Do-it-yourself glasses repair

In detail: do-it-yourself glasses repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Anyone who regularly uses glasses has come across some kind of trouble with them. From a loose screw securing the ear clip to the frame to a broken frame. And if even a child can cope with the first one, then in all other cases you will need the advice of experienced people, certain equipment and tools, as well as skills in working with this tool. What tools and equipment are required for repair, tips for repairing one or another part of the spectacle frame will be described below.

First, I would like to dwell on the causes of certain breakdowns. As a rule, there are two such reasons:

The first is the natural wear and tear of spectacle frame parts due to their long-term use.
The second is the impact on the frame of brute physical force. Dropped, and even came. Didn't notice and sat down on them. I put it in an inner pocket without a case and they pinned you in the crowd, among the passengers of public transport.

It is quite possible for a home craftsman to fix most of the breakdowns of the frame itself.

The following tools and materials may be required to repair frames:

watch screwdriver, pocket knife;
small pliers, miniature vice;
electric drill, electric soldering iron;
universal glue;
fishing line 0.3 mm.

The frame of the glasses can be made of metal or plastic. The similarities in their repair end in the restoration of the hinge's functionality. So let's start with him.

Most often, holes are loosened in the hinge, where a screw is inserted that secures the eyelet to the frame. It even happens that such a screw is lost. Such a trifle in stock can hardly be found. Although a thrifty owner can hide either its analogue from glasses that cannot be restored, or see where such cogs can be found. For example, in a broken calculator. If it turns out that the thread is knocked down, it can be restored by screwing in a screw of a slightly larger diameter. When made of a harder metal, it will repair broken threads and the hinge will hold tight.

Video (click to play).

For greater reliability, the end of this screw can be riveted. If it was not possible to find a suitable screw, then there is only one way out. Pick up a piece of copper or steel wire, insert it into the lugs, cut off at both ends, leaving a margin of 0.3-0.5mm and rivet both ends with a small hammer. A brass pin with a head at one end d = 0.3-0.5mm works well. Ripping the opposite end will flatten it and give that part of the hinge a neat look.

This is found in plastic frames. The problem can be solved by going the most obvious way at first glance - gluing the frame bow at the split. But! Finding super glue is hard enough. It should also be remembered that there is a large load at the point of rupture. Therefore, experts advise to reduce the load by gluing the lens around the entire perimeter of the window, before gluing the fracture site.

For more reliable adhesion of the frame itself and the lens with it, for a while, pull this place tightly with a harsh thread or fishing line. This method works very well if the frame is broken in two places. Before applying glue to its ends, cover the plastic lens with tape on both sides. This adhesive contains a solvent that can damage the lens. After the glue has dried, clean and grind the junction of the broken parts.If you notice any scratches, you can cover the area with a thin coat of colorless nail polish. The joint will be reliable if the broken parts of the frame are welded by hot welding.The characteristics of the plastic make it possible to do this. But the melted joint will look sloppy. It will be very difficult to give them a presentation.This is typical for glasses with thin metal frames. There can be two reasons for this.Or the fastening of the screw connecting the two parts of the lens window is loose. In this case, it will be enough to tighten the screw all the way with a clock screwdriver, and flare the opposite end. Or the frame, made of thin metal, is bent and in this form is not able to hold the lens in place. Here you really need to disassemble the frame and use the lens as a blank to straighten the frame along its contour. This work must be done as carefully as possible. Metal, as a rule, is very thin, its frequent and sharp bends can lead to irreversible consequences. After that, since the lens has been removed from the frame, you can put it on glue for reliability, tighten with screws and quickly remove excess glue.

then we warm the flex in the broken temple and bend and then just break off in its place we melt a new one from the donor and the USYO

rattling graphite as previously shown, further align along the ledge and parallel

Now just a huge number of people use a variety of glasses. Sometimes with glasses, there can be problems with a loose screw before the frame completely breaks. If you are experiencing similar problems, then you may need to repair your spectacle frame.

Self-repair glasses

A broken frame is a tricky breakdown and may require skill and tools to fix it. In this article, you will learn how to fix eyeglass frames with your own hands. We have tried to describe all the processes in detail. Before you start repairing an eyeglass frame, you first need to find out the reasons for its breakdown:

Simple wear of parts. Most often, the problem occurs due to wear of the parts.
Breakage due to physical strength.

Before starting repairs, examine all the elements of your glasses.

