need is simple dioptric correction, this might not matter, but if
correction for astigmatism is required, you want the lens "centered" over
the eye.
An optician puts a gadget over your eyes that lets them determine where the
pupils fall. The lenses are then ground with their optical centers at those
points.
For this reason, I would not have a Web or overseas company grind the
lenses. Costco should be cheap enough.
a
> I can reasonably solder electronics although I get an occasional cold
> solder joint. I have this pair of glasses I didn't wear much which
> cracked near the temple joint. (The temple cracked). The repair shops
> ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
> to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
> uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
> is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
> more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
>
My tip: Take them off before attempting to solder them.
a
Stormin Mormon
thirty to sixty seconds, and they all leave you wondering what you just
read? Like the street sign that used to say "Main" and "State" which now
says that "we are very concerned about making sure that people make the
right choices. Which is why Hillary! has proposed an immediate $50 million
increase in spending to study the matter of helping people to choose the
right street at this intersection".
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote in message
news:YoHkj.33883$4V6...@newssvr14.news.prodigy.net...
They were sold to my under Hillary's health care plan. I see the world
differently now!
"Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4792ebe6$1$31804$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
> What's a good right wing Republican like you doing with Progressive
> glasses?
> That's just another word for liberal, you know.
>
> --
> Christopher A. Young
> Learn more about Jesus
> www.lds.org
> .
>
>
> "Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote in message
> news:pKAkj.8312$pA7....@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
Stormin Mormon
has also mentioned being satisfied with Zenni.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"John Smith" <assembl...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:fn1h1d$2re$1...@news.albasani.net...
Stormin Mormon
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Richard J Kinch" <ki...@truetex.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9A2BDB49779...@216.196.97.131...
Aratzio
"Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> bloviated:
>I got a couple pair of glasses from Zenni. They seem fine to me. Gunner Asch
>has also mentioned being satisfied with Zenni.
Gummy is also satisfied with Bush, Cheney, Iraq, the Economy, the
Environment and using a saturday night special as a leather punch.
scrapq...@gmail.com
> Have you priced prescription glasses recently? I wear a progressive lens
> with anti-glare coating and darkening lenses. Typical price is about $400.
> $500 at one place I checked. Actual cost is probably $20 in material.
The big cost for glasses is usually in the lenses, NOT the frames.
I just paid $350 for new glasses, but the frames were only something
like $69 of that $350.
My suggestion for the OP is to go around to a bunch of different
places that sell eyeglasses and see if they can set you up with a new
pair of frames that will use the same lenses you already have. Then
the only repair cost is the new frames.
pf...@aol.com
> ask too much, compared to what I paid for the glasses. I tried online
> to find temples, to no luck. So I'm considering soldering it. My
> uncle (a retired EE) told me it would never hold. Part of the problem
> is it cracked very near the screw joint. and so would suffer a lot
> more torque than if it was further back. Any tips?
If you can reinforce the joint using solder only as a glue, that might
work. Back in my 'poverty' days, I used a bit of brass tubing to make
a surrounding splint and soldered that. With some care and a bit of
filing, it could even be made passably good looking. I have also used
fine copper or brass wire to wind around a beginning crack for the
same reasons. Both of the above repairs outlasted the prescription.
Excessive heat might anneal the metal, some metals will not accept
solder, and tin/lead solder is also affected by corrosives in sweat.
Silver-solder is better but even that is not great. JB Weld is
excellent material if it can be splinted... and if tubing is used
approximating the color of the temple, excess or spill can be filed
away.
Now, I have Titanium frames that I have never had fail. That and
progressive lenses (vanity) and ultra-high plastic - more vanity.
Good luck with it.
Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA
pf...@aol.com
> Richard J Kinch wrote:
> > Edwin Pawlowski writes:
>
> >> Have you priced prescription glasses recently?
>
> > Yep. Get them mailed here from offshore places like
>
> > You're a sucker to pay the hometown optician racket any more.
>
> Geesh!
>
> I was truly unaware such existed. Where are these people located? Have
> you done satisfactory business with them? The product is good?
>
> As I type this, with my ~$600.00 glasses, I am beginning to wish I'd
> known about this sooner!
>
> Regards,
> JS
There is a somewhat new franchise out there call "America's Best"
Eyeglasses and Contacts. They seem to have the best prices for
actually fitted in the store eyeglasses and lenses. My prescription
would run about $400 (for the lenses) in ultra-high-index, coated, UV
lenses. AmBest wants to sell me two pair for that amount including
rimless frames. And they will tint the second pair at no cost. They
will be my next stop as I would _NEVER_ wear glasses that were not
properly fitted. I am not astigmatic, but with progressive bifocals,
centering and height-setting is critical. Target tried it three times
before they got it right... and they were the ones that told me the
lenses were "wrong", not my complaint. So it does mean something.
