Page 2 of 7 FirstFirst 1234567 LastLast
Results 26 to 50 of 169

Thread: You Know You've Been Around Too Long If . . .

  1. #26
    Optical Clairvoyant OptiBoard Bronze Supporter Andrew Weiss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Brisbane,QLD, Australia
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,397
    Early days of CR39 tinting:

    -- using RIT dye from Woolworth's;
    -- using antifreeze as the heat transfer fluid in tinting unit

    Frame quality:

    -- 30 years ago the oil embargo's saw production of gold fill and gold plate metal frames all but disappear.

    Edger coolant: antifreeze as well :D

  2. #27
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Location
    PA
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    975
    You have a Grolman fitting device in the closet and a Marine Tech frame or two and maybe even a few Bal Rim 51's tucked away.

  3. #28
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Hidabevel in the 50's.............................

    As of 1956 we used to make hidabevels for minus lenses by handgrooving 2 grooves by hand on a small ceramic stone on a rimless bevel 3mm apart and mounted them into plastic or metal frames for an extra charge.

    They actually looked better with no reflection from the grooves as you get today from the automatic edgers.

  4. #29
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    Posts
    238
    As of 1956
    Ok Chris - now you're just showing off LOL :cheers:

  5. #30
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    No show off

    Quote Originally Posted by Shutterbug

    ....................now you're just showing off LOL :cheers:
    I looked at your profile shatterbug and it say's + 30 years. I am a little ahead with + 50 years, therefore I should have some more grey hair.:cheers:

  6. #31
    Cape Codger OptiBoard Gold Supporter hcjilson's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Location
    Cape Cod, Hyannis, MA. USA
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    7,437
    I started off running errands in my dad's shop in 1954.....but they wouldn't let me near a wheel until 1959!
    Blue stone-white stone......diamonds hadn't appeared in western mass yet!
    "Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
    Lord Byron

    Take a photo tour of Cape Cod and the Islands!
    www.capecodphotoalbum.com

  7. #32
    Optical Clairvoyant OptiBoard Bronze Supporter Andrew Weiss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Brisbane,QLD, Australia
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,397
    I started in my Dad's office in 1960 earning my allowance making all the single-vision lenses for his patients. I graduated to bifocals in 1962. We had an AO Trimatic edger and the "modern" AO cutter, with suction-cups for mounting -- quite an innovation back then. The "lab" was the back closet where the air conditioning unit was. My Dad kept the Trimatic in his basement for many years after he moved his office and no longer had a lab. He asked if I wanted it and I had nowhere to put it so he got rid of it Wish I'd had room.

  8. #33
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Redhot Jumper Diamonds......................

    Quote Originally Posted by hcjilson

    Blue stone-white stone......diamonds hadn't appeared in western mass yet!
    Harry, what color was the diamond you had to true the blue and white stone?

  9. #34
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    Posts
    238
    Dang! I'm just a kid! LOL


    Started 1972

  10. #35
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    California
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    2,817
    Remember when we use to have to put a pattern on the edger to edge a lens? And we took a pd with a ruler!
    How about the days when an optician was a trained individual that actually knew how to make and fit a pair of glasses!

  11. #36
    One of the worst people here
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Canada
    Occupation
    Other Eyecare-Related Field
    Posts
    8,331
    I had an ED trifocal walk into my store the other day. First time and probably last time I will see one of those.

  12. #37
    OptiBoard Professional Eddie G's's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    205
    LOL good one CME4SPECS!!!
    I can relate to those one's.

    Started 1992

  13. #38
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Redhot Jumper You started in 1062.............................

    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Weiss

    ...................... I graduated to bifocals in 1962. We had an AO Trimatic edger and the "modern" AO cutter, with suction-cups for mounting -- quite an innovation back then. ................................
    Actually I started in 1954 doing my 3 years of apprentiship. I did all the things I mentioned in my previous postings and a lot more. By 1961 as a full fledged optician I had sold hundreds of pairs of progessive lenses in the retail, made only by SL (ESSILOR today) at the time.

