People with reduced visual acuity find it difficult to do without corrective devices: glasses or contact lenses. The latter are not suitable for everyone, so many still use glasses. However, glasses are a rather fragile accessory that requires careful handling and proper care. Even with care, breakdowns are not uncommon. The first thought in this case is to contact a specialized workshop, but do not rush, because many damages can be repaired on their own. In the article we will tell you how to fix glasses at home and at minimal cost.
Causes and types of breakdowns
The main causes of glasses breakage are wear and tear due to long-term use and mechanical stress. Glasses break from falls, squeezing, rough handling.
The most common problem is loose or missing frame and temple swivel screws. Tightening the screw is usually not difficult,however, how to fix the headband of glasses if the part is lost? Breakage of the hinge mechanism is also not a rare case. It occurs due to careless opening of the temples or if the glasses are accidentally sat on. The cause of breakage of metal frames is most often squeezing. An accessory without a case should not be carried in a pocket or bag. Plastic frames are quite fragile and often suffer from falls from heights. The reason for the loss of glasses is the mechanical deformation of the frame, and scratches on the surface of the lenses arise from ignoring the recommendations for the care and use of glasses.
The answer to the question of how to fix glasses with the above breakdowns can be found below.
Required materials and tools
Repair of glasses will require the use of the following materials and tools:
- A set of watch screwdrivers or a set for repairing glasses. The screws in the glasses are tiny, and it will not work to pick them up with a regular screwdriver. If a suitable tool is not found, you can use a thin knife, but be careful not to rip off the notches on the hat.
- Cutters and pliers. Useful to make it easier to hold the frame and cut off excess wire.
- Scissors.
- Small hammer. It can be used to rivet the bottom of the screw to prevent future loosening.
- Glue. The choice should be a fast curing adhesive suitable for bonding frame material.
- Electric soldering iron.
- Paper clips, wire and head pins. needed to strengthendamaged frame locations and to replace lost or broken hinge parts.
- Fine sandpaper. Useful for polishing the restored area of the frame and temple.
- Fishing line 0.3 - 0.8 mm. Needed to repair semi-rimmed frames with broken or loose line.
- Strong thread.
- Transparent nail polish. The repaired and protected area of the frame may lose its shine, nail polish will restore it to its original appearance.
- Scotch. Useful to protect the lens from glue.
Replacing a lost screw
How to fix the headband of glasses if it fell off? The cause of the problem may be a loose screw holding the shackle on the frame. Well, if the part has not been lost, then it is easy to return it to its place by carefully twisting it with a screwdriver or a knife. To prevent the trouble from happening again, you can rivet the lower part of the screw with a small hammer. If you don’t have a miniature tool at hand, you can use an ordinary hammer and a metal rod.
However, how to fix the glasses if the screw is lost? In this case, you can try to replace the screw with a new one. Glasses repair kits have such parts. You can also use a screw from an old calculator or electronic watch. If the new part is slightly wider than the old screw, it doesn't matter. With gentle force, you can cut a new thread. This method is also suitable for repairing spectacles with stripped or worn threads.due to prolonged use of glasses. The excess length of the new screw is removed with pliers and riveted.
The question often arises: how to fix glasses at home if there is no suitable screw at hand? In this case, you can replace it with a pin with a flat or small round head. The pin is inserted into the hole for fastening, the lower part is cut off and riveted.
Glasses repaired in this way do not lose functionality and will last for a long time.
Replacing screw in flex glasses
Flexa is a movable bar that allows the arms of the glasses to open 160 degrees, as opposed to the conventional mechanism where the arms open 100 degrees. Glasses with flex do not squeeze the head, so they are more comfortable to wear. Repairing the temples of glasses with this mechanism is not much more difficult than regular ones.
When there is no screw in the flex mechanism, the movable bar retracts inside the shackle. As a result, the holes do not line up and the screw cannot be tightened. It is easy to return the bar to the desired position with a needle, but then it will be inconvenient to screw in the screw. In this case, you can use a thin silk thread by threading it through an open hole. The thread should secure the mechanism in the open state and tighten the screw. Next, the thread is cut. The remaining piece will not interfere with the functionality of the glasses.
It is even easier to make a similar repair with replacing a screw with a pin. The thread is not needed, and the flex can be pushed out with the tip of a pin. Next, the pin is cut and riveted. The renovated area gets neat and inconspicuous.
Hinge mechanism failure
How to fix glasses if the hinge mechanism itself is broken? Repair begins with the careful removal of the damaged part, it is important not to spoil the frame. For these purposes, a file is suitable. When the surface is leveled, proceed to the manufacture of the replacement part. Copper wire of suitable diameter is passed through the remaining whole loop of the mechanism and bent into the shape of the Greek letter omega. Next, the parts are connected and the wire is heated with a soldering iron, gently pressing it into the softened plastic until completely immersed. Thus, a strong connection is obtained. When the wire has cooled, the place is ground and leveled. You can mask the repair with a matching color nail polish.
Unfortunately, this repair method is only suitable for plastic frames.
