possible to un-polish lens edges?

Hi, I just got new semi-rimless glasses. When I recived them I noticed the edges weren't polished and since my prescription is fairly high (-5.25 R, -4.5 L) I asked if they could send them back to get the edges polished. The optician said they could, but that they couldn't be polished the same way they normally do as they would have to have done it origionally when I first purchased them. I agreed.
When I got them and put them on at home, I noticed a large amount of glare and it's been really really distracting me.

I'm wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to have the lenses "un-polished" ?

Thanks

Sure we call it 'frosting the edges'. We just take a finning pad and very carefully rough up the edges. It has to be done right in order for it to look good and you can easily scratch the lens up if you don't know what your doing.

an edge kote. That way you get the gloss of a nice finished job without the reflections. Check with your Optician about the details and whether this would be suitable for you.

Thanks for answering so quick!

That's Great

Do you think having them un-polished is worth the risk of them scratching the lenses?

I'd actually just like the side edges to remain polished and the rest of the edge circumference to be frosted again.

Have you ever heard of anyone wanting lenses un-polished?

I feel guilty about asking them to do that

Thanks,

I'll go back tomorrow and ask them about that too

Yeah I would see what else they could do. I know that we can frost edges and they look great but I can't say that they won't scratch the lenses.

I second the motion to frost the edge. I have been doing it for years with zero mishaps. If you are afraid of scratching them, have them put surface saver tape on both sides of the lens, touch the edges off lightly to detatch the excess tape, and gently rub the edge with a lighter grit surfacing pad (a second fine pad) in circular motions. Works every time

I've done it before just using a hand beveler wheel to rough the edges back up. Light pressure, obviously, otherwise you suddenly have a much-too-small lens. :)

tape the front and back of the lenses first.

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Originally Posted by Framebender

an edge kote. That way you get the gloss of a nice finished job without the reflections. Check with your Optician about the details and whether this would be suitable for you.

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Im thinking of buying the 'camoflage' edge pens.
Does anyone know how many lenses you can do with these pens?

I'm not a big fan of them. The only one I like is the grey/green for polarised lenses. Tend to use the other ones only when I have to touch up a scratch on a frame.

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Originally Posted by edKENdance

I'm not a big fan of them. The only one I like is the grey/green for polarised lenses. Tend to use the other ones only when I have to touch up a scratch on a frame.

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What is it you dont like?
I had a flyer describing how brilliant they are! Arent they all they are cracked up to be?

They're a nice add on to a sale but I don't find the results to be aesthetically pleasing to me anyways. I've experimented with them a lot and have yet to achieve a really nice result. I use them mostly for touch ups. If you want to turn a drill mount into a pair of glasses that look like they have a frame you should have probably just bought a full frame.

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Originally Posted by edKENdance

They're a nice add on to a sale but I don't find the results to be aesthetically pleasing to me anyways. I've experimented with them a lot and have yet to achieve a really nice result. I use them mostly for touch ups. If you want to turn a drill mount into a pair of glasses that look like they have a frame you should have probably just bought a full frame.

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I agree with you.

I have been trying to think of ways to offer something new, which the competitors arent.

I would be interested if they enhanced the polished edge, if they merely paint over it then I wouldnt be interested, are the translucent ones any better?

If anything, the translucent ones are the best because they are more subtle. A flesh toned one on a high minus in a brownish plastic frame is pretty good at getting rid of that white edge and blending in with the frame better.

Great Quote Framebender:

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The only praise that counts is what you think of yourself. Everything else is just temporary.

Henry "Smokey" Yunick

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I had not heard that before. It is so true, if you critique yourself and are happy with the results, who cares what others think! Where did you find that quote?

I use a different philosophy today than many individuals. I worry about the quality of my work. I set standards high and I find my customers are very happy. (most of the time).

Today too many people try to squeeze money out a business that just is not there. If you do a good job of building and/or servicing your customer and you have a business basic plan with enough gross profit in the work you do, then the bottom line profits will take care of themselves.

owned, The Best Damn Garage in Daytona Beach. I had an uncle that raced Indians and got Smokey to do some work for him. They became drinking buddies and spent time with him in Ecuador drilling for oil and mining for gold. Later in life my Uncle put 3 kids trough college playing cards and the horses.

I got to spend some time with him later in his life and he always held up Smokey, who never finished high school, as someone who proved that the system wasn't for everyone. The quote was one of my Uncles favorites and its made a big impression on me and how I try to live my life.

If you go to smokeyyunick.com and click on the bio you'll see that not only was he a talented mechanic, but also an inventor and engineer.
:cheers:

The correct way to eliminate the glare is with an anti-reflective coating. This can be applied at any time.

Bill Belanger

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Originally Posted by jsutcurious

Hi, I just got new semi-rimless glasses. When I recived them I noticed the edges weren't polished and since my prescription is fairly high (-5.25 R, -4.5 L) I asked if they could send them back to get the edges polished. The optician said they could, but that they couldn't be polished the same way they normally do as they would have to have done it origionally when I first purchased them. I agreed.
When I got them and put them on at home, I noticed a large amount of glare and it's been really really distracting me.

I'm wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to have the lenses "un-polished" ?

Thanks

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AR treatment is not applicable here, and cannot be applied anytime.

I guess I need to ask 1.) why and 2.) why not?

