It is difficult for people with reduced visual acuity 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 a careful attitude and proper care. Even with caution, breakdowns are not uncommon. The first thought in this case is to contact a specialized workshop, but do not rush, because many damage can be repaired independently. In the article, we will tell you how to fix points at home and at minimal cost.
Causes and types of breakdowns
The main reasons for the breakdown of glasses include wear due to prolonged use and mechanical stress. Glasses break from falls, squeezing, rude attitude.
The most common problem is the loosening or loss of the swivel screws of the rim and temple. Tighten the screw usually does not cause difficulties, however, how to fix the temple of the glasses, if the part is lost? Damage to the articulated mechanism is also not a rare case. It occurs due to the careless opening of the arms or if you accidentally sat on the glasses. The cause of damage to 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 a height. The cause of the glass falling out 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 points with the aforementioned breakdowns can be found below.
Necessary materials and tools
Repairing glasses will require the use of the following materials and tools:
- A set of watch screwdrivers or a set for repairing glasses. The cogs in the glasses are tiny, and picking them up with an ordinary screwdriver will not work. If no suitable tool is found, you can use a thin knife, but be careful not to tear off the notches on the hat.
- Nippers and pliers. Useful to make it more convenient to hold the frame and cut off the excess wire.
- Scissors.
- Little hammer. It can be used to rivet the bottom of the screw to prevent it from loosening in the future.
- Glue. The choice should be stopped on quickly hardening glue, suitable for gluing the material of the frame.
- Electric soldering iron.
- Paper clips, wire and pins with a head. Will be needed to strengthen the damaged parts of the frame and to replace lost or broken parts of the hinge mechanism.
- Fine sandpaper. Useful for polishing the restored area of the rim and temple.
- Fishing line 0.3 - 0.8 mm. It will be needed to repair semi-rimmed frames with a torn or weakened fishing line.
- Durable thread.
- Clear nail polish. A repaired and protected area of the frame may lose its luster, nail polish will return it to its original appearance.
- Scotch. Useful to protect the lens from glue.
Replacing a lost screw
How to fix the shackle of glasses if it falls off? The cause of the problem may be the loosened screw holding the bow on the frame. Well, if the part was not lost, then it is easy to put it back in place, carefully twisting it with a screwdriver or knife. So that from now on the trouble does not happen again, you can rivet the bottom of the screw with a small hammer. If a miniature tool is not found at hand, you can use a conventional hammer and a metal rod.
However, how to fix points if the screw is lost? In this case, you can try replacing the screw with a new one. Glasses repair kits have such parts. You can also use the screw from the old calculator or electronic clock. If the new part is slightly wider than the old screw - it does not matter. With a careful effort, a new thread can be cut. This method is also suitable for repairing glasses with torn threads or worn out due to long-term operation 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 was 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 mounting hole, the lower part is cut off and riveted.
Glasses repaired in this way do not lose their functionality and will last a long time.
Replacing the screw in glasses with flex
Flexa is a movable bar that allows the temples of the glasses to open 160 degrees, unlike the usual mechanism, where the arms open 100 degrees. Glasses with flex do not squeeze the head, so they are more comfortable to wear. It is not much more difficult to repair the temples of glasses with such a mechanism than usual.
When there is no screw in the flex mechanism, the movable bar is retracted into the bow. As a result, the holes do not match and the screw cannot be tightened. The bar is easy to return 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 fix 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.
Performing a similar repair with replacing the screw with a pin is even easier. A thread is not needed, and flex can be pushed with the tip of a pin. Next, the pin is cut and riveted. The repaired plot gets neat and inconspicuous.
Articulation
How to repair glasses if the hinge mechanism breaks? Repair begins with the careful removal of the damaged part, it is important not to spoil the frame. A file is suitable for these purposes. When the surface is leveled, begin to manufacture parts for replacement. A copper wire of suitable diameter is passed through the remaining whole loop of the mechanism and bent in the form of the Greek letter Omega. Next, the parts are connected and using a soldering iron they heat the wire, gently squeezing it into the softened plastic until completely immersed. Thus, a strong connection is obtained. When the wire cools down, grind the place and level it. You can mask the repair with a matching nail polish.
Unfortunately, this repair method is only suitable for plastic frames.
