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

  1. #101
    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott R View Post
    Started in 1995.

    Thought time in was determined by how far you could jab a screwdriver into your finger befor you flinch.
    Danged kids

  2. #102
    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LKahn View Post
    You know you have been around to long if you have used a slide rule.
    Still have one, still use it once in a while. :bbg:

  3. #103
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    Chris, that must have been in the days before the punch press! Does anyone still have a punch Plier? You used to have to file the rivet end of the plaque (who remembers that term?)smooth with the top of the hinge, and postition the hole end of the plier over the rivet or plaque.....while not marring the frame!! Glad we don't see anymore of those jobs!

    Actually, I think I might still have one of those animals stashed away!

    ~TMM

  4. #104
    Master OptiBoarder Shwing's Avatar
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    Slide Rules

    A few of you mentioned slide rules.

    Let's be more specific, shall we?

    You know you've been around too long if you have used (let alone heard of):

    -Empire datum rule
    -Willesden datum rule
    -Pyle universal rule

    or better yet:
    -Pulzone/Hardy rule
    -Bishop Harman rule
    -Rosen rule
    -Earjoy rule
    -Specangler (no, I did not make that up)
    -Fairbanks facial gauge


    Or even better still, if you were taught from a textbook that broke down various vocational dispensing consideration based on gender:
    men are:
    shopkeepers, gardeners, truck drivers, school teachers, carpenters, Executives (management), musician or dentists.
    women are:
    housewife, typist/ receptionist, theatregoer, nurse or hospital sister, needlewoman, or socialite...

  5. #105
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    Anyone old enough to have seen gasoline fired heater inside an automobile that had to be lit with a match?
    And before you ask, I have.

    Chip

  6. #106
    Master OptiBoarder rep's Avatar
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    No one will believe this but.................................

    In the 40's there was a major optical company in a major city in the South. The owner was a former A.O. manager.

    His requirement for all new employees was..........................

    You were given various narrow strips of gold filled metal - Your task was to make a frame in a particular eyesize and bridge size. With a saddle bridge by hand. That included forming the temples, eyewire, bridge, hinge, everything. The only other thing given were screws.

    If you did it you were hired if not tough luck. This has been verified by more than 15 former employees most of whom are still living today.

    Rep

  7. #107
    Rising Star
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    did you guys have to write with a feather?:bbg:

  8. #108
    Cape Codger OptiBoard Gold Supporter hcjilson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rep View Post
    In the 40's there was a major optical company in a major city in the South. The owner was a former A.O. manager.

    His requirement for all new employees was..........................

    You were given various narrow strips of gold filled metal - Your task was to make a frame in a particular eyesize and bridge size. With a saddle bridge by hand. That included forming the temples, eyewire, bridge, hinge, everything. The only other thing given were screws.

    If you did it you were hired if not tough luck. This has been verified by more than 15 former employees most of whom are still living today.

    Rep
    As of the mid 80's, I was told if you wanted to be licensed in Germany, you had to be able to fabricate a spectacle frame as well.

    No we didn't have to write with feathers, but all of our patterns were made of metal, and lenses were edge ground on flat stones (blue and white), and bevels were made by hand. I just read what I've written and can't believe how primitive it was. We SHOULD have been writing with feathers!! :):)
    "Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
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  9. #109
    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rep View Post
    In the 40's there was a major optical company in a major city in the South. The owner was a former A.O. manager.

    His requirement for all new employees was..........................

    You were given various narrow strips of gold filled metal - Your task was to make a frame in a particular eyesize and bridge size. With a saddle bridge by hand. That included forming the temples, eyewire, bridge, hinge, everything. The only other thing given were screws.

    If you did it you were hired if not tough luck. This has been verified by more than 15 former employees most of whom are still living today.

    Rep
    I never had to make a frame for a customer or a job interveiw, but I did make a couple for personal use. Used gold filled wire, the only outside parts were nose pads, screws and temple tips. If I can find them, I'll post pics.

  10. #110
    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hcjilson View Post
    As of the mid 80's, I was told if you wanted to be licensed in Germany, you had to be able to fabricate a spectacle frame as well.