Anyone can fix most breakdowns. Depending on the problem, you may need the following tools:

Clock screwdriver;
pliers or miniature vices;
electric drill;
universal glue;
fishing line.

Study your frame before proceeding with the repair. It can be made of plastic or metal.

With prolonged use of glasses, the holes in the hinge may loosen, where the frame is attached. Sometimes you can come across a problem when the screw is lost. If you have lost a cog, then you can find it in a calculator. Most often, the cogs in it will be similar. If the thread is knocked down and a screw of the same size pops out, then a larger diameter screw should be taken to solve the problem.

To ensure greater reliability, you can simply rivet the screw. Thanks to this, it will never become loose again and will be firmly fixed. Now you know how to repair your spectacle frame if the hinges are loose. If an old frame cannot be repaired, then learn how to choose a new frame for your glasses.

This problem is most common with plastic products. The best solution to this situation is gluing. It is best to glue the arc not only in the place where the breakage occurred, but over the entire area of the arc. This will reduce the load. To make the gluing better, you can fix the arc with a fishing line while the glue dries. The glue contains elements that can damage the lens. Therefore, immediately after gluing, the lens must be cleaned of glue.

Now you know how to glue the frames of your glasses. If, after you repair the frame of the glasses with your own hands, scratches remain, then they can be repaired with the help of colorless nail polish. However, remember that it will be almost impossible to give them a presentation.

This problem most often occurs in glasses with thin metal frames. The problem can be solved in two ways. The screw that connects the two lens windows is loose. To repair the spectacle frame in this case, simply take a screwdriver and tighten the screw. In the second case, the frame could simply bend and therefore now the lens does not stand still.To align the frame, you should completely remove the lenses, take the pliers and try to align the frame. Be careful when leveling. If you overdo it, then the frame may just burst.

It's important to know! After disassembling the frame, it must be cleaned around the entire perimeter, as dirt will accumulate here.

Before you start repairing the metal frame of your glasses, you first need to prepare the tools. First you need to make a wooden jig. To avoid scratching the lenses, simply wrap them with a soft cloth. During the work, a drill may also be required. Before starting work, the place of the break on the lenses should be degreased. Some report that sandpaper can be used to sand the fracture site, but this is not recommended.

One half of the frame must be fixed on the jig with a rubber band. The second should be pressed against the first and fixed in a similar way.

Glasses must be securely fastened before drilling

Before starting drilling, make sure that all elements are securely fastened. Glue should also be applied to the fracture site. Now you need to find the optimal distance from the place in both halves of the frame and drill two through holes. Use a needle to insert a thread into one of them. Then the thread should be touched into the second hole. This procedure should be repeated several times. This will not work anymore, since the hole diameter will not allow you to push the thread through many times. The ends of the thread that remain should be parted to the sides and secured with tape.

The threads that will act as a bandage must be fastened with glue. Now you can take the remaining turns of thread that were secured with tape and attach to the main threads. Subsequently, they should also be covered with a thin layer of glue. Thanks to this winding, you can make the connection more durable. Remember to cover each layer with glue as you thread new threads. Now you know how to glue the frame of your plastic sunglasses. If you are interested, then you can read about how to wipe glasses of glasses.

Before gluing the frame of plastic glasses, it is necessary to remove the remnants of the hinge melted into the frame. If necessary, you can warm up the frame with a soldering iron and use tweezers to get the rest of the elements. Now, using copper or steel wire, you can bend the loop with an inner diameter equal to the screw fastening the hinge. After you select the desired diameter of the pliers, you can give the workpiece the shape of the letter omega.

The next step is to put the hinge in place. You can grab your workpiece with tweezers. Now put it back in place and heat it up with a soldering iron. During the heating process, the loop will gradually deepen into the frame to the required depth. When the required depth is reached, the soldering iron can be removed. When all the installation steps are completed, you can start finishing work. All irregularities that have formed on the surface can be removed with a soldering iron.The reasons for the discrepancy between the temples in the glasses can be quite varied. The main reason is that the holes in the hinges are simply loose. You already know how to repair glasses side dishes. We discussed this in the first paragraph. During the use of the plastic glasses, the edges may have been erased. As a result, the divergence angle can increase significantly.

The main structural element that holds the temples and the frame of the glasses together is the hinge assembly, which can have two versions.

