Vintage Eyeglasses

[Ghostsoldier]

I think the modern versions are "toned-down" horn-rims like Holly used to wear...not as wide or chunky as back then....
Rob

 

[MisterGrey]

Are what I think of as the "classic nerd" glasses (black frames, narrow rectangular lenses, not frameless on the bottom like the Malcolm X pics, but not as big as Buddy Holly's or aviator-type lenses) actually period or sort of a modern reinterpretation? If they're period what brands should I be looking at?

I'd like to price them - I need new glasses desperately and apparently this style is my guy's very favourite, something about librarians, I don't know. Boys are weird. [huh]

Take a look at Shuron-- especially the Freeway. Classic style (50s-60s) but not as big as Buddy Holly's. Also they're available in tortoise to accomodate paler skin tones. Good price, too--

Black Shuron Freeways

Tortoise Freeways

 

[Edward]

I've just been dealing with Shuron as noted above. (Incidently, the prices they quoted me were only minimally above what I could find them for elsewhere online, and there were several reasons why they worked out a better deal for me in the end). Their customer service is fllawless - not many businesses will trust you with several pairs for trial having only paid for one - and at the other side of the ocean too! Tony is endlessly patient with questions about sizes and styles. I now have my first pair of Ronsirs ready to go for lensing when I get back home from work trip / holiday, and a couple more pairs on the way.

My Hubby Chuck has 40s suits and a WWII Army Air Corp Captain's uniform, so he's wanting something for regular eyeglasses ala' WWII Glen Miller, and a pair of 40s pilots' sunglasses too. The hunt continues...

For the sunglasses, assuming they don't have to be original 40s, try the Shuron MacArthur, should be ideal.

 

[DanielJones]

Michaelshane and Highlander. Thanks for sharing these.

My Hubby Chuck has 40s suits and a WWII Army Air Corp Captain's uniform, so he's wanting something for regular eyeglasses ala' WWII Glen Miller, and a pair of 40s pilots' sunglasses too. The hunt continues...

The Glen Miller glasses are very much like the ones I just purchased.

There are a slew of that particular style on ebay, and most of them can be had for under $15. Then all you have to do is put your husbands Rx in them and presto changeo Glen Miller. You can get B&L, Shuron, American Optical, in that style for your husband. Hope that helps you out.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[chanteuseCarey]

What is OFAS??

I just got these recently on OFAS.

These are circa 1945, 1/10 12KGF, B & L

Dated from November, 1947, 850 gold filled, no brand name offered.

I'll post some pics once I get my Rx added to them.

I've been trying the type in good shape, that Highlander posted so as to convert them to sunglasses. I know Rayban makes a modern equivilent version in sunglasses but the lenses seem too large & I know the size I'm looking for is around 42mm to 44mm. Just a little patience I guess.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Inky]

I've just been dealing with Shuron as noted above. (Incidently, the prices they quoted me were only minimally above what I could find them for elsewhere online, and there were several reasons why they worked out a better deal for me in the end). Their customer service is fllawless - not many businesses will trust you with several pairs for trial having only paid for one - and at the other side of the ocean too! Tony is endlessly patient with questions about sizes and styles. I now have my first pair of Ronsirs ready to go for lensing when I get back home from work trip / holiday, and a couple more pairs on the way. .

Congrats on your first Ronsirs! Hubby got his through Shuron too and I agree, Tony is endlessly patient and their service - amazing! I am ordering a pair for me next January when the insurance rolls around again! Can't wait to see a picture of you wearing them - hubby gets many compliments from girls, they really notice them and like them.

 

[Edward]

What is OFAS??

It's an acronym for 'Our Favourite Auction Site' i.e. eBay. The Management have asked we stop using it (it was something of a Lounge thang) as it confused a lot of new folks, with the same question as to its meaning cropping up over and over. Occasionally we all forget - old habits die hard!

Inky... photos will be headed to the Lounge soon as I get back to Blighty (currently in Beijing for another ten or eleven days) and get 'em lensed up.
Hopefully they'll get me noticed by the ladies too.

 

[DanielJones]

Yep, just another name for ebay.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[FinalVestige79]

I'll have to go digging around, I think I have some rimless ones i bought at my old workplace. Would anyone know how much it costs to get Rx lenses put in?

