Spectacle arm hinge....

In message <sh233v$1vo$ snipped-for-privacy@gioia.aioe.org>, Chris Bacon snipped-for-privacy@maildrop.cc writes

Last time I was in a pound shop it had a range of simple reading glasses (for a pound, of course). Many chemists/pharmacies do them too (for around a fiver). While in the past I have had 'proper' prescription specs, as my vision defects aren't too complicated at the moment the cheapos do me fine.

Worth taking it into a nice optician's shop. They might fix it for free.

Chris Bacon snipped-for-privacy@maildrop.cc wrote

You can buy the pins.

And the more expensive spectacle suppliers will replace it for free.

I use china myself.

Often the optician who supplied the spectacles will do a repair for free.

unless these are simple reading glasses, there isn't one

online is the way to go

I guess you mean the removable screw? Kits of replacements available on eBay but last time I had a failure my kit did not include anything suitable. You can do a surprisingly effective repair with the wire from an appropriate sized paper clip. Push the wire through, bend the free end into a "U" shape on the inside, trim the other end to a suitable length and bend that back in a U shape. Barely visible as a repair on "wire-framed" glasses although it may be more difficult with plastic frames.

Spectacle makers must have a clever tool, they bell out the free end of the screw with some sort of press so that it looks as though the end of the screw has been centre-punched.

Once upon a time there was a screw at the opposite end of the mechanism to the hinge and you could undo and replace what was necessary. They are almost always pressed together these days and only repairable by soldering them such that they aren't sprung anymore.

Some frames come with a sprung hinge just behind that. It allows the arm to flex outwards without straining anything and ensures a closer fit to the side of the head.

...

I've done it a centre punch.

Th spring-loaded pin in the elongted box soldered to the arm has is borkeded, therefore the arm has parted company with the hinge.

Recent discovery.. refurbished spectacle frames are available on line!

Yes, but I have had failures of the spring which I considered to be essentially irreparable

Respect!

Yes, I got a pair of lenses re-framed by an eBay supplier, opticians claimed it was impossible.

Reading between the lines.. Specsavers offer a range of frames for choice with your new prescription. For some marketing related reason, these are discontinued after a year or two.. They are thus *unable* to fit your old lenses to new frames:-(

Elastoplast? </lancashire-blues>

My mum's old glasses fraes were broken, I managed to find identical frames on eBay and just swapped in the lenses. £12 for new glasses.... lovely.

Even then if you get your prescription, you can do far better than the opticians for making up a new pair. If you want the stylish fancy over charged frames, then you are stuck with the opticians, but for most people its just a pair of glasses. As for repairs, well you would need to ask about that. It very much depends if the hinge comes apart, ie not cos its broken but if its only the spring then why bother that is a luxury and a point of failure. Brian

I think all (metal) frames come with that now

even my 15 quid glasses has it

Yup

that's what happened to my "expensive" glasses after about 18 months

virtually un-repairable IME

never will I buy expensive glasses again

Word of warning on the above..

I purchased a refurbished pair of spectacles to match my broken frames (Specsavers Nelson RDS).

They appeared unused and fitted with bi-focal lenses. Not only were the hinge pins punched but also the lens retainers punched and glued with some sort of white resin:-(

Hard to criticise the marketing but who would buy specific frames without intending to change the lens?

Luckily I have sub 1mm twist drills to hand.