I really don't care (within limits) where the lenses are ground and/or
the frames assembled, but I do want the final verification and fitting
to be done by an actual human being on my actual face with my actual
eyes.
Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA
John Smith
> ...
> For this reason, I would not have a Web or overseas company grind the
> lenses. Costco should be cheap enough.
>
>
Really.
Off that site, a cheap pair of frames and lenses is ~$35.00USD
(including shipping!) I can have multiple pairs and if I lose one, no
big deal ... that site certainly looks good to me. As long as the area
of corrected vision is large enough on the lenses--should work fine.
Height of the pupil can be adjusted with adjustment of the nose pieces
or padding.
I don't plan on wearing these glasses to see the king--just for work
where something always happens to 'em!
Ever misplaced a pair of glasses, grabbed your backup and lost them?
Everything stops until at least one set is recovered.
Regards,
JS
vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com
I thought there might be some stem left, but no. This seems
undoable. I once repaired plastic frames by screwing an eye-screw into
the frame with a similar fracture. I wonder if I can't solder an eye
screw (looks like the letter P) in there. In the toirtoise shell
plastic glasses, the eye screw repair looked darn near invisible.
Heck, it would almost be easier to twist the frame 90 degrees and put
a hole in perpendicular to the flat side and run the screw through
that.
vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com
I could almost make the temple from wire (run the screw through a
loop). If only I knew where to find "antique bronze" wire that stiff
and thick.
vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com
reading glasses and swap the temple!
vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com
temple size but since you are getting measured, might as well get
those numbers too.
vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com
Have been known to be quite ambidexterous, but not THAT much!
More seriously, I would need something to hold them in place.
Edwin Pawlowski
>I got a couple pair of glasses from Zenni. They seem fine to me. Gunner
>Asch
> has also mentioned being satisfied with Zenni.
>
>> Yep. Get them mailed here from offshore places like
>> http://www.zennioptical.com/ where they do a first-class job.
They don't show a frame the size I need for my lenses, but the prices are
what seems to be about right. No way a frame is worth what the local guys
are charging for them.
Richard J Kinch
> I was truly unaware such existed. Where are these people located?
Hong Kong.
> Have you done satisfactory business with them?
Yep.
> The product is good?
Yep.
Richard J Kinch
> An optician puts a gadget over your eyes that lets them determine
> where the pupils fall. The lenses are then ground with their optical
> centers at those points.
Please. The online offshore suppliers require your PD measurement for just
this purpose.
Opticians don't "grind lenses" any more. They take a big stock lens for
your Rx from an assortment on hand (itself likely an import from China),
and trim the edges to fit the frame.
Richard J Kinch
> The big cost for glasses is usually in the lenses, NOT the frames.
Lenses cost pennies, as proven by non-Rx high-quality reading glasses at
the $1 store.
The big cost is the optician racket via the Rx system. The Web has finally
busted that open.
John Smith
Richard:
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I will order a couple of these and
see how they work out. After I have gotten used to paying 500/600+ for
my glasses--this just hit me as too good to be true.
It is obvious there is little cost in glasses, once the initial costs of
their equipment has been setup. And, I don't really like changing
frames--an aviator or modified aviator and I am as happy as h*ll. I
think they could sell that model frames until the cows came home ...
somehow I strongly suspect the antitrust laws of decades ago have been
revised or else ignored.
Regards,
JS
Stormin Mormon
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Aratzio" <a6ah...@sneakemail.com> wrote in message
news:fpe9p35c7boli6f8g...@4ax.com...
Aratzio
"Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> bloviated:
>"Aratzio" <a6ah...@sneakemail.com> wrote in message
>news:fpe9p35c7boli6f8g...@4ax.com...
>On Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:07:09 -0500, in sci.electronics.repair,
>"Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> bloviated:
>
>>I got a couple pair of glasses from Zenni. They seem fine to me. Gunner
>>Asch
>>has also mentioned being satisfied with Zenni.
>
>Gummy is also satisfied with Bush, Cheney, Iraq, the Economy, the
>Environment and using a saturday night special as a leather punch.
>
>
>Which makes him a star witness.
For devolution.
JoeSpareBedroom
Please share your prescription with us.
William Sommerwerck
> William Sommerwerck writes:
>> An optician puts a gadget over your eyes that lets them determine
>> where the pupils fall. The lenses are then ground with their optical
>> centers at those points.
> Please. The online offshore suppliers require your PD measurement
> for just this purpose.