In one of them, the bow is attached by means of a conventional screw connection. A more complex design is the version in which a special spring-loaded mechanism called a flex is used for fastening.

In the simplest case, when the malfunction is associated with unscrewing the screw from the attachment point, it is enough to simply return it to its place using a clockwise screwdriver or a well-sharpened knife. No soldering is needed here.

In the presence of flexes, the repair of glasses is significantly complicated, since the fixing screw in this case passes through the movable bar, and when it falls out, it is pulled into the ear cavity.

In this case, two fastening holes, which coincide in the normal state, after this breakdown, due to the action of the spring, lose their coaxiality, so that the screw cannot be returned to its place. The only possible way out of this position is to slide the bar back into place and screw the fastening screw into the hole.

To return the bar, the easiest way is to use an awl or needle that allows you to catch on a small protrusion that extends beyond the temple of the glasses. For this operation, two hands are usually not enough, so either outside help or a small vise (clamp) will be required.

In the second case, the body of the temple is first clamped, after which you can try to screw the screw into place. In the case when the material behind the ears is very soft, it is advisable to lay them with a piece of leather.If the screw is damaged or lost, it can be replaced with any suitable size and thread. If the diameter does not match, it is screwed into the fastening hole with effort, thereby cutting a new thread. You can also use a piece of copper wire of a suitable cross-section, which, after installation in the hole, is riveted from both sides.For some glasses, the earhook (bow) breaks at the point where the hinge is attached to the flex itself, which forces you to choose one of two solutions: complete replacement or repair. Since this part can only be changed with glasses, we will consider the device of the node and the procedure for restoring it in more detail. Image - Do-it-yourself glasses repair

A close examination of the structure shows that at the end of the temple there is a rectangular groove, which includes a steel strip with a thickness of about 1 mm. It usually breaks when this part of the glasses is damaged and needs to be repaired.

A possible option for its restoration is a connection in a fractured place by means of a rivet.

As such a part, a brass sewing pin with a head about a millimeter in diameter can be used, for which you need to drill holes in the parts to be joined. When marking, one of them is outlined in the center of the earhook (bow) so that it coincides with the center line of the strip fixed in the hinge. Only after attaching this part it will be possible to clearly mark, and then drill holes in both halves to be joined.

In some models of glasses, the lenses are rigidly mounted in half of the rim, and their open part is held in the frame by means of a fishing line recessed in a special groove. This way of fixing the lenses makes glasses more elegant in appearance and comfortable to wear by reducing the weight of the frame.

But all these advantages come at the cost of the inconvenience that they easily break in the event of a negligent relationship. Here, as well as when repairing a flex, the following two options are possible:

if the lens jumped out of the mount, and the fishing line remained in its place - due to its elasticity, the optical element of the glasses is easily installed in its previous position;
in a situation where the line has completely fallen off the frame, it will need to be completely replaced.

In the latter case, you should not get upset and immediately contact the workshop, since such a malfunction can be easily eliminated with your own hands. This problem can be solved with the help of a durable fishing line with a cross section of 0.8 mm, from the skein of which a piece of about ten centimeters is cut off.

After removing the old scaffold, make sure that the ends of the new workpiece easily pass into the fixing holes, and if not, then sharpen them a little (cut along the oblique line). If, in this case, the fishing line does not pass through the holes, it is necessary to expand them in some way (sometimes you even have to drill out this part of the mount).

After the ends are inserted into the holes, and the size is measured strictly along the length of the lens arc, you should warm up their ends with a soldering iron, then securely fix the optics in the frame. This is a case of using soldering to repair glasses.If the frame is metal, and the metal of the lens holder has burst, then soldering can be used for repair. The holder is soldered using rosin as a flux (zinc chloride is better for stainless steel and steel), and the solder is chosen either tin-lead or in accordance with the characteristics of the metal of the frame.It is not uncommon for glasses to break into two parts one of the arms, and the breakage occurs in the area of the joint between the metal and the plastic tip, fixed to the pin by means of a screw. In this case, of course, you can use the method of laser soldering of metals, but at home this option is difficult to implement. Image - Do-it-yourself glasses repair

It is much easier to use for this a brass plate of the corresponding shape and thickness of 1 mm, connecting both halves, ground at the point of contact.

There are two holes drilled in the cover, and there are fixing folds on each side. The size of one of the holes coincides with the relief notches in the openwork pattern of the metal part, while the second is made arbitrary. After assembling the bow into a single whole, it takes on a completely wearable look.

