How to repair temple tips of old Wayfarers?
May 12, 2022 12:54 PM Subscribe
How can I build up the very tip of the front end of one earpiece/temple of my beloved Wayfarers?
They open too wide, because the very tip of one arm/earpiece chipped away where the hinge mates into it.
The glasses don't fit well because they open too wide. But they are old friends that I am reluctant to discard: the lenses are still in great shape after 30+ years!
Can I build up a few layers of super glue? Or would that chip away too easily? I only need to add about 1mm of thickness .
The glasses don't fit well because they open too wide. But they are old friends that I am reluctant to discard: the lenses are still in great shape after 30+ years!
Can I build up a few layers of super glue? Or would that chip away too easily? I only need to add about 1mm of thickness .
Response by poster: Alternately, this previously makes two-part epoxy sound like a possibility.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:02 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 1:02 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you’re not dead set on a completely DIY solution, you can buy replacement temples direct from Ray-Ban/Luxottica for $60-$66 for a pair (only in pairs, unfortunately). Link. Not super cheap but more likely to work and look seamless. I’m hard on lenses so I keep a pair on hand and have ordered from them before.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 1:23 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 1:23 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Wayfarers often get sort of stretched out and loose through wear and tear. If you put them into a cup of hot/warm water for a few minutes, they become soft and pliable enough that you can easily bend them back to fit more snugly on your face, good as new.
I don't know that this will solve your problem—it sounds like you're dealing with more than just stretching out—but maybe it's worth a shot.
posted by sportbucket at 3:00 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't know that this will solve your problem—it sounds like you're dealing with more than just stretching out—but maybe it's worth a shot.
posted by sportbucket at 3:00 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Notorious problem alert! So much so that I figure a pair of Wayfarers isn't broken in until you have to wear them with your head tipped slightly back and to the side with just the right amount of insouciance to keep them from flopping off. Glue also works.
posted by rhizome at 4:54 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 4:54 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
maybe using some sugru to make a shim?
posted by koroshiya at 5:32 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by koroshiya at 5:32 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Cyanoacrylate glue (specifically, Gorilla Glue) did not build up in layers as I wanted.
I found some verrrrry think black plastic -- a report cover, in fact, with the front sheet being clear -- and cut out tiny strips about the size of a grain of rice. I glued one to the front butt end of each temple piece, such that when the frames were being worn, this plastic would be pinned between the frame and the ear pieces.
They have held up fine for a month now, which I find delightful and frugal and satisfactory.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:56 PM on June 13, 2022
I found some verrrrry think black plastic -- a report cover, in fact, with the front sheet being clear -- and cut out tiny strips about the size of a grain of rice. I glued one to the front butt end of each temple piece, such that when the frames were being worn, this plastic would be pinned between the frame and the ear pieces.
They have held up fine for a month now, which I find delightful and frugal and satisfactory.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:56 PM on June 13, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by btfreek at 1:01 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]