    No we didn't have to write with feathers, but all of our patterns were made of metal, and lenses were edge ground on flat stones (blue and white), and bevels were made by hand. I just read what I've written and can't believe how primitive it was. We SHOULD have been writing with feathers!! :):)

    Wish I could find one of the old rimless edgers, like you mention. I think they produced a much better job than these new fangled pieces of donkey doo-doo that we have now. We still make a lot of GLASS rimless for the Amish and Mennonites and it would be nice to be able to do a better job on them.

  11. #111
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    I can remember roughing (Grinding with steel tool, coarse grit) Fining (grinding with finer grit on steel tool) smoothing (grinding with steel tool even finer grit) Polishing with lacquer soaked wool pad pressed and adhered steel pad). Had to true the polishing pads with a piece of hacksaw blade. As well as I remember it was about 10min rough, 20 min fining, 20 min smoothing and about an hour and fifteen minites polishing. Had to keep the polisher (18 spindles on 15 foot machine) refreshed with polish applied with a paint brush.
    Surfaces were all checked to neuton's ring accuracy.


    Chip:cheers:

  12. #112
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Gold Supporter DragonLensmanWV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harry a saake View Post
    you have been around when you have cut laps on the old original OLDFIELD lap cutter, used a shuron 173a bowl edger, and made glass 3 piece rimless glasses using the old B@L ceramic edger that edged down both lenses at the same time, at a very slow rate, so they would both be the same size and have nice sharp corners, about one hour per pair
    Heck I still have an Oldfield. I use the generator to make laps now. Anyone want an old Oldfield?

  13. #113
    Compulsive Truthteller OptiBoard Gold Supporter Uncle Fester's Avatar
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    I remember when edger wheels were square...

    Just wonder if some of the new Optiboard old timers will enjoy a walk down memory lane and maybe want to contribute to this old thread?

    Also some of you youngsters get to see that life in the trenches has gotten better (or worse :D).

  14. #114
    Cape Codger OptiBoard Gold Supporter hcjilson's Avatar
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    Ordering a lens in "Tempross thickness"

    You know you've been around too long if you have ordered lenses in tempross thickness. The first Anzi standards made it mandatory for all glass lenses to have 2.2 center thickness but in 1959 it was a $5 add on.
    "Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
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  15. #115
    opti-tipster harry a saake's Avatar
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    old

    you have really been around too long if you can remember the kryptok glass lens being advertised as the first invisible bifocal, well almost invisible

  16. #116
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    I grew up in the business, my Dad was an optician.
    I emember him opening a store and nailing pegboard into the wall and inserting golf tees to hold the frame.

    If a customer wanted a black frame, he grabbed the hinge area with a pair of pliers and inserted a tortise frame into a bottle of ink.

    And way way back, tortise frames were made from turtle shell. I remember my dad calling plastic frames 'shell'.

    You started out in the business in the surface room cleaning blocks and worked your way out front to take of patients.

    I remember when we charged $1.00 for case hardening of a glass lens and it was an option.

    If you wanted photogray, it had to be an exec or an ultex. No flat tops.

    I met an optician that was trained in France. To pass his certification, he was given a rx. He had to grind the lenses and MAKE the frame.

  17. #117
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    You know you've been around too long if:

    Your first job required you go next door for a bucket of steam or the lead optician asked you to get the lens stretcher.

    We edged glass lenses for Optometrist who would supply just one lens for a half eye. We scored and crimped the lens in half on its optical center then placed the centers to the top!

    How about hanging weights on the first Lemay edgers to control the bevel?



    The good ole' days? :finger:

  18. #118
    Cape Codger OptiBoard Gold Supporter hcjilson's Avatar
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    Mine too!

    [QUOTE=just eyes;212447]I grew up in the business, my Dad was an optician.

    /QUOTE]

    Mine too and his father before him. I am living proof you can make the same mistake in three generations!!:D ( I SAY that all the time but I don't mean it. The Optical business has been good to my family)

    I bet no one on Optiboard can match this one.

    You know you've been around too long when you can still remember your grandfather in front of the white stone, grinding a watch crystal by hand. Yes folks, when I was a kid, that's what they were made of. When my grandfather left AO he opened an optical shop. To make ends meet he ground watch crystals. His shop was called The Crystal Shop.
    "Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
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  19. #119
    ABO-AC, NCLE-AC, LDO-NV bob_f_aboc's Avatar
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    I found this thread while searching for another. I am absolutely amazed by the skill of the members here. Does anyone know of an apprenticeship program to learn these nearly obsolete skills? (preferably in TX) I have been doing this for over 9 years and have become very proficient with modern (1990-ish +) lab equipment and on the sales floor.