The arch skeleton can be repaired using the same methods as for earhooks. However, in this case, it would be wiser to purchase a new, not very expensive frame that matches the color and structure of the metal. Rearranging it instead of the old broken part will not be difficult. Image - Do-it-yourself glasses repair

In the event of a breakage of the metal rim of the frame, serious repairs will be required, since this place experiences strong deformation loads.

The simplest solution is to glue the metal rim directly to the lenses of the glasses. In this case, the bonding area is significantly increased, which provides the necessary strength of the joint formed.

For these purposes, the well-known brand of universal glue "Contact" is optimal, the strength of which only increases over time. To prevent glue from getting on the plastic lenses, glue a strip of adhesive tape on both sides of the joint seam. If the lenses are glass, then you can do without this, since the glue from the glass is wiped off quite simply.

Soldering eyeglass frames or thermoplastic bezels requires a soldering iron or similar heating device.They are necessary to heat up the plastic in the bonding area of broken parts joined in a molten state. This is not soldering in the full sense of the word, since solder is not used here.

You can do without soldering devices if you use dichloroethane or benzene, which melts the plastic to the desired state at normal temperatures.Regardless of the selected heating method, the parts of the frame softened to the required state are tightly pressed against one another and kept for some time, sufficient to obtain a reliable diffusion connection. Image - Do-it-yourself glasses repair

The laser soldering method is one of the latest technologies that allows very delicate repairs to metal frames of any shape. The locality of the heating of the contact zone makes it possible to preserve the adjacent areas in an undeformed form.

The restoration of parts by a laser method is carried out using a special microscope, which affects the cost of all repair operations.

This method can be soldered both in a vacuum and in the open air; Moreover, the use of fluxes in this case is not at all necessary. When soldering glasses, it is preferable to use an impulsive mode of operation of the laser device, using solders corresponding to the steel grade of the temples or rim.

Professionals carry out the soldering of titanium, composite and steel frames, they know how to choose the right solder. Soldering with a low-power laser can lead to the fact that parts of the glasses fall apart after a while, so the choice of the power of the device plays an important role.In order to protect glasses from breakage, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:

it is best to wear them with a special safety cord, which prevents falling and damage to the product;

before removing clothes, do not forget to take off glasses in order to avoid their breakage;

it is better to store them in a specially designed case.

