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Thread: Tinting unit recommendations

  1. #1
    Sawptician PAkev's Avatar
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    Tinting unit recommendations

    I have decided to downsize my tinting applications. Nearly 100% of my sun lenses are now polarized and I have been doing quite a bit of fashion edge tinting. I have resorted to turning my tinting unit on once a week and even less often than that lately. Therefore, I sold my 6 pot tint unit and am looking to replace it with something a little more practical like a two pot unit for my once in a while tinting needs.

    I don't want anything too big and it would be an even greater plus if the new unit is something that can be stored away and taken out when needed. I was going to order a two pot unit from BPI to the tune of around $500 but thought I would make this post first and give consideration to other helpful recommendations.

    Kevin

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    Have you looked into Chris Ryser's MicroWave Tinting systems?

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    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Blue Jumper Thanks Chip........................

    Quote Originally Posted by chip anderson
    Have you looked into Chris Ryser's MicroWave Tinting systems?
    Thanks for the plug Chip...............

    The smallest tinting unit.........a microwave cost's about $ 100.00..........it will tint up to 100x faster.......does poly and high index to dark shades in 4 to 8 minutes and CR39 in60 seconds..............non toxic water based. Presntly used by the US Army and Navy labs. One Liter of dye will last you 6-12 month.
    See all details at http://optochemicals.com

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    Sawptician PAkev's Avatar
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    Thanks,

    I will take a little better look at the website and or call with some questions.

    Chris, are the tints used in the micro tinting process propriatary of optochemicals or is it something that will still be available if Essilor should purchase optochemicals and decide to abandon the micro tinting process?

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    Blue Jumper Would not abandon................

    Quote Originally Posted by PAkev
    Chris, are the tints used in the micro tinting process propriatary of optochemicals or is it something that will still be available if Essilor should purchase optochemicals and decide to abandon the micro tinting process?
    The tinting process including the tints used have been patented under my name in just about every large industrial country and it would of no interest to any purchaser to abandon what is definitely the future in plastic materials surface tinting.

    This is the first time in some 30 odd years of lens tinting a real new technology has been developed that works faster, cleaner, healthier and answers to all the new lens materials that are still coming on the market.

    If any large lens manufacturing corporation would buy the rights to the process they would for sure not abandon the process as it is to their commercial advantage to be able to tint materials in seconds and minutes compared to the established way that may take hours to do the same thing.

    The oil companies used to buy up any automotive invention that was intended to save gas and oil and then bury it deep down into the ground.

    In the case of my Micro-Tints it would onlt help them selling new materials that were nearly impossible to tint.

  6. #6
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    I too was unhappy with expensive,smelly commercially available tinting units that always boiled over (mostly due to staff negligence). About 7 years ago, I got the idea of using coffee pot type hot water heaters such as the Regal Poly Pot. They are available for about $8-14 (US). I prefer the kind that have no adjustable thermostat (we modify the internal thermostat by using a copper penny) so that we can permanently set the temperature to just below boil to prevent boil-overs. The pot heats up in about 1-2 minutes. Use one for each color, neutralizer or whatever. You only heat the ones you need. You're not wasting electricity all day or degrading all of your dyes all day. You use the standard lens holder to swirl the dyes. If you have a tough poly, just let it sit while you do other things in the lab. CRs are no problem at all.

    I've always found it hard to control a microwave (and traditional tinting-units) to prevent boil-overs.

    Boil-overs are to me the biggest problem. :angry:

    I am interested in the micro-dyes though. I might try them to see if they darken faster and last longer.

    I'm not saying my way is the absolute best, but our tinting operation has been streamlined, fool-proofed and de-smelled.

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    Thumbs up The fastest around.............

    Quote Originally Posted by fjpod
    Boil-overs are to me the biggest problem. :angry:

    I am interested in the micro-dyes though. I might try them to see if they darken faster and last longer.
    You will have NO boil over if you do it the right way.............as per instructions on any type systems

    Micro dyes will tint a high index to a No 4 shade in 4 to 8 minutes........a poly to the same result at the same time..................and a CR39 in 60 seconds and all without smell or unhealthy fumes. (The US Navy is tinting all their lenses this way and they love it)

  8. #8
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    OptiSource has 2 pan units for $500. They are water based which is a plus, I use thiers and they work very well. Call and you'll get a better price I'm sure.

    http://www.1-800-optisource.com/ex/a...xe/productsnew

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    Mini Poll

    I've used variations of the coffee pot tinter, and they worked out the best (or at least as good) as anything we'd tried before.

    I keep hearing how good Chris Ryser's system works, but it's usually from Chris. How many of you use/have tried this system, and what are your observations as far as time/boil overs/color consistancy/ease of use/ etc...

  10. #10
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    Chris,

    I checked out your website again, and read that the lens is put into the microwave with the dye. How do you achieve a gradient tint ?

  11. #11
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    Blue Jumper Negative Gradient..............................

    Quote Originally Posted by Johns
    I checked out your website again, and read that the lens is put into the microwave with the dye. How do you achieve a gradient tint ?
    Actually you can't......................the system works so much faster, that it is impossible to do in the microwave.

    However you can do a negative gradient..............after the fact...........by tinting the full lens in the microwave and then using you gradient arm to remove the tint................with the same end result.

    If you do not have a tinting unit or do not want to use it, a french fry cooker from you favorite local warehouse will do the trick at the cost of about
    $ 20.00.

    To tint a regular CR39 you can just heat up the dye to a loght boil, remove it from the microwave, insert the lens and 60 second later you have a lens with a 70% absorbtiion.

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    Blue Jumper Love it!

    For about a year now I am using the micro-tint system in my high-volume shop. (Before I used the B.P.I tint bath).
    What I love about tinting in the micro-wave is first of all the incredible speed!
    I live in a city were a lot of tourists come. I can tell them:"hey, if you go for a walk, your sunglasses will be ready in half an hour".

    I also tried the coffee pot method but the disadvantage is that at the bottom of the coffee-pot the temperature is higher then above, so quality is less then with the micro-wave. ( In the micro-wave the tint-container is constantly rotated.

    Another thumbs up for the micro-wave is that you can walk away to go and do something else. The micro-wave clock stops the procces after the desired time. The tint-fluid only cooks when the micro-wave is on.
    So it's great for high and low volume shops.

  13. #13
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    Could do hundreds.....................

    Quote Originally Posted by Dutchie
    So it's great for high and low volume shops.
    Thank you Dutchie.................for a comment in favour of the only real new technological advance in optical lens tinting in 30 years.

    There is a posting further up...............that you can purchase a 2 pan tinting unit for $ 500.00.

    For that price you can purchase 5 top of the line microwaves stack them on top of each other and you could turn out 250 pairs of CR39 lenses in only one hour, tinted in any color available.

    Or you could tint 90 pairs of Poly or other hard to tint high index lenses to real dark shade, you can never achieve in a dye pot................in only one hour.

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