    Nothing puts me back in place and deflates the ego quite like reading about the "good old days".

  20. #120
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    Bob:
    List the "nearly obsolete skills" you want to know. I can probably put you in touch with some people there and I am sure other Optiboarders can help.

    Chip

  21. #121
    ABO-AC, NCLE-AC, LDO-NV bob_f_aboc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chip anderson View Post
    Bob:
    List the "nearly obsolete skills" you want to know. I can probably put you in touch with some people there and I am sure other Optiboarders can help.

    Chip
    Frame fabricating from scratch, both metal and plastic, proper soldering technique, rather than ordering a new frame under warranty, in general the skills that are not taught anymore when you start out working for a retail giant mall store.

    I know that there are books available, but that only goes so far. I have read how to build a house, but don't think I would attempt it without experienced supervision.

  22. #122
    Ophthalmic Optician
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    Rant Mode: On

    Quote Originally Posted by chip anderson View Post
    Bob:
    List the "nearly obsolete skills" you want to know. I can probably put you in touch with some people there and I am sure other Optiboarders can help.

    Chip
    How to dress for work.
    How to spit out your gum before you get there.
    How to clean your finger naels.
    How to talk w/out saying "like".
    How to speak w/o using double negatives.
    How to listen to s customer.
    How to show up on time.
    How to take your time w/an adjustment
    How to answer the phone so it doesn't souned like your sitting in a bean-bag chair in your basement.
    How to...AARRGGHHH!!!
    :hammer:












    ok...I feel better now.
    Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry

  23. #123
    Optical Clairvoyant OptiBoard Bronze Supporter Andrew Weiss's Avatar
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    [quote=hcjilson;212492]
    Quote Originally Posted by just eyes View Post
    I grew up in the business, my Dad was an optician.

    /QUOTE]

    Mine too and his father before him. I am living proof you can make the same mistake in three generations!!:D ( I SAY that all the time but I don't mean it. The Optical business has been good to my family)

    I bet no one on Optiboard can match this one.

    You know you've been around too long when you can still remember your grandfather in front of the white stone, grinding a watch crystal by hand. Yes folks, when I was a kid, that's what they were made of. When my grandfather left AO he opened an optical shop. To make ends meet he ground watch crystals. His shop was called The Crystal Shop.
    I don't remember that, Harry, but I still have three pliers that my optometrist grandfather used, that he gave to my optometrist father, and that my father gave to me. They're all Arrow pliers; my two favorites are a needle-nose and a double-round, both far better than anything I see being made these days.

    My father was an optometrist; his brother was an optometrist; his sister married an optometrist whose brother was an optometrist. Family get-togethers were like optometric conventions.

    I am the only one in my generation of the family involved in any of the "three O's".
    Andrew

    "One must remember that at the end of the road, there is a path" --- Fortune Cookie

  24. #124
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Gold Supporter DragonLensmanWV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Johns View Post
    How to dress for work.
    How to spit out your gum before you get there.
    How to clean your finger naels.
    How to talk w/out saying "like".
    How to speak w/o using double negatives.
    How to listen to s customer.
    How to show up on time.
    How to take your time w/an adjustment
    How to answer the phone so it doesn't souned like your sitting in a bean-bag chair in your basement.
    How to...AARRGGHHH!!!
    :hammer:












    ok...I feel better now.
    ESPECIALLY - don't not never use no double negatives nohow.
    DragonlensmanWV N.A.O.L.
    "There is nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country."

  25. #125
    Compulsive Truthteller OptiBoard Gold Supporter Uncle Fester's Avatar
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    Remember when Polaroid was an excellent company to work for...

    The owner somehow got Polaroid Inc. to give the shop I worked in at that time, as well as several other area opticals, new polarized in CR-39 lenses. Worked great for a couple months then they ALL delaminated. They went back to the drawing board and made improvements but still some, though not all, had delamination issues. The percentage was low enough to release to the market. Just in time for the 54 eye frame being the "small" style on the board.

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