Okay. How am I supposed to get it, if not from a local optician?
> Opticians don't "grind lenses" any more. They take a big stock lens for
> your Rx from an assortment on hand (itself likely an import from China),
> and trim the edges to fit the frame.
I assume you're kidding. Can you imagine how many millions of pre-ground
"stock" lenses would be needed to every possible combination of lens size &
shape, PD, prescription, etc? There probably aren't that many atoms in the
universe! <grin>
William Sommerwerck
>> pre-ground "stock" lenses would be needed to every possible
>> combination of lens size & shape, PD, prescription, etc? There
>> probably aren't that many atoms in the universe! <grin>
> He's not kidding. That's how all those "eyeglasses in a hour" places
> do it. They stock an assortment of ready made lenses. The "blank"
> lenses are large circles. They simply cut them to fit the frames you
> picked out. The size, shape, and PD are irrelevent, as they cut from
> the large blank which has it's optical center in the center.
I could see this if all you were correcting for were single refractive
errors. But lenses also require astigmatism correction. Not to mention the
different types of lens materials, coatings, etc -- and bifocals, trifocals,
progressives, etc.
Furthermore, it would make no sense to stock all these variations, simply
because of the capital investment involved. A store can't afford to keep
rarely needed prescriptions in stock.
Finally... The lens has to be "ground" at some point, regardless of whether
it's in China or the US. Are you suggesting that it would take an automatic
machine more than a few minutes to do this -- while the technician was doing
something else?
Nope. I still don't buy it.
John Smith
> ...
> Please share your prescription with us.
>
>
Two pair cost me about $70.00 USD to order (shipping stays the the same,
$4.95 USD, no matter how many pairs you order!)
Even if he is fibbing, maybe it will work out. At least at that price,
I won't be disappointed longer than a couple of hours. <LOL>
Regards,
JS
Goedjn
vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com wrote:
>Eyeglass repair webs say they use gold solder.
>
>I could almost make the temple from wire (run the screw through a
>loop). If only I knew where to find "antique bronze" wire that stiff
>and thick.
>
Fence wire, and modeling paint.
William Sommerwerck
news:82ecp3tmljs6imcki...@4ax.com...
> You can argue all you like, but the fact remains, there are stores in
> just about every town of any consequence and most large malls that
> do exactly what I said. One example is Lenscrafters, which has over
> 800 locations. I am simply astounded to find someone who isn't aware
> of them, as they advertise this like mad on radio, TV and in print.
Of course I'm aware of LensCrafters -- I've bought glasses from them. I
simply don't believe that they have tens of thousands of lenses that have
been pre-ground to every conceivable prescription. It's not an economically
efficient way to run a business.
I just remembered something... You can request these companies to grind the
frontal radius of the lens to match the radius of your previous lens. This
wouldn't be practical if the lenses were pre-ground.
I'll back off on this issue for the time being. The next time I'm near
LensCrafters or a similar company, I'll ask.
John Smith
> ...
> You can argue all you like, but the fact remains, there are stores in
> just about every town of any consequence and most large malls that do
> exactly what I said. One example is Lenscrafters, which has over 800
> locations. I am simply astounded to find someone who isn't aware of
> them, as they advertise this like mad on radio, TV and in print.
>
>
I can understand how plastic lens are quick and no big problem.
What amazes me is that it seems no longer to get the glass lens--but,
these are being offered less and less often ...
Regards,
JS
JoeSpareBedroom
news:d6gcp35sfg1vrebqm...@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:14:07 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
> <grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>><sa...@dog.com> wrote in message
>>news:82ecp3tmljs6imcki...@4ax.com...
>>
>>> You can argue all you like, but the fact remains, there are stores in
>>> just about every town of any consequence and most large malls that
>>> do exactly what I said. One example is Lenscrafters, which has over
>>> 800 locations. I am simply astounded to find someone who isn't aware
>>> of them, as they advertise this like mad on radio, TV and in print.
>>
>>Of course I'm aware of LensCrafters -- I've bought glasses from them. I
>>simply don't believe that they have tens of thousands of lenses that have
>>been pre-ground to every conceivable prescription. It's not an
>>economically
>>efficient way to run a business.
>>
>
> They have been hugely succesful. For openers, do you have any idea
> what mass produced molded plastic lenses cost a place like
> Lenscrafters? A dollar each? Less? The markups in the optometry biz
> are astronomical. Stocking enough lenses to cover 90% of the people
> who walk through the door isn't nearly the expense you think it is.
> Especialyy when they can stock shallow and the inventory system
> automatically reorders as they are drawn from stock. The inventory
> even knows which ones move faster, and adjusts accordingly.