    I could actually write a book having sold and made glasses for King Bhumipol of Siam, a race car fan (Thailand), The old Ex-Queen of Spain, The old Aga Khan (special story), The old King Farouk playboy of Egypt, and many more, just because I worked in a place were all these at the time famous and rich circulated. If you ask me nicely I could write up my story and expirience about the old Aga Khan, who was paid his weight in diamonds every 2 years. He must have been at least 200 Lbs when I saw him last and his wife the Begum was a beautiful slim looking woman.

    I have been there, long time ago, but learned a lot of it and from all of them.

  14. #39
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Blue Jumper First plastic lenses.....repolishing

    The first company to come out with plastic lenses that I know of, was in England in the mid 1950's. Called Igard......so were the lenses.

    The material was so soft that they continiously scratched by just looking through them. Igard supplied a polishing liquid, slightly abrasive and we used to sit for hours with a cotton swab rubbing and ploishing by hand. Of course the optics of the lenses did not improve.

  15. #40
    Optical Clairvoyant OptiBoard Bronze Supporter Andrew Weiss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Brisbane,QLD, Australia
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,397
    Chris, what you brin gup reminds us that we have many interesting stories on our board. I'd be glad to read yours -- especially, where did you work that you had access to the SL progressives and ILite lenses in the late 50s early 60s? I worked in mid-Connecticut and we saw neither:(

  16. #41
    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Frostbite Falls, Mn.
    Occupation
    Optical Wholesale Lab (other positions)
    Posts
    7,417
    I seen he first pair of plastic lenses in 1969. I had managers and lab foremen from all the local labs watching me edge them, it was the first pair any of us had seen. I think they were AOlites. This was before hard coating and the only way we could protect them was by using masking tape on plus and minus surfaces.

  17. #42
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Wave CR 39 is 52 years old...............

    Quote Originally Posted by Jacqui

    ..............................I seen he first pair of plastic lenses in 1969.
    What we worked withy in the 50 I think was some type of plexglass, anyhow that what everybody said. We had to order the Rx'S finished mounted. Only when CR39 arrived one could work it in a normal optical lab.

    CR39 came out in 1947 and celebrated 50 years in 1997:

    CR39® Monomer

    Plastics made from CR-39 allyl diglycol carbonate monomer combine the optics of glass with excellent mechanical, thermal, and chemical resistance properties of a thermoset material. CR-39 monomer is used for casting plastic lenses for prescription eyewear, sunglasses and other plastic products requiring eye abrasion resistance and high quality optical properties. Lenses from CR-39 monomer give less chromatic aberration as measured by Abbe number than polycarbonate lenses.

    The history of CR-39 monomer is told in excerpts (see links) from PPG's commemorative booklet, "More Than Meets the Eye: The Stories Behind the Development of Plastic Lenses," written by Joseph L. Bruneni and published in 1997 during our 50th anniversary celebration of CR-39 monomer.

    You can see all about the old and new monomers on the following PPG link:

    http://corporate.ppg.com/PPG/optical...ts/default.htm

  18. #43
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Maybe a book would do it......................

    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Weiss

    ............................. I'd be glad to read yours -- especially, where did you work that you had access to the SL progressives and ILite lenses in the late 50s early 60s?
    Andrew.................it's been a long road so far........and I should get the guts together and write a book, like you did.

    Here is the link: http://www.beginningmindfulness.com/pages/1/index.htm
    You seem to have been successful, and I congratulate you.

    Your right there would be lot of expieriences and inexpieriences to gather on the Optiboard and write about it.

    As for your question in short, I got born into the optical trade. Father had one of the larger optician stores in Switzerland. There was also an optical instruments (microscopes -geodesical) , ophthalmological instruments, manufacturing of orthoptic and pleoptic instruments and a camera department. I had some good training and learning to do in all the parts of the business, which has given me good background knowdlege for the rest.

