How to Hand Polish Lenses

How to polish prescription lenses by hand using a buffing wheel. By www.UseMyFrame.com

[@markbeuligmann7363]

I'm a practicing optician. We have a grinder and a buffer in our lab and I'm pretty much the only one who dares to use them. Occasionally, one of our opticians forgets to recommend that the lenses be polished at the (remote) lab, so the job falls to me. This video was very helpful. I admit that when I first started polishing lenses, I polished too much of the crown off one lens and it just fell through the eye wire. I didn't make that mistake again! Thank you!

[@averageguy1261]

Can you polish the lens itself? My UV coating came off and it was cloudy. Used a variety of home methods that only micro scratched the lens.

[@caddi70]

why no video on polishing the actual faces?

[@Ojb_1959]

I was an optician for a few years in the 80s and now Im faced with a lab issue. I have a pair of glasses with polycarbonate lenses purchased from LensCrafters and have returned them 3 times to have the lenses replaced due to the lenses cracking near the non metal frame. Last time they were replaced I suggested they polish the bevel that should help prevent cracking, which I don’t think they did, now there’s cracks again. Back to LensCrafters again for another lens replacement. This is the 4th time, wish me luck.🍀

[@UseMyFrame]

Ask them to change the material to Trivex.

[@mranon42023]

yeah that sucks, thye probably are doing it wrong. glass lenses on metal frame are the definitive proof for testing how good thye can fit the lenses, or else they'll crack

[@jerrytaylor964]

Thanks! Great demo!

[@aros007z]

Great video, thanks for the knowledge!

[@UseMyFrame]

You are very welcome, glad it was edifying! :)

[@Apathymiller]

Can you "rebuff" a lense? Like to take out scratches? If so could you do a video, what would you use? Sand paper grits? Polishing compound microns? Etc. I know i can polish my headlights/taillights on my vehicle, but they dont have a prescription in them. I use sandpaper on them and i go up to 30 thousand grit before i start using a polishing compound. So im curious if i can do the same thing on my plastic lenses and get out the scratches.

[@UseMyFrame]

Great question Joshua! We haven't found anything that reliably removes scratches, and leaves the lenses in a "like new" condition. I have seen some techniques that remove the scratches, but the lenses are left cloudy and the power becomes distorted and wavy. Maybe in a pinch, that would work, but certainly not for long time use (as your eyes would be left to struggle to see out of them). Many jobs are rejected during our Final Inspection process for very small scratches, so contrary to what most people think, we (and other labs) would benefit the most from such a product! Hope it comes soon! :)

[@JesusDPTV]

@@UseMyFrame I have some gucci sunglasses i found while snorkeling, their authentic but from the 2016 collection and the company who made the frames which is safilo, no longer has a license with gucci so dont have replacement frames or lenses. are you able to repolish the lenses to remove the haziness but keep the authentic "gucci" engraving or marking?

[@UseMyFrame]

@@JesusDPTV We cannot re-polish the lenses to remove the haziness, but we would be able to make new Rx lenses for them (without the "Gucci" engraving though). :)

[@Californiamartinez]

This is amazing! Thank you so much for this instruction. I’ve been struggling to get these little micro pits out of the inside of my glasses until I saw this. I mentioned the issue to my optometrist when I went in for new prescription sun glasses but all they offered was to install entirely new lenses at my expense. I have buffing wheel but had never considered using it for this purpose. I followed your instructions, used very light pressure with a firm grip on the lenses, and now the pitted lens looks as good as new. I don’t know if I’ll ever be back to your channel again, but I’m subscribing anyways. Thanks for the help!

[@ugochinnamdi9275]

You are such a great teacher. Thank you so much Sir❤

[@RonnyBell-dm8qe]

Will you do a video on how to manually roll a high minus edge before polishing?

[@UseMyFrame]

I cover a lot of the principles in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXrImIqgeruVaJY&pp=ygUgaG93IHRvIGhhbmQgZWRnZSBsZW5zIHVzZW15ZnJhbWU%3D

[@donnellygregg]

These lenses are made from glass, right? and not a plastic material? The "make it look like glass" suggests otherwise.

[@dustinalderson6932]

Not sure if you mentioned, what brand is your buffing wheel or what type?

[@kennethmalave6325]

What kind of polish wheel material is the one you are using?? And where can I get it??

[@UseMyFrame]

Check out looktopsi.com

[@MrOgara]

Does it work with mineral lenses 1.7 and 1.8 ?

[@UseMyFrame]

You can try, but in my experience glass lenses don't polish as easily as the plastics.

[@christianoland9878]

Are there ANY places you can send lenses to get the scratches buffed out? Can I do this with an orbital sander and the fluffy car polishing bit?

[@matthewobryan2854]

no, you don’t really want to do this to the front or back surface of a lens as it will change the curvature and thus mess with the optical properties of the lens, basically changing the power of the lens

[@mranon42023]

@@matthewobryan2854bruh, lenses already have tons of distortions on their own and re nowhere near perfect, so i dont think a few micrometers would make a difference. they just need to polish evenly

[@CrusaderGeneral]

can you do this with real glass lenses?

