Getting scratches out of sunglasses - possible? If so, how?
Discussion
I have some Prada sport sunglasses which I bought in 2006. I love them. They don't owe me a thing but I'd like to enjoy many years more service if possible. The issue is, they have loads of tiny scratches on the lenses where I've stupidly kept them in pockets with keys and this interferes with my vision when I'm wearing them. The lenses are polarized. I have no idea how polarization is achieved - whether it's something that's mixed into the plastic before the lenses are made or a finish applied to them afterwards - but assuming it's the latter it might be that that's flaking off. The question is, can they be polished smooth again?
The polarized element isn't so much a coating as a layer, which may be cast into the lenses or laminated on.
The latter could be polished through and this would wreck the lenses.
Polishing is all about replacing visible scratches and ones that can be felt with much smaller 'controlled' scratches that are so shallow as to be invisible.
The principle is to go with finer and finer abrasives to the finest possible. An example of the last is jeweller's rouge, the pink stuff in Windolene.
I suggest that, if the scratches are not visible as gaps when you look through the lenses, polishing may work. At your own risk of course.
HTH.
The latter could be polished through and this would wreck the lenses.
Polishing is all about replacing visible scratches and ones that can be felt with much smaller 'controlled' scratches that are so shallow as to be invisible.
The principle is to go with finer and finer abrasives to the finest possible. An example of the last is jeweller's rouge, the pink stuff in Windolene.
I suggest that, if the scratches are not visible as gaps when you look through the lenses, polishing may work. At your own risk of course.
HTH.
Try Meguiars Plastrx, costs around £7, you only need a pee sized blob and so will last for years, also good for phone screens and the like.
I restore old fountain pens which pick up microscratches, used Plastrx for years and produces a high gloss finish but you can use car wax after the polish on your glasses.
I restore old fountain pens which pick up microscratches, used Plastrx for years and produces a high gloss finish but you can use car wax after the polish on your glasses.
I was making spectacle lenses before most of you on here were born.
It is not possible to remove scratches with out a tool made the exact curve of the lens. It needs to be run for several minutes , under pressure, in a slurry of optical rouge. Not the rubbish that jewellers use.
The lens will have to be mounted on a holder of some kind using a molten material to hold it steady in the machine. The lens will be lowered on to the tool which will be covered in a polishing cloth. The machine will be started and the pressure slowly increase. Then the lens will smash and the machine will be closed down and the slurry discarded. If I had a £1 for every time I'd been asked that...
It cannot be done and retain an optically pure surface. If they're AR coated you'll polish through the coating. If they're toughened they will break .
It cannot be done. Take them to an independent optician and ask 3 things-
Can you supply a new pair?
Can you make me a pair if OEM cannot be obtained?
How much for a brand new pair? This is your best option.
The Spex in my user name does not refer to my muscles. It refers to the only thing I know anything about.
It is not possible to remove scratches with out a tool made the exact curve of the lens. It needs to be run for several minutes , under pressure, in a slurry of optical rouge. Not the rubbish that jewellers use.
The lens will have to be mounted on a holder of some kind using a molten material to hold it steady in the machine. The lens will be lowered on to the tool which will be covered in a polishing cloth. The machine will be started and the pressure slowly increase. Then the lens will smash and the machine will be closed down and the slurry discarded. If I had a £1 for every time I'd been asked that...
It cannot be done and retain an optically pure surface. If they're AR coated you'll polish through the coating. If they're toughened they will break .
It cannot be done. Take them to an independent optician and ask 3 things-
Can you supply a new pair?
Can you make me a pair if OEM cannot be obtained?
How much for a brand new pair? This is your best option.
The Spex in my user name does not refer to my muscles. It refers to the only thing I know anything about.
Thanks all - some interesting suggestions there.
Can you make plastic polarized lenses to match mine?
Mr E said:
Replace the lenses
I wish I could. These are a 2006 model - long gone! There's a US company called Fuse Lenses who make replacements for a vast number of Prada models - just not mine!Johnspex said:
I was making spectacle lenses before most of you on here were born.
It is not possible to remove scratches with out a tool made the exact curve of the lens. It needs to be run for several minutes , under pressure, in a slurry of optical rouge. Not the rubbish that jewellers use.
The lens will have to be mounted on a holder of some kind using a molten material to hold it steady in the machine. The lens will be lowered on to the tool which will be covered in a polishing cloth. The machine will be started and the pressure slowly increase. Then the lens will smash and the machine will be closed down and the slurry discarded. If I had a £1 for every time I'd been asked that...