Bill

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Originally Posted by Dave Nelson

AR treatment is not applicable here, and cannot be applied anytime.

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Well technically you can apply AR at anytime. Most facilities will not AR process cut lenses.

AR is also not applicable to this situation since the edge of a rimless frame picks up the glare due to light entering the lens from the rimless portion of the lens. Since AR is designed to increase light transmission this is exactly an example of where you would not want to use AR. AR for the lens surfaces on this or almost any lens is very desirable however.

Framebender;

Thanks for the info. I knew Smokey slightly and used to see him every year at Indy before he passed away. And he is a great example of education is very important in life, and he had a great one, he was self taught and knew who to listen to and who not to listen too.

Can you imagine a company the size of GM hiring an outside expert today who did not even graduate high school? Well in the 60's and 70's GM hired Smokey and he almost on developed engine performance componets that GM engineers said could not be done.

One of those rare truely and brillent people.

I'm sorry to disagree, but having owned a wholesale lab for over 32 years, we have always sent edged lenses out for A/R, many times after the patient decided to have it done after wearing the glasses. We have used many different coating facilities.

An A/R will absolutely reduce glare no matter where it comes from since it "traps" the reflections between the front and rear surface of the lens. We have many times satisfied a patient's complaint of polished edged glare with an A/R. Don't mean to be confrontational, just trying to help the original poster.

Bill

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Originally Posted by AWTECH

Well technically you can apply AR at anytime. Most facilities will not AR process cut lenses.

AR is also not applicable to this situation since the edge of a rimless frame picks up the glare due to light entering the lens from the rimless portion of the lens. Since AR is designed to increase light transmission this is exactly an example of where you would not want to use AR. AR for the lens surfaces on this or almost any lens is very desirable however.

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I find AR coating a cut lens to be unsucessful most of the time due to the small runs which can occur around scratches in the lens. There may not be scratches if a cut lens is a week or two old, but invariably will be after a period of time. As to having an AR coat help with "edge glare" My experience is that it will not, since light rays are hitting the polished edge at the "critical angle" and being reflected like a mirror. If your experience is different and you find AR helps in this situation, then by all means use it. Incidently, I thought Benjamin Martin solved this problem in London circa 1750 with his invention "Martins margins" he simply lined his eyewire with large horn inserts and blocked the peripheral rays. I think the system is still in use in Britain, or maybe they have discovered AR coatings by now.:cheers:

AW: GM until the '60's always hired people who had worked thier way up the line. It always made a profit. Then they started hireing college "educated" managers. The first year they had a CEO with a college education, the lost money. They have continued with such CEO's and continued to loose money.

Chip

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Originally Posted by jsutcurious

Have you ever heard of anyone wanting lenses un-polished?

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Yes, some of the patients didn't want their lenses to be polished, since they were also facing the same problem - Glare!

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Samuel

Remember we are talking about the edges not the front and back surfaces, I have had quite a few (before I stopped polishing all edge surfaces as freebie extra service) complain about the glare from same and ask that I remove the polished surface.

Chip

Just another good intention gone wrong.

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Originally Posted by chip anderson

AW: GM until the '60's always hired people who had worked thier way up the line. It always made a profit. Then they started hireing college "educated" managers. The first year they had a CEO with a college education, the lost money. They have continued with such CEO's and continued to loose money.

Chip

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Correlation is not causality. Can't say it enough.

This discussion about polished or nor polished lenses existed already in the 1950s and 60s with the only difference that during those days the lenses were made from glass.

If we sold a pair of lenses with polished lenses and the customer came back sating that the glare bothered him. We passed the lenses over the ceramic stone, 30 seconds per lens.........................or if he had non-polished edges and wanted them polished,................we buffed them on a felt wheel which took maybe 2 minutes per lens.

Today we use plastic lenses which are even easier to handle...........you can still polish and un-polish the same way as in the old days. On polycarb you can even polish edges by jusr wiping a chemicals over the edge.

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Originally Posted by optixbil

I'm sorry to disagree, but having owned a wholesale lab for over 32 years, we have always sent edged lenses out for A/R, many times after the patient decided to have it done after wearing the glasses. We have used many different coating facilities.

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Do they hard coat them?

The lab we use for coatings will AR coat a lens but will only hard coat it first if it is a full blank. I only like to sell hard/AR coats.

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Originally Posted by rsandr

I only like to sell hard/AR coats.

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AR coatings are made with SIO2 which becomes as hard a surface as you can get when it is applied as an AR soating

Silicon dioxide General Other names Silica

see text Molecular formula

SiO2

Molar mass 60.1 g/mol

Appearance white or colourless, solid (when pure)

CAS number [14808-60-7]

Properties

Density and phase 2.6 g/cm3, solid

Solubility in water insoluble

Melting point 1610 °C

Boiling point 2230 °C

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Originally Posted by Chris Ryser

AR coatings are made with SIO2 which becomes as hard a surface as you can get when it is applied as an AR soating

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I dont doubt you for a minute but a few coating labs I know have sold AR and hard AR as separate products.
Are they taking the pish?

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Originally Posted by rsandr

Are they taking the pish?

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After having looked up the word "pish" in the dictionary.................I am still learning...........I would say that they are taking the pish.

There is no soft or hard SIO2 once it has been vacuum coated on a sustrate as far as I know.