 

[DanielJones]

I finally received this pair. Very nice indeed. Mother of pearl nose pads. Appears to have never been worn. The prescription also appears to be a generic magification for reading purposes, as they are pretty darn close to my current Rx.
The frame & arms are stamped "BSO". One of the brows is stamped "BSO NUMONT FULVUE". And the bridge on the back side looks to be Broad Arrow stamped. British or Canadian military surplus perhaps? Does anybody here know what BSO stands for? I know AO is American Optical, would this be the British equivilent?

Cheers!

Dan

 

[MisterGrey]

Making Your Own "Zylo" Glasses

As many of you know I've been fixated on trying to get the right vintage or period appropriate eyeglasses for myself since I first joined the Lounge. My first endeavor was with Shuron Ronsirs, which were too heavy for me, both in terms of comfort and use (they kept falling off of my face). I considered trying the Revelation, but set it on the backburner, where it remains until further notice-- I'm not sure how well I'd be able to pull it off, and I'm also ambivalent about whether or not they, too, would feel too heavy, as I've mostly worn wire/steel rimmed glasses throughout my life.

My next attempt was with the Shuron Ronnwinnes, which weren't comfortable for me whatsoever. They were great at first, but after a few days of wearing them they began to pinch on my nose and just generally did not feel comfortable. My optometrist adjusted them for me a few times but we could not seem to make them comfortable. (My mother's wearing them now). I have a rather proportionately large head, and I think this was part of the problem.

So right now I'm wearing a pair of modern, "In the old style" glasses. They're gold, spring-hinged, wire-rim type glasses with a tortoiseshell finish on the front of the frames so that when you look at them head-on, they appear to be the old "Zylo-wrapped" style popular in the 20s. They're a kind of squarish-oval shape, as if a pair of panto/P3/semi-round wire rims were bent out.

My problem is that I'd like them to appear slightly more authentic. They look good on me and are extremely comfortable, but I'd like to have the tortoiseshell extend to the perimeter of the frames. Does anyone have any suggestions for a heat-shrink plastic I could use? Or perhaps some sort of rubber ring that I could stretch around the frames?

 

[John in Covina]

worthlesswithoutpics

We could use some PIX here, really.

 

[MisterGrey]

Gah, I was afraid of that. My digital cam isn't that high quality so hopefully these will suffice...

The front view... As you can (hopefully) see, head-on they simulate the zylo-wrap, with matching temple covers to boot. They appear to be a spring-hinged knock-off of Berkshire Chase's classically minded Quadra frame, which itself has the full wrap-around effect:

From the back and sides, however, the effect is lost, and anyone close to me-- classmates, customers, etc-- can see that the tortoise design is just that-- a design on the front and nothing more.

And just for kicks, here's a picture of me actually wearing the glasses, for my graduation photo. Because of the lighting the frame appears dark all around, so it's not a good example of that, but, it at least gives an idea of what they look like on me:

 

[John in Covina]

Since eyeglasses are mass produced, i doubt you'll be able to get something to match from the makers of the plastic, but you never know. I did think that with a little luck some online site might have plastics for modeling like model railroading, they fabricate lots of stuff as hobbyists.

http://www.micromark.com/

 

[Schofields]

im getting a pair of pince nez done this week with new lenses. not sure of the vintage, late 1910s i think.

 

[BruceTracy]

Edit: fftopic:
MisterGrey, I noticed the pin you're wearing in this photo. Might you be a fellow member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society? I ask as I have the same pin from that organization.

 

[MisterGrey]

MisterGrey, I noticed the pin you're wearing in this photo. Might you be a fellow member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society? I ask as I have the same pin from that organization.

Sure am!

 

[DanielJones]

I managed to pick these up on ebay as well. Mainly for the sunglasses, but at least I have a couple of spares for parts if needed.

If nothing else I can also donate them to charity for folks in need.


Cheers!

Dan

 

[FinalVestige79]

I finally received this pair. Very nice indeed. Mother of pearl nose pads. Appears to have never been worn. The prescription also appears to be a generic magification for reading purposes, as they are pretty darn close to my current Rx.
The frame & arms are stamped "BSO". One of the brows is stamped "BSO NUMONT FULVUE". And the bridge on the back side looks to be Broad Arrow stamped. British or Canadian military surplus perhaps? Does anybody here know what BSO stands for? I know AO is American Optical, would this be the British equivilent?

Cheers!

Dan

I have the exact same pair!! I am gonna have my prescription put in them sometime in the next couple of weeks.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Boy do I like those Browline frames! I'd like to get a pair of those as reading specs!