Titanium Eyeglass Frames

Ken, You could probably buy new frames, if not for your hand cleaner budget.

Buy new ones from optical4less.com - it's *amazing* how cheap and high quality the eyewear from Hong Kong is. I bought 2 pairs at $29 each and they're no quality drop at all from my previous $258 pair.
GWE

"Grant Erwin" wrote: Buy new ones from optical4less.com (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The problem will be matching the frame shape to the lenses. These shapes are nowhere near standard.
As far a soldering goes, you really need a jeweler's torch. A high wattage soldering iron doesn't get hotter than a small electronics type--just has capability of heating larger, heavier joints. Big and clumsy is not what you need.
Have you asked at your optometry shop? Maybe they do this. How long have you been wearing this prescription? You may be due for new lenses soon anyway, so the issue of fitting to the new frames disappears.

Or from zennioptical.com, which may be the same firm... /mark

Forget about soldering titanium; its just not possible. Titanium is one of those rare metals that simply cannot be soldered: if you try you'll just mess it up. It can be lazer or arc welded if shielded with argon, but you need specialized equipment to do it. You could bodge it with reinforcements and an epoxy adhesive, but it won't last - the adhesive won't stick for the same reason that solder won't.

Id second this, or anywhere else in asia for that matter. South Korea has excellent high quality cheap eyewear. i dont know why we pay for glasses out the a$$ here in australia, but the cheapest most basic ugly looking pair of glasses you can get over here start at around AU$200. anything remotely nice looking is around AU$500 and designer frames with quality nikon/hoya lenses would make you faint
in korea basic eyewear with domestic lenses starts at around $25. knock offs of anything you like in really nice materials with imported nikon/hoya lenses is going to cost you around $150. who's making the huge markups here?
Id like to know how to do something with titanium frames because ive got an older pair of oakley razorblades ive been wearing for years. they seem to be bomb proof, but i know it cant last forever.
as an aside, if you're chasing titanium, look to the east; russia has most of the worlds titanium for some bizzare reason. there are plenty of firms over there that do custom titanium fittings, fasteners, dental work, and all for small money. I ordered a custom set of titanium fasteners for my bike while i was in korea, cant remember the exact price, but it was cheaper than buying stainless locally, and i could choose any geometry/head i wanted.
Shaun

Easy, you get new lenses too. Those are *included* in the $29 price .. just enter your prescription data into their Web site.
You can get real fancy frames from these places. 'Course, they're more than $29, but if you want memory metal, whatever, they have it.
GWE

I have frameless titanium with tinted and ar coated lenses on right now, shipping included they were 44.95 from Zenni I doubt you will find anyone to repair yours for a reasonable fee.

: :I have frameless titanium with tinted and ar coated lenses on right :now, shipping included they were 44.95 from Zenni :I doubt you will find anyone to repair yours for a reasonable fee.
This thread came along at exactly the right time for me. I'm ordering a new pair of computer glasses from Zenni Optical for $37.86, shipping included. For that price I can't even get one lens from Lenscrafters ($80+ per lens, $200 for frame, $380+ total).

Please post a review when they show up, Bob.
I wish there were a big US optical company that were publically traded. I'd short the shit out of their stock. After the word gets out I can't even imagine one single person spending 10X the price any more when they don't have to.
GWE

Greetings,
For what it's worth:
To save you a [virtual] trip, Zenni Optical is neither a member of the BBB nor in particularly good esteem with their local chapter, darn it! (I sat on my glasses this weekend. Yes, I should have used a chair. ;-)

I tried Zenni this past summer, after I got suckered into progressive bifocals for my "real" glasses. The "beer goggle effect" drove me nuts; $180, just for lenses.
I ordered a pair of regular and a pair of readers (ie, different glasses; cost same or less than bifocals through them, and the whole progressive thing put me off bifocals at all). No options (hokey AR coatings strike me as a profit center, make no difference in use, IME.) I've been happy, and somewhat surprised that the (standard, no cost added) hard coat has held up well (I generally don't do well with plastic lenses). Two pairs for ~$45 delivered, in a couple of weeks. Optical quality excellent.
I do wish they offered cable temples, but the spring-hinge type I got have been working OK. Likewise, all the lenses are polycarbonate, but none of the glasses are listed as specifically meeting standards for safety glasses.
Having been happy with the initial order, I just ordered a pair of sunglasses and a pair of magnifiers; will post in a couple weeks on how the latter work out; was a slow side effect of a discussion here about magnifiers, and the fact that a pair of magnifying glasses would be made to your own personal pupil spacing, and could incorporate your base prescription (and cost less than a generic set, at that). I'm not sure how they will work out, but for $12.95 it's not terrible if they don't. If you are going to be in at the eye doctor anyway (I was not - had been in last summer, current insurance does not cover until 2 years later) you could bring along some small workpiece and try out various additions on their setup, to see just what you'd like to add, and where that puts the working distance (should be no worse than other magnifiers, AFAICT, and probably better for glasses wearers, having only one lens).

I have these folks bookmarked for the day I need to replace my $400 specs;
I have No relationship with them and have never used them. I heard precisely one person recommend them.
FWIW

:Robert Nichols wrote: :> :> : :> :I have frameless titanium with tinted and ar coated lenses on right :> :now, shipping included they were 44.95 from Zenni :> :I doubt you will find anyone to repair yours for a reasonable fee. :> :> This thread came along at exactly the right time for me. I'm ordering :> a new pair of computer glasses from Zenni Optical for $37.86, shipping :> included. For that price I can't even get one lens from Lenscrafters :> ($80+ per lens, $200 for frame, $380+ total). :> : :Please post a review when they show up, Bob. : :I wish there were a big US optical company that were publically :traded. I'd short the shit out of their stock. After the word gets out :I can't even imagine one single person spending 10X the price any more :when they don't have to.
Look for a followup in about 2 weeks.
I fully expect optical companies to start a major lobbying effort to make "Interstate Trafficking in Eyeglasses" a federal crime.

On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 04:51:27 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, Richard Kanarek quickly quoth:
I had a problem with a lens falling out when I got my computer glasses from Zenni a couple years ago. It took a couple weeks for them to answer, but I got a replacement frame from them in a different color. For the price, I'd do it again, especially now that they have larger frames.
That said, I just spent $500 for 3 pairs (bifocal all-the-times, single-vision reading, and bifocal computer) through a member of my ITEX barter group. It beat spending cash at the time.
-- If it weren't for jumping to conclusions, some of us wouldn't get any exercise.

On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 04:51:27 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, Richard Kanarek quickly quoth:
Note: This site does not work with Firefox. Use Internet Exploder.

It worked in FF2 for me.

On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 13:10:15 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Ecnerwal quickly quoth:
I urped using progressives and forced the doc to put me back in bifocals so the rest of the lens would be corrected and usable. Only about 20% of the very center of the lens is corrected in progressives. I couldn't see the rear view mirror unless I physically turned my head. My astigmatism was uncorrected in 80% of the progressive lens. Eff that noise!
AR coatings also pick up fingerprints horribly and they're hard to clean. They'd be great for extended night driving, though. That would be their only use for me.
I avoid polycarbonate because of the inherent distortion. I can see it far too easily and get dizzy from it.
-- If it weren't for jumping to conclusions, some of us wouldn't get any exercise.