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Vintage Eyeglasses

MisterGrey

Practically Family
Messages
526
Location
Texas, USA
Viola said:
Are what I think of as the "classic nerd" glasses (black frames, narrow rectangular lenses, not frameless on the bottom like the Malcolm X pics, but not as big as Buddy Holly's or aviator-type lenses) actually period or sort of a modern reinterpretation? If they're period what brands should I be looking at?

I'd like to price them - I need new glasses desperately and apparently this style is my guy's very favourite, something about librarians, I don't know. Boys are weird. [huh] ;)

Take a look at Shuron-- especially the Freeway. Classic style (50s-60s) but not as big as Buddy Holly's. Also they're available in tortoise to accomodate paler skin tones. Good price, too--

Black Shuron Freeways

Tortoise Freeways
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
24,870
Location
London, UK
I've just been dealing with Shuron as noted above. (Incidently, the prices they quoted me were only minimally above what I could find them for elsewhere online, and there were several reasons why they worked out a better deal for me in the end). Their customer service is fllawless - not many businesses will trust you with several pairs for trial having only paid for one - and at the other side of the ocean too! Tony is endlessly patient with questions about sizes and styles. I now have my first pair of Ronsirs ready to go for lensing when I get back home from work trip / holiday, and a couple more pairs on the way. :)

chanteuseCarey said:
My Hubby Chuck has 40s suits and a WWII Army Air Corp Captain's uniform, so he's wanting something for regular eyeglasses ala' WWII Glen Miller, and a pair of 40s pilots' sunglasses too. The hunt continues...

For the sunglasses, assuming they don't have to be original 40s, try the Shuron MacArthur, should be ideal.
 

DanielJones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,042
Location
On the move again...
chanteuseCarey said:
Michaelshane and Highlander. Thanks for sharing these.

My Hubby Chuck has 40s suits and a WWII Army Air Corp Captain's uniform, so he's wanting something for regular eyeglasses ala' WWII Glen Miller, and a pair of 40s pilots' sunglasses too. The hunt continues...

The Glen Miller glasses are very much like the ones I just purchased.
4176-Glenn%20Miller.jpg


There are a slew of that particular style on ebay, and most of them can be had for under $15. Then all you have to do is put your husbands Rx in them and presto changeo Glen Miller. ;) You can get B&L, Shuron, American Optical, in that style for your husband. Hope that helps you out.

Cheers!

Dan
 

chanteuseCarey

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,962
Location
Northern California
What is OFAS??

DanielJones said:
I just got these recently on OFAS.

These are circa 1945, 1/10 12KGF, B & L
!BO8LPqQ!mk~$(KGrHgoH-CgEjlLl5Z,dBJ)QDhM(YQ~~_1.JPG



Dated from November, 1947, 850 gold filled, no brand name offered.
259100857_tp.jpg


I'll post some pics once I get my Rx added to them.

I've been trying the type in good shape, that Highlander posted so as to convert them to sunglasses. I know Rayban makes a modern equivilent version in sunglasses but the lenses seem too large & I know the size I'm looking for is around 42mm to 44mm. Just a little patience I guess.

Cheers!

Dan
 

Inky

One Too Many
Messages
1,743
Location
State of Confusion AKA California
Edward said:
I've just been dealing with Shuron as noted above. (Incidently, the prices they quoted me were only minimally above what I could find them for elsewhere online, and there were several reasons why they worked out a better deal for me in the end). Their customer service is fllawless - not many businesses will trust you with several pairs for trial having only paid for one - and at the other side of the ocean too! Tony is endlessly patient with questions about sizes and styles. I now have my first pair of Ronsirs ready to go for lensing when I get back home from work trip / holiday, and a couple more pairs on the way. :) .

Congrats on your first Ronsirs! Hubby got his through Shuron too and I agree, Tony is endlessly patient and their service - amazing! I am ordering a pair for me next January when the insurance rolls around again! Can't wait to see a picture of you wearing them - hubby gets many compliments from girls, they really notice them and like them.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
24,870
Location
London, UK
chanteuseCarey said:
What is OFAS??