    I did an apprentiship of 3 years in Lausanne on Lake Geneva in an optical business were all the European old royalties, kings, ex-queens got their glasses from. I got to know and work on glasses from the old ex Queen of Spain to Charliy Chaplin just about everybody of name and fame at the time, (while making $5.00 per month/ $ 10.00 second year / $ 20.00 third year).
    After that I took courses in ophthalmic optics in London for a few years. While doing above I also became pretty fluent in the French and English while having a Swiss-German background.

    The first and longest reigning SL president Mr Cottet and family were close friends of our family since I can remember. Therefore my father who then was vice-president of the Iinternational Opticians Association was one of the first to try out Varilux lenses outside of SL, We started to sell them to the public very successfully around 1957-58. SL used to give courses in every larger town teaching opticians how to, and to whom to sell as well as to whom NOT to sell progressives.
    Last edited by Chris Ryser; 12-23-2004 at 07:41 PM.

  19. #44
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    Posts
    238
    Andrew.................it's been a long road so far........and I should get the guts together and write a book, like you did.
    Maybe we could do an on-line book. Start with a table of contents and just fire away with our memories ;) (Before they're completely gone, that is)

    Shutterbug

  20. #45
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Fantastic Idea, But ...........................

    Quote Originally Posted by Shutterbug


    Maybe we could do an on-line book. Start with a table of contents and just fire away with our memories ...........................
    Shutterbug
    Shutterbug, you got a point, but would we be making a buck out of anotherwise maybe bestseller ,on-line? Every movie company would steal the ideas and you would see yourself on a sit-com at 8pm and which would suddenly be the a success, and you could not collect a royalty for selling a progressive on the screen to some old lady with a 8mm height and she could not read anything?

    The idea is fantastic but...................never on line. A ghostwriter would have to do it.

  21. #46
    Compulsive Truthteller OptiBoard Gold Supporter Uncle Fester's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    At a position without dimension...
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    5,302

    On Line Book I say YES

    We flatter ourselves if we think an online book would become a runaway bestseller or even a successful sit-com! We're OPTICIANS not actors or writers! The producers of say "CHEERS" were not bar owners. I say Go For It!! I suggest a new thread for a new on line Book! One of the chapter's to be titled My Most Embarrassing Moment, but I'd insist on anonymity! Can we do that in this forum? Mine involves many years ago supergluing a frame to a patients----well let's just see what you think:)

  22. #47
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Blue Jumper Anonimous.......................................

    Quote Originally Posted by Uncle Fester

    ...........................One of the chapter's to be titled My Most Embarrassing Moment, but I'd insist on anonymity! Can we do that in this forum? .............
    It could be posted here but would have to be published elsewhere..........or it will not become a book. Would have to be posted here and then copied to a permanent separate website. I could come up with a solution.
    Will make a proposal over the next few days.

  23. #48
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    Posts
    238
    Sure, we'll miss out on the royalties (LOL) but just think of the money we'll make on the late night talk TV circuits :0)


    shutterbug

  24. #49
    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Frostbite Falls, Mn.
    Occupation
    Optical Wholesale Lab (other positions)
    Posts
    7,417
    Let me know when this is available, I want my lab rats to read it.

  25. #50
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Down in a hole!
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    13,078
    You know you've been around too long if......someone in the lab yells "hear comes an executive!" and you knew it wasn't the smooth talking, well dressed, "yes" man who was always stopping buy! I am only 33, but I can remember working in the lab as a teenager and having the pleasure of having to facet and drill all of those damn Elizabeth Arden, Avante-Garde, and Tura rimless jobs that the dayshift was so thoughtful to leave for me! Executives and executive trifocals in a facet drill mount were my specialty! Oh, and the glass drill jobs...talk about time consuming!

    Fezz
    :cheers:

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. How long does it take to surface a pair of lenses?
    By LENNY in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: 09-24-2006, 09:57 PM
  2. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-13-2004, 12:19 PM
  3. Fill In O.d. For Long Island
    By JNTILMO in forum The Job Board
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 06-22-2004, 07:55 PM
  4. How Long?
    By rfischer in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 07-18-2002, 08:04 PM
  5. Sports- How long have YOU been a fan?!?
    By Pete Hanlin in forum Just Conversation
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-26-2002, 01:43 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •