Making your own sunglasses?

Jonas Eklundh

New Member
Hello all makers, bakers and candlestick shakers :)

So, could anyone give me advice as to the possibility to create your own sun glasses from scratch? Not out of card board or styrene, though. I'm talking making actual real sunglasses, as a replica of a movie prop (or I wouldn't ask here).

So, handcrafted sunglasses exists in the world, as we know, so how is it done? The small hinges, the pads for the nose, the plastic fitting, the metal choices and welding (?)

I'm a hobby maker and a model builder, so I have no problem imagining drawing up and blueprinting a nice pair of movie sunglasses, but I've never welded anything in my life, nor have I worked with metal on this relatively tiny scale either.

I've google some, but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of "how to's" when it comes to creating actual sunglasses.

Think of me as someone approaching this like the guy that started Adventurebilt to create the best Indiana Jones hat there was. I'm not looking to start a business selling replicas, but I am interested in learning the actual craftmanship.

So, for starters - what tools would one need? Where would you get some of the parts? Obviously I can buy a set of cheap sunglasses and scavenge small parts from them, but maybe there's a better way? Where would you get the actual glasses? How do you create the metal rim around it? How to create the small "groves" in the screw holes, etc etc.

It's a tall order to go from Mr No One to sunglass maker in the process of a forum thread, I realize that, but hey - where would anyone of us be without high goals, right? :)

Anyway, thanks in advance to anyone that can share any knowledge that could be remotely interesting to this topic, even if you've never ever made a pair of sunglasses. Maybe you haven't, but you imagine that you COULD? Share! :)
 
I'd start with a design sketch of the frames, then break it down into components. Once you've settled on your design you choose what material the frames are made of. From there I would take measurements from existing glasses and their component parts. After that it would probably be easiest to model the frames in 3D using a program that can export to either 3D printing or CNC and have the prototype created. As for the lenses that's a whole science in and of itself.

As far as sourcing the parts like hinges and nosepads, you might have to buy those in bulk from a manufacturing company. If those components aren't standard on your design then you'll have to find a company that will make the parts but they'll have a minimum of like 1000 or more units.

Take it one step at a time and solve each design obstacle as it comes up. Hope it helps.
 
Buy loads of glasses at fleamarkets and such stores. You can then dismantle them for parts and testbuild glasses before spending a lot of money on the better parts.
 
Buy loads of glasses at fleamarkets and such stores. You can then dismantle them for parts and testbuild glasses before spending a lot of money on the better parts.

Thank you for the suggestion. I am thinking that dismmantling sunglasses would require some form of welding to put them together? How do you weld such small metal parts? Or is there some other method you would use?
 
I'd start with a design sketch of the frames, then break it down into components. Once you've settled on your design you choose what material the frames are made of. From there I would take measurements from existing glasses and their component parts. After that it would probably be easiest to model the frames in 3D using a program that can export to either 3D printing or CNC and have the prototype created. As for the lenses that's a whole science in and of itself.

As far as sourcing the parts like hinges and nosepads, you might have to buy those in bulk from a manufacturing company. If those components aren't standard on your design then you'll have to find a company that will make the parts but they'll have a minimum of like 1000 or more units.

Take it one step at a time and solve each design obstacle as it comes up. Hope it helps.

Thank you for the thoughts, and I think you're right about having to buy bulk.

I have this feeling that sending them to a CNC machine is a bit of cheating if the goal is to learn the art of handcrafting sunglasses, right? But since I am good with a CAD program, this is certainly a place to start.

I'll ask you as well - when you have all the separate parts, how do you join them together? Looking at some of my sunglasses, some parts certainly seems welded, but how do you weld such small parts? Is there some special equipment or do you use some method other than welding?
 
Meant to post this the other day: how its made s5 ep13- eyeglass frames - YouTube

You probably don't have the pneumatic equipment and jigs necessary to do all the shaping, so hammers, homemade jig/fixtures, etc would be needed to work the malleable wire into shape.

What you're referring to as the "grooves" in the holes are called threads and are made with a tap. Tap and die - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The welding is actually brazing, similar to soldering. Brazing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
A german friend of mine is an optician with a degree in this former job, he shows it on some excursion he's invited in for opticians in training. Unfortunately, it's german, from 1986 and second, it's a child's program called "Broadcast with the mouse", which is incredibly good at explaining allday things, even grown-ups today watches it, because of its insightness. Hope you'll get an idea on how glasses are made, since the basics stays the same

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Meant to post this the other day: how its made s5 ep13- eyeglass frames - YouTube

You probably don't have the pneumatic equipment and jigs necessary to do all the shaping, so hammers, homemade jig/fixtures, etc would be needed to work the malleable wire into shape.

What you're referring to as the "grooves" in the holes are called threads and are made with a tap. Tap and die - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The welding is actually brazing, similar to soldering. Brazing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you for all the information. Yes, a friend of mine suggested that it was soldering rather than welding, but I don't have much experience (yet) in soldering so I didn't know how wide the definition of it could be. Brazing looks like an in-between technique between soldering and welding. And apparently, you can even braze with a blow torch

The movie you linked to was very informative, but showed a very much machined process. Maybe this is as "handcrafted" as making sunglasses is ever to get? Obviously I don't have access to all these specialized machines, but I bet the biggest problem is getting access to some of the very specialized parts, unless it can be easily scavanged from store-bought glasses.

And again, thanks!
 
A german friend of mine is an optician with a degree in this former job, he shows it on some excursion he's invited in for opticians in training. Unfortunately, it's german, from 1986 and second, it's a child's program called "Broadcast with the mouse", which is incredibly good at explaining allday things, even grown-ups today watches it, because of its insightness. Hope you'll get an idea on how glasses are made, since the basics stays the same

Thank you for the link, I hadn't seen that one. Yes, this is very interesting and shows a lot about the factory setting and specialized machines. I were unaware about the metal joining method (apparently called brazing) and I think I have more understanding of it now. I'll just have to take all this information into account and figure out what can be done by hand, what need to be bought/ordered as machine built and what parts I can get my hands on. Again, thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

Here is a home CNC machine that you can buy for only $590: http://www.mydiycnc.com, do you guys think it can be used to create small metal parts? I'm intrigued by the idea of being able to create the parts myself, and join them together with brazing/screws.
 
Look around locally for jewelry making classes. Maybe a county college would let you take the course.

What glasses do you want to make?
 
I was an optician early in my life, the plastics used are designed to take enough heat to insert the lenses- you may be able ot buy a blank and crave out frame . The hinges are either embedded in the plastic usally the end point of the metal shaft which runs trough the temple to so it can be fitted to the wearer , or the hinges are rivited into the temple. Yo may jsut be able to ask an optician for help and buy some hinges and nose pads- if you find a real old scholl optician they may be able to help you make the glasses, by mixing and matching pieces and soldering them.

I did make some wood frames as a joke when I worked at the NYRF ( sun shields) just cut the frame out of the wood and cut some lenses at the day job.

good luck !
 
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