>
>
>>I just remembered something... You can request these companies to grind
>>the
>>frontal radius of the lens to match the radius of your previous lens. This
>>wouldn't be practical if the lenses were pre-ground.
>>
>
> something special, they make a phone call to the main warehouse and
> tell the customer that they have to come back tomorrow. Overnighting a
> pair of lenses is no problem when you are making $300-500 profit on a
> pair of glasses.
>
>
You might be right about all this. Who provided you with this information
about stocking all or most of the the blanks?
JoeSpareBedroom
news:fn5g9u$dte$2...@news.albasani.net...
"offered"? You mean, you ask for them and you're told they no longer sell
them? Or, you don't ask and they don't mention glass as an option?
John Smith
> ...
> "offered"? You mean, you ask for them and you're told they no longer sell
> them? Or, you don't ask and they don't mention glass as an option?
>
>
True, I just don't see them offered. At the price I have been paying
for plastic--I am scared to!
Regards,
JS
Richard J Kinch
> Please share your prescription with us.
R -2.50-0.50x174
L -3.00-1.25x175
PD=71
temple=140mm-
57/16 or 52/16
JoeSpareBedroom
Looks like an easier prescription to fill than mine. I actually walked into
3 eyeglass places where they could measure everything themselves. All 3 of
them screwed it up BIG time. This offshore thing is obviously not for
everybody.
Richard J Kinch
> Can you imagine how many millions of pre-ground
> "stock" lenses would be needed to every possible combination of lens
> size & shape, PD, prescription, etc?
You don't understand. It takes a small number of stock lenses to cover
almost all the population for single-vision lenses. All you need are small
set of increments of spherical powers crossed with a few astigmatic
cylinder increments. These are stocked as big circular blanks.
Size and shape to fit the frame, PD centering, astigmatism angle, etc., are
all fitted with a jig that cuts the big round blank to a final shape,
center, and cylinder angle. The "optician" doesn't grind the optical
surfaces.
Now, bifocal adds, progressives, extreme Rx powers, are another matter.
But even those tend to be jobbed out to factories, not done by local
craftsmen any more. And those factories are increasingly found overseas in
an age of air transport.
JoeSpareBedroom
Twice in 25 years, my optician has gotten lenses back from the "lab",
installed them in the frames I already owned, put them on me, and said
"These are not quite right." He was correct. They were weird. He gave me
the option of putting the old ones back in and coming back when the
replacements were done, or living with the "rejects".
It's worth a few hundred bucks to some people to know that what they're
getting is perfect the first time.
Richard J Kinch
> This offshore thing is obviously not for everybody.
I agree. Dull minds have to pay more for the same results. You cannot
shop price when you don't understand what you're buying. Guild-mentality
opticians have an incentive to keep us ignorant. Intelligent, critical
thinkers, with the Web at hand, can bust that racket.
JoeSpareBedroom
How is an offshore supplier supposed to measure the distance between pupils,
and determine frame size?
William Sommerwerck
> R -2.50 -0.50x174
> L -3.00 -1.25x175
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyeglass_prescription
Both eyes are nearsighted. The first requires a cylindrical (astigmatic)
correction of -0.5 diopters at an angle of 174 degrees.
Note that the angles are in one-degree increments. Is the store supposed to
stock 180 different versions of a lens with -2.5 diopters refraction and -.5
diopters cylindrical? You'd need at least 10,000 different lenses to cover
the common combinations. Even if the cylindrical were limited to 5-degree
increments, you'd still need a huge number of lenses.
No, no, no, no, no. I don't believe it.
William Sommerwerck
> William Sommerwerck writes:
>> Can you imagine how many millions of pre-ground
>> "stock" lenses would be needed to every possible combination of lens
>> size & shape, PD, prescription, etc?
> You don't understand. It takes a small number of stock lenses to cover
> almost all the population for single-vision lenses. All you need are small
> set of increments of spherical powers crossed with a few astigmatic
> cylinder increments. These are stocked as big circular blanks.
If this is true, how could you expect a reasonably close fit?
Richard J Kinch
> It's worth a few hundred bucks to some people to know that what they're
> getting is perfect the first time.
So take your imports to the optometrist who wrote the Rx. That's his job,
to check that sort of thing. And you can check them yourself, if you know
how.
Richard J Kinch
> How is an offshore supplier supposed to measure the distance between
> pupils, and determine frame size?
He doesn't. You do.
It takes a very costly, specialized instrument called a "ruler". Opticians
use a disguised version to make you think you need them to make this
measurement, when in fact it is no more complicated than a tailor measuring
you for pants.