Note also that when not in use, it is advisable to fold the earhooks without leaving the glasses in a dangerous and unstable position.Today, a modern person has to read a lot and work with a computer, while the load on the muscles of the eyes often exceeds that laid down by nature. Vision deteriorates, and sooner or later you have to put on glasses, which are a metal or plastic frame with glass or plastic lenses installed in it.In order to make the glasses comfortable, and they not only allow to restore vision, but at the same time were an adornment, manufacturers strive to make glasses as light as possible. And the number of design solutions, as well as the cost of glasses, tend to infinity.Glasses are constantly used in extreme conditions, and regardless of the manufacturer, whether they are branded glasses or cheap Chinese ones, sooner or later they break, and you have to buy new ones or repair glasses.If the screw for fixing the glass or in the hinge of the temple attachment is simply unscrewed, then even a child can cope with such a repair, just take a watch screwdriver or a knife with a sharp end and tighten the screw, without applying more force, until it stops. But if the frame of the glasses breaks at the place of transfer, or the temple breaks off at the point of the hinge, then such a breakdown of the glasses is no longer easy to eliminate, tools and knowledge of technology are needed for repair.In modern glasses, the temples are often attached to the hinges using a flex. This mechanism is a spring that fixes the temple in a predetermined position and allows the temples to move apart, in contrast to the standard angle of 100 conventional glasses, by an angle of up to 160. The frame with flexes eliminates pressure on the head when wearing glasses and distortion of the frame when removing glasses with one hand. therefore, glasses with flexes last longer and are more comfortable to wear. But the more complex the glasses are, the more likely it is to break.If it is not difficult to screw a loose screw in the hinge of fastening simple glasses, then in glasses equipped with flexes, it is not such an easy task as it seems at first glance. When attaching the temple, the screw passes through the movable flex bar, and if the screw is unscrewed, the flex bar is drawn into the cavity of the temple and the mounting hole in the frame does not coincide with the hole on the temple. It is impossible to tighten the screw.When analyzing a breakdown, everything is clear, you need to push the flex bar and screw the screw into place. The bar can be easily pulled out with an awl or a needle, if you pass them through the screw hole, but then there is nowhere to screw the screw. Otherwise, it seems that there is nothing to catch on. But if you look closely, it turns out that there is a ledge in the bar protruding from the temple, behind which it can be pushed. Only the problem of lack of hands arises. The third hand can be a good vise.The temple is clamped into the jaws of the vise, if the material from which the temple is made is soft, then you need to lay a piece of leather between the jaws of the vise. But even with the help of a vise, it is not easy to screw the screw into the frame of the glasses, since you have to hold the base of the frame with one hand and, at the same time, with this same hand, use a small screwdriver to move the flex bar up so that the holes coincide. With the other hand, you need to insert a screw into the aligned holes and screw it in. I only succeeded with a few tries.The native screw was lost, and I had to screw in a suitable diameter, came up from a broken calculator. Before assembling the glasses, you must first screw the new screw into the frame of the glasses with force, thereby cutting a new thread. In order to prevent the screw from unscrewing, I riveted it a little, from the side of its exit from the frame of the glasses.If it was not possible to find a suitable screw, it can be replaced with a brass or steel rod of a suitable diameter, for fixing, by riveting its ends, as described below.I got into the repair of glasses, the temple in which broke off at the point where the hinge was attached to the flex.The load on the junction of the temple with the flex is large and repairing glasses with superglue or epoxy would not provide a reliable connection. There was only a mechanical way to repair glasses.At the end of the temple of the glasses there was a hole with a rectangular groove, and the counterpart of the part, which entered this hole and was fixed in the hinge of the glasses frame, was a narrow steel flat strip about 1 mm thick. The only reliable way to repair glasses was by riveting them together.There are no industrial rivets for such minor repairs. But a brass sewing pin with a metal head with a diameter of 0.7 mm worked well as a rivet for repairing glasses. The size of the pin determines the diameter of the holes that need to be drilled in the parts to be joined.Before drilling, you need to make a markup. The first hole must be drilled in the ear, at a point so that it passes through the center of the strip attached to the frame hinge.To do this, the temple must be clamped in a vice. Between the jaws of the vise, so as not to damage the coating of the temples, lay pieces of leather and apply a drilling point with a core.Next, a hole must be drilled in the temple of the glasses. It is difficult to drill a hole with a diameter of 0.7 mm with a household powerful drill without breaking the drill, since it is impossible to feel the pressure on the drill due to the larger mass of the drill and this will lead to inevitable breakage of the drill. For such work, a miniature drill is needed, for example, as in a homemade mini drilling machine.The hole is ready, a sewing pin, which will become a rivet, is firmly inserted into it and you can proceed to the next step of repairing glasses.You also need to drill a hole in the flat plate, with which the temple is attached to the hinge of the frame. Before drilling, you need to mark the drilling point.To do this, the plate is inserted all the way into the groove of the temple located at its end, and in this form the assembly is clamped in the jaws of a vice laid with leather. The bow of the glasses should take a position relative to the frame, corresponding to the glasses worn on the person's head.The hole previously drilled in the temple of the glasses will serve as a conductor, inserting a drill into it, drill a hole in the plate. Drilling must be done very carefully with little force, as the drill can be easily broken.All holes are drilled, and you can proceed to the final stage of repairing glasses, riveting. The flat plate is inserted all the way into the groove in the temple, and the pin is threaded through all the holes.With the help of pliers, the pin on the opposite side of the head is shortened so that the protruding part from the temple of the glasses is 0.2-0.3 mm high.To complete the repair of glasses, it remains to flare the protruding part of the pin with a small hammer. To do this, press the round head of the pin to the anvil and with light blows, changing the angle, flatten the part of the pin protruding above the temple.If there is no small hammer, then you can expand the pin with a large hammer, applying weak blows to the protrusion of the pin through the metal rod.As you can see, the repair of the glasses is finished, the rivet of the temples to the base turned out to be neat and did not spoil the aesthetic appearance of the glasses.

Video (click to play).

While I was fixing the glasses, fixing one temple in place, the second one broke on the glasses. I had to repair it using the technology described above. Now glasses after repair will serve for a long time, and this has been confirmed by time. The technology of repairing glasses with a rivet was tested by me on several types of glasses frames; after repair, the glasses at the junction of the temples with the console no longer broke.