It's an acronym for 'Our Favourite Auction Site' i.e. eBay. The Management have asked we stop using it (it was something of a Lounge thang) as it confused a lot of new folks, with the same question as to its meaning cropping up over and over. Occasionally we all forget - old habits die hard! :)

Inky... photos will be headed to the Lounge soon as I get back to Blighty (currently in Beijing for another ten or eleven days) and get 'em lensed up. :)
Hopefully they'll get me noticed by the ladies too. ;)
 

DanielJones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,042
Location
On the move again...
259100857_tp.jpg


I finally received this pair. Very nice indeed. Mother of pearl nose pads. Appears to have never been worn. The prescription also appears to be a generic magification for reading purposes, as they are pretty darn close to my current Rx.
The frame & arms are stamped "BSO". One of the brows is stamped "BSO NUMONT FULVUE". And the bridge on the back side looks to be Broad Arrow stamped. British or Canadian military surplus perhaps? Does anybody here know what BSO stands for? I know AO is American Optical, would this be the British equivilent?

Cheers!

Dan
 

MisterGrey

Practically Family
Messages
526
Location
Texas, USA
Making Your Own "Zylo" Glasses

As many of you know I've been fixated on trying to get the right vintage or period appropriate eyeglasses for myself since I first joined the Lounge. My first endeavor was with Shuron Ronsirs, which were too heavy for me, both in terms of comfort and use (they kept falling off of my face). I considered trying the Revelation, but set it on the backburner, where it remains until further notice-- I'm not sure how well I'd be able to pull it off, and I'm also ambivalent about whether or not they, too, would feel too heavy, as I've mostly worn wire/steel rimmed glasses throughout my life.

My next attempt was with the Shuron Ronnwinnes, which weren't comfortable for me whatsoever. They were great at first, but after a few days of wearing them they began to pinch on my nose and just generally did not feel comfortable. My optometrist adjusted them for me a few times but we could not seem to make them comfortable. (My mother's wearing them now). I have a rather proportionately large head, and I think this was part of the problem.

So right now I'm wearing a pair of modern, "In the old style" glasses. They're gold, spring-hinged, wire-rim type glasses with a tortoiseshell finish on the front of the frames so that when you look at them head-on, they appear to be the old "Zylo-wrapped" style popular in the 20s. They're a kind of squarish-oval shape, as if a pair of panto/P3/semi-round wire rims were bent out.

My problem is that I'd like them to appear slightly more authentic. They look good on me and are extremely comfortable, but I'd like to have the tortoiseshell extend to the perimeter of the frames. Does anyone have any suggestions for a heat-shrink plastic I could use? Or perhaps some sort of rubber ring that I could stretch around the frames?
 

MisterGrey

Practically Family
Messages
526
Location
Texas, USA
Gah, I was afraid of that. My digital cam isn't that high quality so hopefully these will suffice...


DSC03778.jpg


The front view... As you can (hopefully) see, head-on they simulate the zylo-wrap, with matching temple covers to boot. They appear to be a spring-hinged knock-off of Berkshire Chase's classically minded Quadra frame, which itself has the full wrap-around effect:

AFB00800.jpg


From the back and sides, however, the effect is lost, and anyone close to me-- classmates, customers, etc-- can see that the tortoise design is just that-- a design on the front and nothing more.

And just for kicks, here's a picture of me actually wearing the glasses, for my graduation photo. Because of the lighting the frame appears dark all around, so it's not a good example of that, but, it at least gives an idea of what they look like on me:

Announce1.jpg
 

MisterGrey

Practically Family
Messages
526
Location
Texas, USA
BruceTracy said:
MisterGrey, I noticed the pin you're wearing in this photo. Might you be a fellow member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society? I ask as I have the same pin from that organization.

Sure am!
 

DanielJones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,042
Location
On the move again...
I managed to pick these up on ebay as well. Mainly for the sunglasses, but at least I have a couple of spares for parts if needed.

6be6_12.JPG


!BR5)wE!!2k~$(KGrHgoH-CEEjlLly3cCBK!byPWdHQ~~_12.JPG


!BR5)s2!CGk~$(KGrHgoH-DMEjlLlvjJvBK!byEng!!~~_12.JPG


If nothing else I can also donate them to charity for folks in need.


Cheers!

Dan
 

FinalVestige79

Practically Family
Messages
787
Location
Hi-Desert, in the dirt...
DanielJones said:
259100857_tp.jpg


I finally received this pair. Very nice indeed. Mother of pearl nose pads. Appears to have never been worn. The prescription also appears to be a generic magification for reading purposes, as they are pretty darn close to my current Rx.
The frame & arms are stamped "BSO". One of the brows is stamped "BSO NUMONT FULVUE". And the bridge on the back side looks to be Broad Arrow stamped. British or Canadian military surplus perhaps? Does anybody here know what BSO stands for? I know AO is American Optical, would this be the British equivilent?

Cheers!

Dan

I have the exact same pair!! I am gonna have my prescription put in them sometime in the next couple of weeks.
 

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