Plastic Frame Repair
Many are faced with the problem: how to fix the frame of glasses so that the repair is not too noticeable? The easiest way to repair a plastic frame. First of all, it is necessary to protect the lenses from glue. This mainly applies to polymeric lenses and lenses coated with glare, the adhesive can be easily removed from the glass with a solvent or nail polish remover. For these purposes, adhesive tape is suitable. They paste 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 smear the end face of the frame and the break point with glue, insert the lens and tightly fix it. Clay seizes in a couple of minutes. Before complete drying, you will need to wait 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 has completely dried out, they begin to strengthen the place of breakage. To do this, you need a paper clip or staple. The paper clip is bent like a staple, leaving 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 place of breakage, heat it with a soldering iron and carefully recess it in the plastic of the frame. After cooling, the place is sanded with fine-grained emery paper and masked with nail polish.
How to repair glasses with a broken nose?
The procedure is similar to repairing the frame. Initially, the fault location is fixed with glue. To ensure that the connection is tight and does not move during the drying process, use a design of two wooden planks and stationery gum. After complete drying, excess glue is removed, and the fracture is further strengthened with a metal bracket. Such repairs are almost invisible and do not spoil the appearance of the glasses.
Half-rimmed line breakage
In such a frame, the lens is held on one side by a frame, and on the other, by a fishing line. Glasses look more elegant and weigh less. However, this design is less durable than the classic version of the frame. The most common breakage is line breakage that holds the lens from below. Is it possible to repair glasses with similar damage? Easy peasy! For repair you will need a new fishing line of suitable diameter and a little patience. Fishing line can be purchased at any fishing tackle store.
First you need to remove the old fishing line. This usually happens easily, but if the end of the line is stuck, a needle or a thin awl may come in handy. A new fishing line is inserted into the cleaned hole, its end is melted and neatly fixed into the hole. The fishing holes are made cone-shaped, inside they are narrower than the outside, which allows you to fix the fishing line without a protruding edge. Next, insert the lens and tightly fix it with fishing line along the facet. The edge of the fishing line is passed into the hole, cut it 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. After repair, the glasses look like new.
Repair of a metal frame
How to repair glasses with a broken metal frame is a question that often arises, because it is difficult to do without welding here. Frames made of metal are usually very thin, and no glue will hold strong enough. In this case, the following method is suitable.
The essence of the method is to fix the lens to the frame with glue. The lens is glued with tape around the perimeter to protect it from glue. To clean the ends of the 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 is set, the glasses should be wrapped with a strong thread and left to dry completely.
After a day, you can remove the fixing and protective materials and clean the glasses from excess glue. If you do the work carefully, the repair will be almost invisible.
Lens falling out of frame
The reason for the lens to fall out of the frame is most often the loosening of the screw fixing the frame, or its deformation. In the first case, it is enough to tighten the screw, and in the second, it is necessary to return the frame to its original shape.
The metal construction is easiest to work with. It is enough to fix it in a vice and slowly bend it in the right direction. To prevent damage to the rim cover, use a piece of soft cloth or leather.
Before working with a plastic frame, it should be heated. It is best to heat with a pot of boiling water. Hot steam will soften the plastic and make it softer and more plastic. Next, the frame is returned to its original form.
The reason for the loss of lenses from a semi-rimless rim is most often the weakening of the retaining line. In this case, the best solution is to replace the fishing line with a new one.
Expert Advice
Professionals recommend:
- If you are not confident in your abilities and are afraid to irreparably ruin the accessory, it is better to contact the workshop where you can fix the glasses.
- Remove glue from glass lenses with acetone. However, for polymeric materials such a method is detrimental.
- You can cover chips and cracks in the frame by preparing a mixture of glue and ordinary baking soda. This “putty” will reliably hide the defect, and after complete drying it can be sanded.
- You can mask the repair marks with a matching nail polish. The surface will be smooth and shiny again.
Glasses care
Compliance with the simple rules for the care of glasses will allow them to last longer, without breakage and damage.
- Remove and put on glasses with two hands, this will help to avoid distortions and deformation of the frame.
- You can not put glasses with the glasses down, this scratches the lenses.
- Glasses should be stored in a hard case, which will protect them from accidental squeezing and dust.
- Do not use glasses as a hair band, the frame may become deformed, and the arms may break.
- Do not leave glasses near radiators. This is especially important for plastic frames. From exposure to high temperatures, they can be deformed.
- Avoid getting hair sprays and sprays 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 a fragile thing that requires careful handling and care in order to avoid pollution and breakdowns. Most often, the hinged mechanism of the arches, dropping lenses and cracks in the frame require repair.