It cannot be done and retain an optically pure surface. If they're AR coated you'll polish through the coating. If they're toughened they will break .
The optician I see for my annual eye test said something very similar.It is not possible to remove scratches with out a tool made the exact curve of the lens. It needs to be run for several minutes , under pressure, in a slurry of optical rouge. Not the rubbish that jewellers use.
The lens will have to be mounted on a holder of some kind using a molten material to hold it steady in the machine. The lens will be lowered on to the tool which will be covered in a polishing cloth. The machine will be started and the pressure slowly increase. Then the lens will smash and the machine will be closed down and the slurry discarded. If I had a £1 for every time I'd been asked that...
It cannot be done and retain an optically pure surface. If they're AR coated you'll polish through the coating. If they're toughened they will break .
Johnspex said:
It cannot be done. Take them to an independent optician and ask 3 things-
Can you supply a new pair?
I doubt it. They're a 2006 model.Can you supply a new pair?
Johnspex said:
Can you make me a pair if OEM cannot be obtained?
Can they make plastic lenses?Johnspex said:
How much for a brand new pair? This is your best option.
No chance of getting a brand new pair of these sunglasses, or OEM lenses I would have thought, given their age.Can you make plastic polarized lenses to match mine?
Absolutely. I have several pairs. They can include your Rx if they're not too curved. Get them AR coated. It won't be cheap unless you get very lucky and your optician can find an Rx house that has access to cheap plano ready made lenses.
Good luck.
T cut! Brilliant. Might work on the head lamp covers on an MX5 but that's all. God save us from amateurs.
Good luck.
T cut! Brilliant. Might work on the head lamp covers on an MX5 but that's all. God save us from amateurs.
Sorry - no idea what Rx and AR is!
In case it's not clear from my previous posts - I don't wear glasses - they're just a nice pair of sunglasses that I bought back in 2006 and would rather give a new lease of life to than replace. There's an identical pair on eBay at the moment - Prada SPS06E - but there appears to be some damage on the surface of one of the lenses around one of the screws that holds it in place. I'd rather have perfect ones if possible.
In case it's not clear from my previous posts - I don't wear glasses - they're just a nice pair of sunglasses that I bought back in 2006 and would rather give a new lease of life to than replace. There's an identical pair on eBay at the moment - Prada SPS06E - but there appears to be some damage on the surface of one of the lenses around one of the screws that holds it in place. I'd rather have perfect ones if possible.
Johnny Raydome said:
Rx = Prescription.
AR = Anti-reflection (coating.)
Sounds from your original post that neither of these are relevant.
Scratches will not be polished out.
Notice, please, I did say 'will' not 'cannot.'
You will have to pay for new lenses.
Sorry.
ggAR = Anti-reflection (coating.)
Sounds from your original post that neither of these are relevant.
Scratches will not be polished out.
Notice, please, I did say 'will' not 'cannot.'
You will have to pay for new lenses.
Sorry.
What Jonny says is correct. In theory scratches can be polished out. In practice they cannot.
It's not some optician trying to talk you into something expensive. No factory would take it on. It would be easier and cheaper to make you a pair than try to polish yours.
If you try an independent practice you might get further. I would have supplied you with a new pair of lenses, polarised, AR coated , cut and fitted quite happily. It's money through the till after all.
The fact that they are Prada, Plano (no prescription) makes no difference. They are just lenses.
I didn't think the optician was trying to talk me into something expensive - he's a great guy who I've been visiting for many years. I asked him in a bit of a rush at the end of my appointment as he was about to see his next client, so it occurred to me after that I hadn't mentioned that the lenses were polarized and to see if this made a difference.
Any idea what the cost would be of making new lenses, polarized and AR coated?
This is what they look like if it helps:
Any idea what the cost would be of making new lenses, polarized and AR coated?
This is what they look like if it helps:
Johnspex said:
Absolutely. I have several pairs. They can include your Rx if they're not too curved. Get them AR coated. It won't be cheap unless you get very lucky and your optician can find an Rx house that has access to cheap plano ready made lenses.
Good luck.
T cut! Brilliant. Might work on the head lamp covers on an MX5 but that's all. God save us from amateurs.
The T-cut reference was supposed to taken tounge in cheek!Good luck.
