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Thread: Hand edging lenses into another frame

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    Hand edging lenses into another frame

    As the title eludes too, how do you become an expert at this?

    What tips do the experience opticians and technicians have that they can share?

    A lot of patients are not willing to spend on new lenses, they want their existing lenses edged into another frame.

    Also Do you have to be careful when your dealing with progressives not to cut off the reading zone?

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    Compulsive Truthteller OptiBoard Gold Supporter Uncle Fester's Avatar
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    Like most skills- without a mentor and a great deal of practice there is no way we can tell you on a web site how it's done imo.

    The secret I would suggest is to be an expert on knowing when it should not be done.

    If you insist on trying to learn the art get a good hand edger- save some old frames and edged lenses and have at it!

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    Master OptiBoarder AngeHamm's Avatar
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    This is a thing to be done almost never. That said, it's a nice skill to have in your back pocket in case of emergencies.
    I'm Andrew Hamm and I approve this message.

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    Master OptiBoarder rbaker's Avatar
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    The same way that you get to Symphony Hall. Practice, practice, practice.

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    Patience is the key, really. Take off just a little bit of lens at a time, even if you think you think you need to take more.

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    OptiBoardaholic OptiBoard Bronze Supporter
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    Our santinelli edger has "frame change" mode and it makes it really easy to refit lenses into a new frame. Just be careful attempting it with progressives and make sure your seg heights and PD's will still be positioned properly in the new frame otherwise you will just be spending time making your patients lenses unusable. That being said, we reserve this service mostly as an emergency option when a frame breaks and a patient is dependent on their specs.

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    double post
    Last edited by Tallboy; 08-27-2020 at 10:25 PM.

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    In a world of "designer italian frames" whose eyewire sizing can be off still, it is a great skill to be able to step up and hand edge to bring it down when your edgers FC mode wouldn't even come close.  Definitely somethin every single optician should know.  Rule #1 less is more.

    I just did this today, quickly, quietly and without the patient knowing ;)

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    Master OptiBoarder AngeHamm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Camblor View Post
    Our santinelli edger has "frame change" mode and it makes it really easy to refit lenses into a new frame. Just be careful attempting it with progressives and make sure your seg heights and PD's will still be positioned properly in the new frame otherwise you will just be spending time making your patients lenses unusable. That being said, we reserve this service mostly as an emergency option when a frame breaks and a patient is dependent on their specs.
    What Santinelli model is this?
    I'm Andrew Hamm and I approve this message.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tallboy View Post
    In a world of "designer italian frames" whose eyewire sizing can be off still, it is a great skill to be able to step up and hand edge to bring it down when your edgers FC mode wouldn't even come close. Definitely somethin every single optician should know. Rule #1 less is more.
    If you are a married Optician would you still have to know how to do it?

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    Quote Originally Posted by AngeHamm View Post
    What Santinelli model is this?
    Lex 1200 with an ICE-1200 blocker

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    Quote Originally Posted by Opticia_n View Post
    As the title eludes too, how do you become an expert at this?

    What tips do the experience opticians and technicians have that they can share?

    A lot of patients are not willing to spend on new lenses, they want their existing lenses edged into another frame.

    Also Do you have to be careful when your dealing with progressives not to cut off the reading zone?
    First of all, you sure do have to retain enough reading area. Take a seg height for the new frame and confirm that when you edge the bottom to the new shape you still have that much near area
    Rough-cut the bottom, then the top, then the nasal to shape WITHOUT edging any of the corners yet. In edging the nasal, be aware of the difference in dbl of the two frames, and cut more or less to preserve the PD
    Leave the temporal edge for now to preserve a fudge-factor for total C size - when you are 90% done, stop: do the second lens now, while you have a little material left to make both lenses exact
    Do the corners last of all - in multiple passes you will cut lots more off a corner than a long edge
    You can use a demo lens to sharpie a shape to copy, but leave your finished product a bit bigger to fully fill the eyewire

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Camblor View Post
    Lex 1200 with an ICE-1200 blocker
    The LEXCE 8 also has this feature. Ours is a production model. No tracer, no blocker. Makes life a bit easier.
    However, I prefer the old fashioned, trace the shape, lens to the handstone method. I learned to smooth hand cut patterns and custom edge on it.
    It takes a lot of practice to get it just right. And I prefer a flat diamond, instead of a slotted diamond. More control over the bevel shape and angle.
    I bend light. That is what I do.

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    Master OptiBoarder rbaker's Avatar
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    A Journeyman Optician knows when to do it and how to do it. Just saying.

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    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter lensmanmd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rbaker View Post
    A Journeyman Optician knows when to do it and how to do it. Just saying.
    Agreed. But with today’s “fast-food optician”, unlike us battle hardened “old-timers”, this is a luxury that most opticals wont invest in.
    I bend light. That is what I do.

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    If I told you yahoos how many crazy remounts I've done in the last 6-ish months you'd laugh at me....

    So, here's the deal... when a customer asks for a remount and does not have the resources (or the desire) for a new pair of glasses you have one of two options. You can do what you can do to get them back on the road or tell them they're out of luck. I prefer the first option.

