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Thread: Can I dye a clear polycarbonate lens red?

  1. #1
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    Can I dye a clear polycarbonate lens red?

    I've seached high and low all over the internet and you guys are my last hope. here it goes. I have a pair of NIKE interchangeable sunglasses. They have different color lenses. they don't have a color I really want: red. They do sell a clear lens. the lens is polycarbonate plastic. Is there a way I can take this clear lens and dye it red or paint it red? Is there someone or some company that could do it for me or is there a process I can do at home? Am I wishful thinking or is there a real way of bringing this about? Please Please help me out guys. thanks

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    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Thumbs up No problem if you know how...................

    Quote Originally Posted by seigi009
    .......................they don't have a color I really want: red. They do sell a clear lens. the lens is polycarbonate plastic. Is there a way I can take this clear lens and dye it red or paint it red? ..................
    If the clear polycarbonate lens has a tintable coating there is NO problem to tint it any color you want .........even dark. That includes red and orange or blue and green.

    Go on http://optochemicals.com , scroll down the main page to Micro-Tints and you find all the links.
    :D

  3. #3
    Rising Star loncoa's Avatar
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    However, I can tell you right here, right now, that the hardcoat on those clear lenses is not tintable (at least not normally). But maybe you could specially order it with a tintable hardcoat.

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    I have a dumb question. Are you an ophthalmic professional or a consumer that is going to use a DIY approach?
    Last edited by fjpod; 06-01-2006 at 05:16 AM.

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    Master OptiBoarder Cindy K's Avatar
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    We have custom made replacement lenses for many clients who wish to have a color other than what is offered by the manufacturers of the sunwear. Take your sunglasses to an optician; they will be able to tell you more. I know that these lenses you are talking about are definitely not tintable, due to the impermeable hardcoat that is factory applied. Polycarbonate is an extremely scratch-prone material, and if it were not for the presence of this hardcoat on the lenses they would have a very short useable life span.

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    thanks for your input. yes, I am a consumer looking for the DIY aproach or to pay someone to do it for me

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    OptiBoard Professional Ory's Avatar
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    Nike Interchange

    I have a pair of these, got them in 2002. the hard coat started peeling in 2003 on the grey lenses. I don't use the orange lenses it came with as I found them uncomfortable, so I decided to try to tint them for fun (by the way, the hard coat was peeling on these as well, and they had been sitting in a shoebox). I didn't try Chris Ryser's micro-tints, but I can tell you that nothing would get the lenses to pick up the tint. Neutralizer caused the hard coat to bubble more.

    I'm not really knowledgable about edging, but the interchange has essentially no bevel and must be an exact wrap and thickness to fit the frame. I wonder how easy it would be to put in a pair of lenses into the frame.

    Good luck. I have to say, I really like the fit and style of these glasses but I've been really unimpressed with the quality.

  8. #8
    Luzerne Optical Laboratories
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    Generally you would not be able to tint a poly lens red, but you could put a ruby mirror on the lens that would give it the appearence of being red. Awtech does that in his lab.

  9. #9
    On the Sunset Tour! Framebender's Avatar
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    If impact resistance isn't an issue. . .

    why not get an Optician to cut a pair of CR39's and tint them red??
    Days where my gratitude exceed my expectations are very good days!

  10. #10
    Rising Star loncoa's Avatar
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    Not to mention the fact that even CR-39 has quite amazing impact resistance on its own, although poly is many times better. How often do figure you might get shot or hit in the lens with a rock? Even most rock impacts (say, thrown up from your pal's mountain bike tire, for example) probably won't break a CR-39 lens, but some (like a rock thrown up from your pal's motorcycle tire:shiner: ) will. Factor this into your decision.

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    Redhot Jumper Neutralizer caused the hard coat to bubble more................

    Quote Originally Posted by Ory
    Neutralizer caused the hard coat to bubble more.
    Regular neutralizer will damage and ruin the hard coat on polycarb lenses as well as high index materials..

    Thats why I came up with a water and surfactant based neutralizer, that can be used for EVERY type of lens without damaging any lens material.

  12. #12
    OptiBoard Professional Ory's Avatar
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    Chris, is there any problem that you don't have a chemical solution for? :D

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    Yes you can tint red

    We are a manufacturer of tints, coatings and chemicals for the optical industry. Polycarbonate lenses can be tinted just about any color when the correct type of tint is used. We supply manufacturers, labs and distributors. We will happily give you the name of one of our distributors near you. Should you have any additional questions please contact us.