JoeSpareBedroom
What sort of work do you do? In other words, what do you do for a living?
Richard J Kinch
> Note that the angles are in one-degree increments. Is the store
> supposed to stock 180 different versions of a lens with -2.5 diopters
> refraction and -.5 diopters cylindrical?
Read my earlier reply. One lens blank covers all cylinder angles for a
given spherical power and cylinder power. The angle is determined by the
trimming of the blank.
Richard J Kinch
> What sort of work do you do? In other words, what do you do for a
> living?
Various engineering things, including optical engineering.
Anthony Matonak
The blanks are circles. They spin the blank around to 174 degrees
and cut it with a machine to fit the size and shape of the frame.
Anthony
JoeSpareBedroom
Do you work for free in all your "things", or do you get paid for some of
them?
Chris Lewis
> John Smith writes:
>
> > I was truly unaware such existed. Where are these people located?
>
> Hong Kong.
Ya sure? ;-)
Their web site quotes:
Zenni Optical
27 Sunny Oaks Dr.
San Rafael, Ca.94903
Phone 1-800-211-2105
Fax 1-415-491-4516
And their domain registration is "domains by proxy" with no contact
info, which is usually a very bad sign.
But not always.
They seem to at least have some US presence, which is a very
good sign.
[I buy rechargeable batteries from a company which has dozens of
different "customized to different demographic" web sites, based
in HK, but ships from CA. No problems with them.]
> > Have you done satisfactory business with them?
>
> Yep.
>
> > The product is good?
>
> Yep.
--
Chris Lewis,
Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
William Sommerwerck
> William Sommerwerck writes:
Duh. Duh, duh, duh. Of course.
Sjouke Burry
for all angles!!
Richard J Kinch
>> Various engineering things, including optical engineering.
> Do you work for free in all your "things", or do you get paid for some
> of them?
Huh? You asked me what I did for a living. That means I get paid for
engineering. Unless I've missed your point.
Michael A. Terrell
The cost me an extra $5.00 They didn't want to sell them, and advise
against it because of the extra weight. When I tell them I work in
electronics with chemicals that will fog plastic lenses, and splashes of
hot solder that will melt spots they agree make them.
--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.
Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
Edwin Pawlowski
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote in message
>
> Furthermore, it would make no sense to stock all these variations, simply
> because of the capital investment involved. A store can't afford to keep
> rarely needed prescriptions in stock.
>
> Finally... The lens has to be "ground" at some point, regardless of
> whether
> it's in China or the US. Are you suggesting that it would take an
> automatic
> machine more than a few minutes to do this -- while the technician was
> doing
> something else?
>
> Nope. I still don't buy it.
You're both right. The 1 hour places stock a bunch of lenses and cut to fit
frames as needed. Not a big deal. If, however, you have more complex needs,
progressive lenses, etc, you won't get them in an hour. Those will be sent
out and the stock lenses are modified to your particular prescription.
There are many labs that do this on a regular route basis. They pick up at
the optometrist and drop them off a few days later.
The lenses are mostly plastic today. They are molded as a round lens and
cut to shape as needed and the optic center is placed as needed. The same
was done with glass lenses years ago but they make a tiny percentage of the
market today. Plastic is optically clear, safer, cheaper, lighter, easier
to work with. They are not "ground" as glass was years ago, but molded to
the proper diopter. Most of the work is done by machine and it takes but a
few minutes.
Before they moved out of town, I used to sell lens trays to American
Optical. The glass making sections of the factory were being replaced by
molding machines. They make the lenses for pennies.
Edwin Pawlowski
>
> Both eyes are nearsighted. The first requires a cylindrical (astigmatic)
> correction of -0.5 diopters at an angle of 174 degrees.
>
> Note that the angles are in one-degree increments. Is the store supposed
> to
> stock 180 different versions of a lens with -2.5 diopters refraction
> and -.5
> diopters cylindrical? You'd need at least 10,000 different lenses to cover
> the common combinations. Even if the cylindrical were limited to 5-degree
> increments, you'd still need a huge number of lenses.
>
> No, no, no, no, no. I don't believe it.
Round lenses rotated as needed. Clamp them into a machine and let 'er rip.
Cut to the frame size.
JoeSpareBedroom
You suggested taking imported glasses back to the person who wrote the
prescription. In many cases, that person also sells glasses, so essentially,
you're doing this:
- Buy $200 lawn mower from Wal Mart
- When it has problems, take it to a locally owned specialty shop and ask
them to "check it" for free.
You never actually said "free", but if the optometrist said he charged $35
to check them, you might balk.