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Thread: Drill mount breakage

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    Master OptiBoarder snowmonster's Avatar
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    Drill mount breakage

    I'm interested in adding drill mounting to our lab.

    Can somebody please tell me where the main source of in-lab breakage comes from when using polycarb or Trivex or 1.67 materials?

    Looking at either the Smart Drill, perhaps the Hilco drill, or something similar to that for now, not sure of the difference between the two since the Hilco website is not descriptive and my catalog is at the office right now.

    Made myself a pair of polycarb Silhouettes yesterday rather quickly with a Bosch 14.4 volt hand-held power drill and the Silhouette drill guide and it was quite easy, but I would want something with some sort of reproducable geometry (like the Smart Drill, etc) if we were going to offer this to actual patients, especially for 1/2 pair remakes.

    Thanks in advance.

    -Steve

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    Problem is not drill. Problem is haste in lab. Being too lazy to read the insert material, insert the right bit and drill slowly. Tensioning screws too tight, etc. Can be done as well with a hand drill as with a computerized one.

    Chip

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    If you do poly get Chris's drillseal. A couple of years ago when we had trouble with poly cracking I sent it to our lab. It stopped the problem there IMMEDIATELY and we have not had one single cracked job since then.

    The stuff is cheap, easy to apply, and will save you a lot of time.

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    Master OptiBoarder snowmonster's Avatar
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    We generally only do Silhouettes as far as drill mounts go at our office, and we hardly ever have problems with them cracking later on after patients have had them for a while. I guess I'll run into a problem if we try to put new lenses into a frame with screw posts and bolts.

    Would you say that you're having more problems with the actual screw posts/bolt type of drill mounts?

    One last question though - some frames I've seen appear to have a notch in the side. How did they make a notch? Do you drill in from the side of the lens, or drill down from the front of the lens repetitively until a linear notch was made.

    I'll have to look into the poly-seal thing.

    -Steve

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    I do like the screw frames and feel it is a better system, if it is the right type of screws. The first thing is the screw is thicker, so it will not snap like the Silhouette type notches do. Also, the screws will not pull out of the frame like the plugs do.

    Now I have found that some screw ones are bad, because the screws always come off. The ones that this tends to happen to is the one where the metal piece comes through the front and a nut goes on from the back. The screws will fall off and if you shorten it up then if the RX increases the lens will not fit.

    The best screw ones are when the metal comes into the front and then you have a screw that goes into the metal piece on the back. You shorten the screw to desired length. The screw never comes out, and it is adaptable to higher RX's next time.

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    Notches

    Notches can easily be done in any material with a fiber cutting wheel, either table mounted or on a cable dremel type machine. Practice on scrap and you won't believe how easy it is.

    Chip

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    Master OptiBoarder snowmonster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chip anderson View Post
    Notches can easily be done in any material with a fiber cutting wheel, either table mounted or on a cable dremel type machine. Practice on scrap and you won't believe how easy it is.
    Chip - are you talking about something like a Dremel cutting wheel?

    Thanks everyone. I love this forum.

    -Steve

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    Yep, I actually use a Fordom Dental cable drill with a chuck. Also small diamond wheels (sets, cheap at Harbor Freight, for that matter they have quite a few of the cable drill units cheap) will also groove quite nicely.
    Of course grooves can be done with a hand file if you have a good rubber jawed vice to hold the lens well.

    Chip

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    Master OptiBoarder snowmonster's Avatar
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    Has anybody tried out the Hilco Dremel-based drill? What is the difference between it and the Smart Drill? I know both systems allow you to leave the lens blocked and have an X-Y alignment grid system.

    There appears to be a fairly significant price difference between the two drills.

    -Steve

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    Quote Originally Posted by For-Life View Post
    If you do poly get Chris's drillseal.
    Sorry to hi-jack your thread, but what is this Chris's drillseal you speak of?

    I'm interested since we do occasionally have problems with our poly lens cracking.

    Thanks,
    Calvin

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    Master OptiBoarder LENNY's Avatar
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    I used to use a regular groover for the notches.
    Before I bought the new Kappa!

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    Quote Originally Posted by InspectorQ View Post
    Sorry to hi-jack your thread, but what is this Chris's drillseal you speak of?

    I'm interested since we do occasionally have problems with our poly lens cracking.

    Thanks,
    Calvin

    Here you go :)

    http://optochemicals.com./products/info_drillseal.htm

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    Quote Originally Posted by For-Life View Post
    If you do poly get Chris's drillseal. A couple of years ago when we had trouble with poly cracking I sent it to our lab. It stopped the problem there IMMEDIATELY and we have not had one single cracked job since then.

    The stuff is cheap, easy to apply, and will save you a lot of time.
    Why did poly ofter crack after using for certain period? Maybe we are not drilling perfectly?

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    Blue Jumper Sorry to hi-jack your thread,..........................

    Quote Originally Posted by InspectorQ View Post
    Sorry to hi-jack your thread, but what is this Chris's drillseal you speak of?

    I'm interested since we do occasionally have problems with our poly lens cracking.
    Drllseal fuses microscopic rips and cracks occuring when drilling poycarbonat.