T cut! Brilliant. Might work on the head lamp covers on an MX5 but that's all. God save us from amateurs.
MitchT said:
I didn't think the optician was trying to talk me into something expensive - he's a great guy who I've been visiting for many years. I asked him in a bit of a rush at the end of my appointment as he was about to see his next client, so it occurred to me after that I hadn't mentioned that the lenses were polarized and to see if this made a difference.
Any idea what the cost would be of making new lenses, polarized and AR coated?
This is what they look like if it helps:
FAny idea what the cost would be of making new lenses, polarized and AR coated?
This is what they look like if it helps:
I can't give you an idea of price realistically. I've been out of the business for nearly 3 years.
However there's nothing nususl about those Spex. It shouldn't be a problem.
When polarised lenses are made to prescription they have to be made for each individual order. The polarisation has to be at 90 degrees to the other lens otherwise they won't work. Then you have to factor in any astigmatism which also has to be oriented correctly in the frame, so, each lens has to be made with reference to the Rx and the polarisation relative to the other lens which may also be astigmatic.
However if there is no Rx the astigmatism problem doesn't arise. But stock Plano pairs may be rare. I don't know the answer to that. But if they have to be made , theoretically , they should cost as much as Rx, because they are Rx lenses with a focal length of infinity and are made to the same British Standards. Unless you happen to have an optician who is prepared to do a bit of phoning around you're stuffed and will have to pay full Rx price. Where are you ?
I’ve used polywatch on a pair of mine, it’s normally used for plexiglass watches. It won’t fill anything but the finest scratches, however it will polish a rough scratch to leave it less visible. If it’s right in the line of vision it’ll possibly still be annoying, but for a couple of quid is worth a go.
West Yorkshire, yes. Bingley, 20 minutes train ride from Leeds, to be more specific.
Be interesting to know what it would cost. Fuse Lenses in the US do hundreds of Prada models, just not mine. They charge about $40 a pair. They will make them to order too but I don't fancy shipping my sunglasses to the US as they say you need to do. There's an identical pair to mine on eBay for £100 but one of the lenses does have a tiny amount of damage as I mentioned earlier, but at least it gives me a reference as to where I should draw the line in terms of the cost of getting new lenses made.
In terms of the scratches, I'm pretty sure it's the coating on the lenses that's actually scratched as it's in hundreds of tiny dots and bits flake off if I scratch at it with a fingernail. Here's a pic...
Be interesting to know what it would cost. Fuse Lenses in the US do hundreds of Prada models, just not mine. They charge about $40 a pair. They will make them to order too but I don't fancy shipping my sunglasses to the US as they say you need to do. There's an identical pair to mine on eBay for £100 but one of the lenses does have a tiny amount of damage as I mentioned earlier, but at least it gives me a reference as to where I should draw the line in terms of the cost of getting new lenses made.
In terms of the scratches, I'm pretty sure it's the coating on the lenses that's actually scratched as it's in hundreds of tiny dots and bits flake off if I scratch at it with a fingernail. Here's a pic...
I just bought new Hugo Boss prescription sun glasses, the optician gave me the original lenses, which came out of the frame, so it must be theoretically possible to go to an optician that stocks the brand you want and by these 'old' lenses, if the model is in stock/current
I needed needed these because i lost the lens on my Rayburn, (they fell out when I was ridding the motor bike), I could have bought new prescription lenses for these old frames so again it must be possible to buy new none prescription lens from a good optician.
I needed needed these because i lost the lens on my Rayburn, (they fell out when I was ridding the motor bike), I could have bought new prescription lenses for these old frames so again it must be possible to buy new none prescription lens from a good optician.
I didn't realise the lenses neede drilling. I would think tat will make them more expensive.
'Old lenses' removed from new sunglasses when Rx lenses are fitted strictly speaking belong to th patient as they have paid for them even if not used them.
I can't see an optician keeping stocks of lenses like this. If they're not taken by the purchase they will go in the bin.
There is nothing you can do to remove what is left of the AR coating without scratching the lens.
Go and see your optician but expect it to cost maybe £100.
'Old lenses' removed from new sunglasses when Rx lenses are fitted strictly speaking belong to th patient as they have paid for them even if not used them.
I can't see an optician keeping stocks of lenses like this. If they're not taken by the purchase they will go in the bin.
There is nothing you can do to remove what is left of the AR coating without scratching the lens.
Go and see your optician but expect it to cost maybe £100.
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