There's got to be a better way to do this

[VHB]

Since I specialize in small frames, I often have to file down the temples to make them open wider. It's a real pain in the neck! I have to take the temples off and file the ends, then remount the temples to check--repeatedly! Usually, I also have to get out my Dremel tool because I have to remove some of the metal that the hinge is attached to.

Even after five or six repetitions of this, it is very hard for me to get the temples to meet the front in a perfectly smooth line. I try to go slowly and not take off too much at a time, but still the joint isn't at the precise angle I need.

Even if I get it done smoothly, I usually have to buff the temples because they show marks of pressure when I was holding them (on a foam pad) against a solid surface while I filed.

And of course, if I'm doing this while the customer is here, it's even harder!

How do you do this more efficiently and quickly?

[Borysko]

Err...Wouldn't the really simple solution be to quit "specializing" in small frames and offer a range of sizes?

[VHB]

No, it wouldn't! I have loads of high minus customers, lots of Asian customers, etc.

I have plenty of larger frames, but I've made my fortune (such as it is) by specializing in small and very colorful frames.

[Refractingoptician.com]

No, it wouldn't! I have loads of high minus customers, lots of Asian customers, etc.

I have plenty of larger frames, but I've made my fortune (such as it is) by specializing in small and very colorful frames.

Find a tool and die maker or automation devices tool and die maker and explain the problem to them and they should be able to come up with a guide system for doing it. It might cost a $ 1000.00 or so to prototype , but it wil save time and might be resellable .

[Borysko]

If you've made a fortune offering only small frames (I don't see why "colorful" necessarily implies "small"), surely you can invest a bit in different sizes.
You're talking about products that cost (since I can't give a range here, let me just say, "not much"), and you're spending your time customizing them. If your time is worth, say, 40 bucks an hour, wouldn't it be more cost-effective to just carry a larger range of sizes?
If your "Asians have small heads" theory is correct, you're not losing many sales due to your limited selection. If you're wrong, as your post implies, then carry normal-sized frames.
I wish I could post wholesale costs for threads like this, it would make clear to any business person how ridiculous the notion of spending time customizing frames really is.

[Uncle Fester]

Don't know if you can find one but I have an old @12" sandstone with a foot pedestal that I can touch the temple to and it takes it down very quickly and cleanly.

I also use it to touch up or customize patterns.

Generally though I have the opposite problem where I wish the mitered ends of temples were longer so they wouldn't splay open and so had to be modified.:)

[Jacqui]

Way back in the Dark Ages when I started in the business, we had aligning pins. Don't see them anymore, but they saved us a lot of trouble on projects like this.

[optical24/7]

Why are you taking the temple off in the 1st place? You can fold it and remove material on a handstone.


That's how we did it back in the days when temples and fronts were shipped unassembled.

[FVCCHRIS]

Don't know if you can find one but I have an old @12" sandstone with a foot pedestal that I can touch the temple to and it takes it down very quickly and cleanly.

I also use it to touch up or customize patterns.

Generally though I have the opposite problem where I wish the mitered ends of temples were longer so they wouldn't splay open and so had to be modified.:)

Use the very edge of a handstone (carefully). You should be able to get the results you need much quicker. Once you get the hang of it you can do most modifications needed without taking the frame apart. And that diamond wheel should leave little that needs touching up. Also, things like that I don't think I'd do in front of the patient.

[VHB]

Okay, "my fortune" was tongue in cheek. But yes, I am well known for carrying small sizes and get lots of referrals because of that. The "colorful" remark wasn't meant to imply size; it is one of the other things that sets me apart from most opticians.

I have a one-person shop, selling fairly high end glasses (e.g. Alain Mikli, Judith Leiber, Lafont) and plenty in what I consider mid-range, but very nice (Kala, Intrigue, Grant). I don't do any lab work, so I don't have a hand wheel. I've thought about investing in one, but really don't have a place to put it.

I do carry a fairly wide range of sizes, but I am extremely picky about fit. I do not want the temples to crease the side of the head. Often, when the frame is tried on initially, it fits fine, but when the lenses are inserted, the fit becomes tight. (I should have mentioned that 75% of my frames are acetate.)

Yes, Jacqui! I remember aligning pins! Haven't seen any in decades. (A paperclip doesn't work properly since the bottom hole of the hinge is smaller than the top holes so there's a little wiggle room.) A long, threaded tapered tool would be a big help if anyone knows where I can get one.

And 24/7--every time I try to do this with the temples on the frame, I wind up with problems since I'm using a file and not a hand wheel.

And finally, Borysko, I'm sorry my post has annoyed you so much! I think I'm pretty smart about frame buying and running my shop. I've been in the business for over 35 years and have had my own store for over 20 years. I've got a great following and have not had to advertise, ever. Almost all my business is referrals from existing customers.

It sounds like the only answer is to get a hand wheel, or just keep on keepin' on. I'll check and see if I can find a used one somewhere.

[Borysko]

You didn't annoy me, it's just that you said you "repeatedly" deal with this issue. And now you've gone on to say you don't advertise. I'd like to know who here thinks finding a better way to file down temples will make you more money than advertising would.
Actually, there's probably a lot of people who would think that. Sad.

[LandLord]

You ever watch Hell's Kitchen?

Chef Ramsay says "Stop fiddling with it and give it to the customer you fat pig!!" or something to that effect.

The point is, don't let perfection get in the way of excellence. Perfection is only to satisfy one's own ego. The customer doesn't need or want perfection (usually). Instead of giving 2 people perfection, give 4 people excellence.

[Deleted1234]

..