    Here's a little (but awesome) story... Early in the pandemic mess I had a 94 year old first time customer who came in (literally walked though the door loudly THANKING ME for being open while everyone was closed) and needed a remount. He was a +4 or so with a 7x28 tri and a badly broken plastic frame. I told him the options were bad but I could try to put his lenses in another frame and explained the associated risks. We had no choice so I re-mounted his lenses into a nice safilo elasta frame. It was NOT an easy job but I took my time and it turned out great. Then, when he was happy and could see again I asked a 94 year old what he thought of what our country was going through... And, I sat and listened. It is, without a doubt THE HIGHLIGHT of this pandemic mess. He grew up during and lived through the Great Depression and joined the Air Force to become a Ball-turret gunner in a B-17. He flew (26?) missions over Europe getting shot up badly but never losing a crew member and came home to use the G.I. Bill to go to college. He went to College and became a teacher and then an administrator in the school system... He's lived a FANTASTIC life and is terrified for what this country is going through. And I got to talk to him at length about it. I feel like I should have PAID HIM for the experience, not the other way around. He's been in a time or two since for adjustments, etc and I'm proud to call him my friend.... and I've learned a ton from him.

    So, if you don't want to do the re-mounts and spend the time to get to know someone, send them to me.
    Last edited by Quig; 08-27-2020 at 08:38 AM.

  18. #18
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    It's not something I typically recommend, especially when progressives are involved. You have to be pretty careful with frame selection to make sure everything lines up well with measurements. That being said, it is a nice skill to have and it is great for emergencies. I always tell the patient that this is done for emergencies only that it is not recommended due to measurements. (Although if you have SV lenses and are cutting down from large frame to small frame, it shouldn't be an issue.) Also nice to be able to hand edge a lens down a hair when c-sizes are a little off or when you have to deal with those "designer" frames.

  19. #19
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    Quig, you sound a lot like an optician I worked for many years ago. She was my mentor and my dear friend. I learned so much from her by watching and listening to her interact with her patients because she always took her time to talk to them, explain things to them, and to get to know them-especially the special ones like your fascinating new friend.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quig View Post
    If I told you yahoos how many crazy remounts I've done in the last 6-ish months you'd laugh at me....

    So, here's the deal... when a customer asks for a remount and does not have the resources (or the desire) for a new pair of glasses you have one of two options. You can do what you can do to get them back on the road or tell them they're out of luck. I prefer the first option.

    Here's a little (but awesome) story... Early in the pandemic mess I had a 94 year old first time customer who came in (literally walked though the door loudly THANKING ME for being open while everyone was closed) and needed a remount. He was a +4 or so with a 7x28 tri and a badly broken plastic frame. I told him the options were bad but I could try to put his lenses in another frame and explained the associated risks. We had no choice so I re-mounted his lenses into a nice safilo elasta frame. It was NOT an easy job but I took my time and it turned out great. Then, when he was happy and could see again I asked a 94 year old what he thought of what our country was going through... And, I sat and listened. It is, without a doubt THE HIGHLIGHT of this pandemic mess. He grew up during and lived through the Great Depression and joined the Air Force to become a Ball-turret gunner in a B-17. He flew (26?) missions over Europe getting shot up badly but never losing a crew member and came home to use the G.I. Bill to go to college. He went to College and became a teacher and then an administrator in the school system... He's lived a FANTASTIC life and is terrified for what this country is going through. And I got to talk to him at length about it. I feel like I should have PAID HIM for the experience, not the other way around. He's been in a time or two since for adjustments, etc and I'm proud to call him my friend.... and I've learned a ton from him.

    So, if you don't want to do the re-mounts and spend the time to get to know someone, send them to me.
    Great story...thanks for sharing.
    It’s so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don’t say it.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by AngeHamm View Post
    What Santinelli model is this?
    every santinelli since the 9000 was released has the setting I believe

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    Quote Originally Posted by lensmanmd View Post
    Agreed. But with today’s “fast-food optician”, unlike us battle hardened “old-timers”, this is a luxury that most opticals wont invest in.
    ok boomer

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    "And, I sat and listened. It is, without a doubt THE HIGHLIGHT of this pandemic mess. He grew up during and lived through the Great Depression and joined the Air Force to become a Ball-turret gunner in a B-17."

    Google search- While B-17 crews had a 30% mortality rate, the ball turret gunners had a 60% mortality rate, although because of the peculiar armory in the turret itself, they had the lowest wound rate on the plane.

    A famous poem about these brave airmen:


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_the_Ball_Turret_Gunner



  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Uncle Fester View Post
    "And, I sat and listened. It is, without a doubt THE HIGHLIGHT of this pandemic mess. He grew up during and lived through the Great Depression and joined the Air Force to become a Ball-turret gunner in a B-17."

    Google search- While B-17 crews had a 30% mortality rate, the ball turret gunners had a 60% mortality rate, although because of the peculiar armory in the turret itself, they had the lowest wound rate on the plane.

    A famous poem about these brave airmen:


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_the_Ball_Turret_Gunner


    Thanks for the link! And, my gawd, look at that guy climbing into that turret. Nuts. We've gotten so damn soft... They don't call them the 'Greatest Generation' for no reason.

    Oh, and FOUR more remounts today. Not my favorite thing to do, but four happy customers who I guarantee will be back. And, one bought a new pair and ALL FOUR were new in the shop. Can't beat that...

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    Quote Originally Posted by GAgirl View Post
    Quig, you sound a lot like an optician I worked for many years ago. She was my mentor and my dear friend. I learned so much from her by watching and listening to her interact with her patients because she always took her time to talk to them, explain things to them, and to get to know them-especially the special ones like your fascinating new friend.
    Thank you. My FAVORITE part of the job.... Get to KNOW your customers!

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