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    surfactant and water ? you mean soap and water really!

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    soap

    Adam

    A soap has some properties similar to a surfactant. Surfactants have a number of additional properties. Surfactants have a number of other properties which cause tint along with a few other chemicals to bond to the surface of a plastic lens.

    Tinting of a plastic lens is a chemical process which works best when the proper kind if ingredients are use. Among the most common errors is the use of tap water with a concentrate. Tap water contains small amounts of various chemicals and minerals depending on your local water supply. These various chemicals and minerals have a significant efffect on quality and performance of the tint. Properly done tint is mixed with deionized water which has no chemicals and no minerals and a different electrical charge than tap water.

    Some may say it does not matter, which is kind of like baking a cake with only a little pepper added. Does it matter, yes, everything matters.

    We manufacture tints differently from most in the industry. Our tints are not concentrates which will vary with each time mixed. They are ready to use, made with exactly the same ingredients every time. This makes them consistent from bottle to bottle and location to location. No, mixing, No mess, no errors, no variations.

    Please contact us with questions you have regarding tints, coatings and optical chemicals. We are an optical chemical manufacturer, not a distributor or wholesaler. Distributors and other manufacturers are our customers.

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    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Thumbs up Chris, is there any problem........................

    Quote Originally Posted by Ory
    Chris, is there any problem that you don't have a chemical solution for?
    Ory, After having spent a lifetime in the optical trade from and manufacturing retail to wholesale I started to make one of the first hard coat chemicals in 1981. It then evolved into more and more new products that had never existed before.

    All products we make were originals, developed in our company and most got copied by our competitors within a few month time.

    It has become my hobby and livelyhood to come up with solutions that will save the retailer and optical lab time and money to treat a lens easy and fast, in house or office in a few minutes with as little expensive equipment as possible.

    The exception are our Micro Tints that are much faster and can tint poly and high index lenses to dark shades in a few minutes. This revolutionary tinting system was patented in every important country because of above stated fact. Competitors can not copy it nor sell it because it is protected by patents in its chemical formulas as well as its application and practical use.

    I have been lucky that the US Navy decided to test this lens tinting system that works without toxic fumes. After a period of 7 month the Navy decided that this was the new way to go in lens tinting.

    Over the last 12 month the Us Coast Guard and the Marines have followed.

    They have discarded the old fashioned, toxic fuming and slow working tinting units in favour of microwave ovens.


    Quote Originally Posted by Adam Sizemore
    surfactant and water ? you mean soap and water really!
    Surfactants are in plain english soaps. There are over 18,500 of them on the market. When using them in a chemical formula you have to know which one and a what quantities to use them. Very often 1 gram to much might prevent the formula from working properly. Surfactants are used in every industry and used from making beer to finger nail varnish.

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    what is a surfactant

    Chris

    I must respectfully disagree and wish to clarify my previous post. Soaps contain surfactants. Soap is not a surfactant. see below

    The term surfactant is a blend of "Surface active agent". Surfactants are usually organic compounds that are amphipathic, meaning they contain both hydrophobic groups (their "tails") and hydrophilic groups (their "heads"). Therefore, they are typically sparingly soluble in both organic solvents and water.

    Surfactants reduce the surface tension of water by adsorbing at the air-water interface. They also reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water by adsorbing at the liquid-liquid interface. When surfactants assemble in oil, the aggregate is referred to as a reverse micelle. In a reverse micelle, the heads are in the core and the tails maintain favorable contact with oil.

    Thermodynamics of the surfactant systems are of great importance, theoretical and practical, because surfactant systems represent a systems between ordered and disordered state of matter-surfactant solutions may contain ordered phase (micelles) and disordered phase (free surfactant mollecules and/or ions in the solution).

    As a chemical manufacturer, we use the proper science to develop quality products for our customers.

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    Blue Jumper Thanks for the lesson Larry...................

    Quote Originally Posted by LKahn
    As a chemical manufacturer, we use the proper science to develop quality products for our customers.
    Thanks for the lesson Larry...................I will do my best to follow you advice and start learning proper science so that we too can develop quality products.

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