How to Repair Vintage Eyeglasses

Vintage eyeglasses can add style and personality to your overall look. If you have a pair of quality vintage eyeglass frames, you can easily have new prescription lenses put into the frames. You may, however, find that many vintage eyeglasses need some amount of repair work. Fortunately, repairing vintage eyeglasses is easier than you might think and can be done without any specialized skills.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Eyeglass repair kit
• Clear nail polish
• Small pliers
• Heat gun
• Jewelry polish

How to Repair Vintage Eyeglases

1. Examine the glasses carefully to note damage or areas in need of repair. Screws, hinges, and the bridge of the nose are the most common areas. Choose a high-quality eyeglass repair kit that includes a screwdriver, replacement screws and nose pieces.

2. Use the small screwdriver to tighten the screws in the glasses. If a screw is missing, replace it with one of the included screws in the kit. Place a drop of clear nail polish on the head of the screw once you have tightened it into place to prevent it from shifting.

3. Replace nose pieces if necessary. In some cases, the nose pieces on vintage glasses will screw into place, whereas others may require glue.

4. Try on your vintage eyeglasses and assess the fit. In many cases, the frames will be bent out of shape. Use a heat gun or hold the glasses over boiling water to slightly soften the frame and make it easier to bend into shape for a good fit. A small pair of pliers may be used, especially around the ear.

5. Clean your vintage eyeglasses with a soft cloth. If you have metal eyeglass frames, polish it using jewelry polish, but be sure to avoid the lenses.

Tips & Warnings

• Replacement rhinestones or other accents can be purchased at your local craft store and glued into place with E6000 adhesive.

References

• BestEyeGlasses.net
• BrNeuroSci.org
• GlassesCrafter.com