[hcjilson]

It's your ball game, do it your way, it seems to have worked in the past!

[Refractingoptician.com]

You ever watch Hell's Kitchen?

Chef Ramsay says "Stop fiddling with it and give it to the customer you fat pig!!" or something to that effect.

The point is, don't let perfection get in the way of excellence. Perfection is only to satisfy one's own ego. The customer doesn't need or want perfection (usually). Instead of giving 2 people perfection, give 4 people excellence.

Well said Landlord

[optigrrl]

Okay, "my fortune" was tongue in cheek. But yes, I am well known for carrying small sizes and get lots of referrals because of that. The "colorful" remark wasn't meant to imply size; it is one of the other things that sets me apart from most opticians.

I have a one-person shop, selling fairly high end glasses (e.g. Alain Mikli, Judith Leiber, Lafont) and plenty in what I consider mid-range, but very nice (Kala, Intrigue, Grant). I don't do any lab work, so I don't have a hand wheel. I've thought about investing in one, but really don't have a place to put it.

I do carry a fairly wide range of sizes, but I am extremely picky about fit. I do not want the temples to crease the side of the head. Often, when the frame is tried on initially, it fits fine, but when the lenses are inserted, the fit becomes tight. (I should have mentioned that 75% of my frames are acetate.)

Yes, Jacqui! I remember aligning pins! Haven't seen any in decades. (A paperclip doesn't work properly since the bottom hole of the hinge is smaller than the top holes so there's a little wiggle room.) A long, threaded tapered tool would be a big help if anyone knows where I can get one.

And 24/7--every time I try to do this with the temples on the frame, I wind up with problems since I'm using a file and not a hand wheel.

And finally, Borysko, I'm sorry my post has annoyed you so much! I think I'm pretty smart about frame buying and running my shop. I've been in the business for over 35 years and have had my own store for over 20 years. I've got a great following and have not had to advertise, ever. Almost all my business is referrals from existing customers.

It sounds like the only answer is to get a hand wheel, or just keep on keepin' on. I'll check and see if I can find a used one somewhere.

I have had to file down hinges on zyles and metals - I use a diamond wheel bit on my dremel and hold it in a vice. Then, I can take the hinge and file both sides simultaneously by closing the hinge down on the suspended dremel.

[Chris Ryser]

I try to go slowly and not take off too much at a time, but still the joint isn't at the precise angle I need.

Even if I get it done smoothly, I usually have to buff the temples because they show marks of pressure when I was holding them (on a foam pad) against a solid surface while I filed.

We always had a wooden wedge with some notches at the thin end srewed to the table where you could hold and file and open up hinges without removing temples.

Simple and easy, you could hold the frame at the right angle and file in a straight hotizontal line. No marks on frame and no polishing needed.

Furthermore it does cost you nothing to make it yourself and you have a superb tool to file frame hinges, tighten screws and many more things.

[cocoisland58]

Filing the temples to open them up was something I remember doing quite often years ago. Funny I haven't had to do it other than maybe once or twice in the last 10 years and then only because someone had sold a too small zyl frame. I have many large headed Asian patients too. High minus is no longer the issue it once was and metal frames can be widened easily. However when I have to do it I use the side of the handstone wheel and a good file.

[VHB]

That is a great solution! That's the kind of practical advice I was hoping for. I'm off to get a vice and a diamond wheel bit! Easily stored when I'm not using it, unlike a hand wheel.

Borysko, I'm not sure why you replied to a post asking for mechanical advice, but this post wasn't about making money; it's about doing a job properly and more efficiently.

Kevin W, thank you for your kind words. And yes, Landlord, I understand the difference between perfection and excellence. But although my reach may exceed my grasp, I still have to be happy with the results, as Mr. Browning understood.

[Billy Brock]

wtg VHB ! ! ......senior president bush could send you his "stay the course" message ......your clients are very fortunate to have an optician reaching for those "thousand points of light"

[VHB]

I'm from Texas, too! Grew up in San Antonio, lived in Dallas and Austin. My husband and I go back every October and April to see relatives and the wildflowers.

[cmhargrove]

You can also do this adjustment without filing in many cases.

1. Take the lenses out.
2. Heat the endpiece with hot air.
3. Use a pair of bracing pliers to put the proper angle on the endpiece (nylon on the front side so there are no marks).
4. Re-glaze the lenses.

[KStraker]

Have you looked for a line with a bunch of occipital fit models?

[EdgeOptical]

I dont understand why you are being credited for being such a masterful optician/craftsmen... youre selling frames that are too small.

Handwheel works great the few times i have had to correct someone elses mistake that sold a zyl frame that was too small.

I know my time is worth more then fixing a problem i created like that... but not to you i suppose.

Dont get me wrong, i am all about going well above and beyond for my patients/customers, but why start off in a hole you dug by buying frames that are too small to start with?

you will disregard this because most of it isnt what you asked for, but if you are doing it regularly, spend the $150 for a wheel and do it better would be a great start

[Kyle]

I'd like to be at least one additional person commending you for not "coloring within the lines" as some have suggested. You've obviously a very established practice with a sound business model. I enjoy the frame lines you carry and do find so many French and German zyls to be a bit smallish for the general population but as their styles are not to be found in larger dimensions among other vendors, there is no "selecting a more appropriate size". One simply has no choice but to fit a little small and then use some good old fashioned bench skill.

Those who would suggest an ad campaign versus sound reputation built upon positive client-base experience must be overlooking the fact of a 20.6% 3rd quarter loss by one of the biggest marketing campaign spenders out there.