Plastic Frame Repair
Many are faced with the problem: how to repair the frame of glasses so that the repair is not too noticeable? The easiest way to repair a frame made of plastic. First of all, it is necessary to protect the lenses from the ingress of glue. This mainly concerns polymer lenses and lenses with anti-reflective coatings, the adhesive can be easily removed from the glass with a solvent or nail polish remover. Scotch tape is suitable for these purposes. They paste over the lens around the perimeter. It is advisable not to touch the center of the optical surface so as not to damage its properties.
The next step is to coat the end of the frame and the fracture site with glue, insert the lens and fix it tightly. The glue sets in a couple of minutes. BeforeComplete drying will take about a day. For a tighter fixation, you can wrap the glasses with a strong thread. After complete drying, excess glue is removed.
When the glue is completely dry, proceed to strengthen the breakage. To do this, you need a paper clip or staple. The paper clip is bent like a staple, leaving the ends 1-2 mm long. If the work is carried out with a bracket, its ends are shortened. Then, with the help of tweezers, hold the bracket over the breakage site, heat it with a soldering iron and gently sink it into the plastic of the frame. After cooling, the place is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper and masked with nail polish.
How to fix glasses with a broken bridge?
The procedure is similar to repairing a frame. First, the fracture site is fixed with glue. To ensure that the connection is tight and does not move during the drying process, a construction of two wooden planks and stationery rubber bands is used. After complete drying, the excess glue is removed, and the fracture site is additionally strengthened with a metal bracket. Such repairs are almost invisible and do not spoil the appearance of the glasses.
Line break in semi-rimmed frame
In such a frame, the lens is held on one side by the frame, and on the other by a fishing line. The glasses look sleeker and weigh less. However, this design is less durable than the classic version of the frame. The most common failure is a broken line holding the lens from below. Can damaged glasses be repaired? As easy as pie! For repairs, you will need a new fishing line of a suitable diameter and a littlepatience. Line can be purchased at any fishing tackle store.
First, remove the old fishing line. This usually happens easily, but if the end of the fishing line is stuck, a needle or thin awl may come in handy. A new fishing line is inserted into the cleaned hole, its end is melted and carefully fixed into the hole. The holes for the fishing line are made cone-shaped, they are narrower from the inside than from the outside, which allows you to fix the fishing line without a protruding edge. Next, insert the lens and tightly fix it with a fishing line along the facet. The edge of the fishing line is passed into the hole, cut off and melted, tucking the end into the cone of the hole. If the melted ends of the fishing line protrude, they are carefully cut with a blade. Repaired glasses look like new.
Metal Frame Repair
How to fix glasses with a broken metal frame is a question that often arises, because it is difficult to do without welding. Metal frames are usually very thin and no amount of glue will hold strong enough. In this case, the following method will do.
The essence of the method is to fix the lens to the frame with glue. The lens is covered with adhesive tape around the perimeter to protect it from glue. To clean the ends of the adhesive tape, you can use fine-grained sandpaper. Glue is applied to the end of the lens and inserted into the frame, tightly fixing the structure. When the glue sets, wrap the glasses with a strong thread and leave to dry completely.
After a day, you can remove the fixing and protective materials and clean the glasses from excess glue. If ado the job carefully, the repair will be almost invisible.
Lens falling out of frame
The most common cause of lenses falling out of frames is loosening of the screw fixing the frame or deformation of the frame. In the first case, it is enough to tighten the screw, and in the second case, it is necessary to return the frame to its original shape.
Metal construction is the easiest to work with. It is enough to fix it in a vice and slowly bend it in the right direction. Use a piece of soft cloth or leather to avoid damaging the finish of the frame.
Before working with a plastic frame, it must be heated. It is best to heat with a pot of boiling water. The hot steam will soften the plastic and make it softer and more pliable. Further, the frame is returned to its original form.
The most common cause of lenses falling out of semi-rimless frames is loosening of the fixing line. In this case, the best solution would be to replace the fishing line with a new one.
Expert Tips
Pros recommend:
- If you are not confident in your abilities and are afraid to permanently ruin your accessory, it is better to contact a workshop where you can fix your glasses.
- You can remove glue from glass lenses with acetone. However, for polymeric materials, this method is fatal.
- You can cover up chips and cracks in the frame by preparing a mixture of glue and ordinary baking soda. Such a "putty" will reliably hide the defect, and after complete drying it can be sanded.
- You can mask the traces of repairs with a matching color nail polish. The surface will be smooth again.and shiny.
Glasses care
Compliance with simple rules for the care of glasses will allow them to last longer, without breakage and damage.
- Take off and put on glasses with two hands, this will help to avoid distortions and deformation of the frame.
- Do not put your glasses upside down, as this will scratch the lenses.
- Glasses should be stored in a hard case to protect them from accidental squeezing and dust.
- Do not use glasses as hair bands, the frames may be deformed and the temples may break.
- Do not leave glasses near heating appliances. This is especially important for plastic frames. High temperatures can warp them.
- Avoid getting hairspray or hairspray on lenses and frames.
- To care for glasses, use special products and a soft microfiber cloth. This will prevent scratches on the glasses and will not damage the protective coating.
Glasses are fragile things that require careful handling and care to avoid dirt and breakage. The most commonly needed repairs are the hinge mechanism of the temples, falling out lenses and cracked frames.