    Look it up at.......................... http://optochemicals.com
    scroll down the main page until you get to drillseal and click on the link.

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    Blue Jumper Old Balrip coming back,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

    Quote Originally Posted by chip anderson View Post
    Yep, I actually use a Fordom Dental cable drill with a chuck. Also small diamond wheels (sets, cheap at Harbor Freight, for that matter they have quite a few of the cable drill units cheap) will also groove quite nicely.
    Chip
    Chip is right.......................I wondered how long it would take until some remake of one of the ever most popular rimless frames the B&L "BALGRIP" would re-surface.

    Easy to mount, easy to grind grooves with many different methods a, even a little hand grinder will do.

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    Quote Originally Posted by snowmonster View Post
    One last question though - some frames I've seen appear to have a notch in the side. How did they make a notch? Do you drill in from the side of the lens, or drill down from the front of the lens repetitively until a linear notch was made.



    -Steve
    Do you get Proxxon stuff over there?

    Look here (10th product down)
    We used to use one of these drill/clamps, tilited so the cutting disc was vertical for notching.

    http://www.tool-shop.co.uk/acatalog/...cessories.html

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    Quote Originally Posted by Samuel Jong View Post
    Why did poly ofter crack after using for certain period? Maybe we are not drilling perfectly?

    Well it is the microscopic cracks when drilled. Even if it is drilled properly, lets take the risk out.

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    Master OptiBoarder snowmonster's Avatar
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    I assume you have to be careful with the DrillSeal so you don't get it stuck to the front/back of the lens outside of the screw hole, correct?

    -Steve

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    Quote Originally Posted by snowmonster View Post
    I assume you have to be careful with the DrillSeal so you don't get it stuck to the front/back of the lens outside of the screw hole, correct?

    -Steve

    No, it wipes off cleanly. It can also be uses to remove fitting marks, but kind of a waste.

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    Master OptiBoarder Clive Noble's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by For-Life View Post

    Now I have found that some screw ones are bad, because the screws always come off. The ones that this tends to happen to is the one where the metal piece comes through the front and a nut goes on from the back. The screws will fall off and if you shorten it up then if the RX increases the lens will not fit.
    Ahh, it is possible to fit original welded screws when the Rx increases, true the lens will be thicker but just apply a bit of your woodwork knowledge.

    Drill a 1.2 or 1.4mm (whichever is applicable for the screw) hole through the lens in the right position; then with a drill bit (suitable for wood) of similar diameter to the metal washer you have, just countersink a couple of millimeters into the lens, enough to get the washer and bolt onto the screw.

    The finish looks great because there is usually nothing protruding from the back of the lens.

    I've done this many many times and it works.

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    Master OptiBoarder snowmonster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clive Noble View Post
    Drill a 1.2 or 1.4mm (whichever is applicable for the screw) hole through the lens in the right position; then with a drill bit (suitable for wood) of similar diameter to the metal washer you have, just countersink a couple of millimeters into the lens, enough to get the washer and bolt onto the screw.
    That would be a good-looking finish, although I doubt most people are that patient to do such a thing. I would probably try it though.

    Makes me think though, I've got some high minus patients that can't get a Silhouette, but if I did this technique, they could wear anything. The only problem is that the countersunk area would have to be done by a 3+ mm drill bit.

    -Steve

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    Quote Originally Posted by Clive Noble View Post
    Ahh, it is possible to fit original welded screws when the Rx increases, true the lens will be thicker but just apply a bit of your woodwork knowledge.

    Drill a 1.2 or 1.4mm (whichever is applicable for the screw) hole through the lens in the right position; then with a drill bit (suitable for wood) of similar diameter to the metal washer you have, just countersink a couple of millimeters into the lens, enough to get the washer and bolt onto the screw.

    The finish looks great because there is usually nothing protruding from the back of the lens.

    I've done this many many times and it works.
    True, but that was not the point of what I was posting. I was mainly trying to state my opinion on the best mount.

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    Redhot Jumper I assume you have to be careful ...................

    Quote Originally Posted by snowmonster View Post
    I assume you have to be careful with the DrillSeal so you don't get it stuck to the front/back of the lens outside of the screw hole, correct?
    -Steve

    Actually you do NOT have to be careful, the product is not a glue or any sticky matter. It is a clear lequid that evaporates fast and does not affect the hard coat of polycarbonate lenses.

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    Quote Originally Posted by snowmonster View Post
    I assume you have to be careful with the DrillSeal so you don't get it stuck to the front/back of the lens outside of the screw hole, correct?

    -Steve
    Only if your lenses have not been hardcoated.

    It takes some effort however to make the lens edge look like you haven't simply painted it with clear nail varnish.

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    Blue Jumper Only if your lenses..................

    Quote Originally Posted by rsandr View Post
    Only if your lenses have not been hardcoated.

    It takes some effort however to make the lens edge look like you haven't simply painted it with clear nail varnish.
    There are NO Polycarbonate lenses on the market that are not hard coated, and if a blank is surfaced it has to be hard coated on the backside. Poly is so soft that you can scratch it with your finger nail if it is not protected.

    Drillseal is used in the holes and not on edges.

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