Emergency glasses repair in case screw from hinge got lost

[Bagheera]

Hi guys,

Thiose of us who have been wearing glasses have probably had it happen one or more times already that suddenly the screw from the hinge holding one of the "legs" has loosened and dropped and can't be found anywhere anymore.

Well I had a small screwdriver+spares screws set but I broke the screwdriver and I got an bright idea to do on the spot loose hinge repairs.

I always carry a small "survival" kit and I stuffed in a few lengths of shrink tubing used by electronic hobyists. You can buy these in several diameters and colors in lengths of 2" or so and these take up an very tiny space in your kit.

You probably see were I'm going but in case you lost the hinge screw and you managed to save the loos leg and the rest of the glasses, take out the emergency kit, take out the shrink tubing of the correct size (and colour if you're fashion sensitive :wink: ) cut off a length that you need and slip it over the hinge/leg part attached to the lens part of the glasses and then stick the leg in the hinge that is inside the shrink tubing and apply some heat from your lighter or even use a plastic fresnell lens to heat the shrink tubing.
And voila.... you have a properly functioning pair of glasses again.
You might even be able to close the leg as the shrunk shrink tubing acts as a hinge depending on the quality and flexibility of the tubing.

I wouldn't depend on that and only concentrate on having the glasses fit securely on my nose/ears again as I'm really handicapped when I'm without them :oops:

You can even use the shrink tubing to fix a twig replacement leg to your glasses in case you lost the leg altogether.

OK I know duc tape would work also but some pieces of shrink tubing certainly do the job and can be used for other things also.

Best Scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera

[Great Pebble]

Just across the road from my house is a little hardware shop that stocks all sorts of cheap "end of line" products. They have a small plastic box containg two tiny screw drivers a plastic vial with about half a dozen tiny screws and press fit "emergency" end pieces for the legs and bridge pads.
Costs £1.00 I bought one and supplemented it with a small tube of super glue. I've never had to use it but i've repaired others specs several times. Top Kit - If you wear glasses.

Nick in Belfast

[Stuart]

Also worth noting here is that if your short sighted and you loose your glasses you can put two pin holes (spaced apart for your eyes) in a peice of card or paper

looking though these holes your feild of vision will be reduced but the clarity of vison will increase (no where near as drematically as lenses but if your vison is not really really bad it will be enough my vison is -10 and it works for me)

you can also create the effect quickly by pressing your thumb and middle finger togeather on each hand and bringing them togeather so that the tips of the middle fingers touch and the tips of the thumbs touch creating a tiny dimond shape between them, look though this dimond hole

I dont have enought of a knowleadge of physics to explain clearly how it works but it does

[Bagheera]

Great Pebble,

I agree I already wrote that I had/have such a kit but the screwdriver broke + have you ever tried mounting such a tiny screw when you just paddled 14 miles in not to warm water, your hands are swollen you just took a dunking? I had to and didn't succeed.
Also when I don't have my glasses on I can't even see the screws and the little container is just barely visible :wink: so there's the "chicken or egg" dilemma at least for me.

I might add that I also have a pair of extra glasses using an US army frame with the rubber legs/strap but I gotr these a lot later so I first had devised the shrink tubing repair system (STRS) :-)

Best Scouting wishes,

Bagheera

[Justin Time]

you can also create the effect quickly by pressing your thumb and middle finger togeather on each hand and bringing them togeather so that the tips of the middle fingers touch and the tips of the thumbs touch creating a tiny dimond shape between them, look though this dimond hole



Absolutely stunning! All these years of shortsighted-ness and the best non-glasses solution I had was squinting!

Another tip for glasses repair is fuse wire to replace the screw, haven't tried it with snare wire though.

Cheers
Justin

[sargey]

then there's the tiny screwdriver that fit's in the corkscrew on your swiss army knife. just tighten up the screws once a day. a stitch in time and all that...

cheers, and.

[alick]

If you know they're loose, lock the screws with a spot of nail varnish. It's not permanent but holds solidly for a few weeks.
I find the wire trick one of the best. Almost anything will do, paperclips etc. At a pinch, strip 6" of paracord, use a few strands from the inner, melt together at the end to help threading. Tie off and cut back the excess. Cheers

[Adi007]

Just use a spot of loctite!

[Stew]

Just use a spot of loctite!

This never lasted long for me. I used to lose a screw or snap part of my glasses every 6 months when I was younger and superglue was never good enough to hold the frame together.

I wish we had thought of the shrink tubing as paperclips were ok but a bit awkward to get right.

Of course, now I know you can go to the opticians and they'll give you a new one for free!

[Adi007]

I guess I meant thread lock loctite ... the stuff that mechanics use to prevent screws/nuts/bolts working lose with vibration.


Just use a spot of loctite!

This never lasted long for me. I used to lose a screw or snap part of my glasses every 6 months when I was younger and superglue was never good enough to hold the frame together.

I wish we had thought of the shrink tubing as paperclips were ok but a bit awkward to get right.

Of course, now I know you can go to the opticians and they'll give you a new one for free!

[Hoodoo]

If you are going to use loctite, make sure you use the mild stuff. If you use the heavy duty stuff, it's dang near permanent. The mild stuff is the same stuff gunsmiths use on scope sights, etc.

Bagheera, that's a great tip! Shrink tubing can be pretty handy stuff sometimes.

[TheViking]

Thiose of us who have been wearing glasses have probably had it happen one or more times already that suddenly the screw from the hinge holding one of the "legs" has loosened and dropped and can't be found anywhere anymore.
That's why I have bought a small screwdriver which fits in the corkscrew of my SAK. :wink: Maybe I should add 2 extra screws for my kit...? :D

[Schwert]

I now wear glasses with no hinge, but in the past I repaired nearly permently with some heavy (25lb or so) nylon monofilament. I melted a small blob on the nylon, threaded it into the hinge, trimmed close and melted the other end with one of those very narrow high temp torch lighters. My optician was amazed when I finally had the frames adjusted...sort of a nylon rivet.

[Roving Rich]

I've used that thin green gardening, i had actually snapped the arm right off. (my friend ran over them in his pickup truck !) Just coiled it around the arm a stub on the frame to form a "spring" round the outside. Works a treat.

Rich

[dtalbot]

I guess I meant thread lock loctite ... the stuff that mechanics use to prevent screws/nuts/bolts working lose with vibration.
Yep,
That's the first thing I do when I get a new pair of specs. My other backup when out and about is 2 or 3 pairs of 30 day contact lenses. Handy as spares and a whole lot easier to see through in the rain, though they do also make you realise just how much you use your regular specs as safety glasses!
Cheers
david

[Adi007]

Handy as spares and a whole lot easier to see through in the rain, though they do also make you realise just how much you use your regular specs as safety glasses!


Yep ... that's the main reason why I go for impact resistant lenses. Also, if you are really rough on lenses, glass in cheaper in the long run than plastic that scratches easily.

[bushwacker bob]

Of course if you are a permanent glasses wearer,this is hypothetical.All the blokes I've known had their glasses break, needed the glasses on in order to see the screw holes!I have repaired several pairs of glsses. :o):