[@Faisal1979nasser]

Thank you

[@kimcurtis423]

How about the front of plastic reading glass lenses? Ca fine scratches be polished out? I know it MUST be done with extremely light pressure, as in almost NO pressure at all but, is it something that can be done without destroying the integrity of the lens! I have at least a dozen pairs of reading glasses that have small scratches on the lenses! I hate to constantlyleep buying new glasses! I AM careful but, they inevitably get scratched! Thanks for your help, in advance!

[@UseMyFrame]

It's possible to buff out the scratches, but it will usually distort the power (think of how it is looking out of a water drop on your lenses, for example). The only way to really remove the scratches, is to replace the lenses.

[@mranon42023]

how do people even manage to scratch them? just clean with water, dish soap and dry GENTLY with TP everytime, then remove the TP leftovers with dry TP very lightly. PS: also make sure the glasses fit your ears right and wont fall off

[@inkpapers-1]

Thanks this was interesting, I was looking up how to remove a coating from a lens and came across your lens buffing tutorial here.

[@chessguru900]

What about scratches on the surface, who would ever want to polish the edges of a lens?

[@santosmelendrez5048]

Buenísimo video amigo saludos

[@Ramel-hp9mg]

Good job

[@0verspeed]

fund de borcan!

[@Em6726]

Does this work for the face of the lens? I have the anti glare coating on my lenses as well as micro scratches and well they are difficult to see through now. What do you recommend for polishing the face of the lens?

[@CLINICADEOPTOMETRIAINTEGRAL]

HOLA, ME PODRIAS AYUDAR CON UN VIDEO DE COMO BLOQUEAR LAS LENTES PROGRESIVAS ,BIFOCALES Y MONOFOCALES PARA PODER VISELAR CON VICELADORA AUTOMATICA ,GRACIAS Tengo

[@lisawallner2136]

Can you do this with mineral glasses too or just plastic?

[@neiluherii5515]

The edges of glass lenses can be polished also, but they won't shine like the plastics.

[@lisawallner2136]

@@neiluherii5515 thanks you‘re awesome, wish i had you as my teacher

[@hectorrios7361]

Hi. How to polish Trivex? What is the name of the bar to polish?

[@UseMyFrame]

Hector Rios I get them from PSI (looktopsi.com)

[@birthdayforfrances]

What is that compound?

[@UseMyFrame]

www.1-800-optisource.com/Polish-Sticks.aspx

[@abbycasanova1380]

Thank you

[@chrisfinkbeiner9835]

Great video! Where did you purchase the polishing wheel, I didn't see that one on PSI's site?

[@katarinamwale1436]

Thank you so much for all the videos you put out. It's so helpful. Do you have any experience with auto polishing machine?

[@UseMyFrame]

Thank you for your kind words Katarina! No, I don't have any experience with the auto polishing machines, at least not yet! :)

[@jakebean305]

Hi, I thought this video was great! Had few questions, what is the PSI site address? Tried to find it but could not. Second, do you know of a good way to remove coatings from plastic or glass lenses? I have a pair of plastic lenses that the reflective coating is all chipped and scratched and I am looking to carefully remove it. Thanks again!

[@UseMyFrame]

That's great Jake, thank you! The websie for PSI is: looktopsi.com/ BPI sells an AR removing kit (very inexpensive, about $60 from what I remember). Here's a link to their website too: callbpi.com/golf/index.php?route=product/product&path=136&product_id=852

[@chgomez]

Can this method be used to polish tiny scratches on borosilicate glass?

[@UseMyFrame]

Not that I’m aware of.

[@mranon42023]

you would need other abrasives but ofc it wold. all glass can be polished

[@ExploringCabinsandMines]

Ever have it catch and throw the lense across the room ?

[@UseMyFrame]

Sure have, lol! In this video, I show how its important to hold the lens under the wheel and let it polish away from you. Most tosses are due to holding the lens too high on the buffing wheel.

[@Frankowillo]

Misleading title, you're not polishing the lenses, you're buffing the edges. You also mention that it isn't possible to polish the haziness from lenses. I assume you mean plastic lenses, because glass can be hand polished. Many amateur telescope makers hand polish their glass lenses.

[@King_me.7]

Man u taking much time..just talking talking

[@sksonu4633]

These lenses are nott centre tickness

[@Kenstagator]

Can you buff out my heavily scratched out lenses? they're from sunglasses.

[@UseMyFrame]

Unfortunately, no. Even though the appearance of the scratch can be removed, it will distort/change the power.

[@ivanjerez2417]

Thank you sooooooo very much!

[@raanahossam]

Does polishing the lens reduce its size ?

[@UseMyFrame]

It is possible but unlikely to cause a problem.

[@joeecho2508]

What about the front lens man,, come on man,, who gives s shit about the edges

[@UseMyFrame]

Other Opticians! 😎

[@simrenajrawat2812]

So helpful

[@martincortez2339]

My partner has worked in eyewear for over 20 years. I asked her if this is how she did it, and she said this was the way it was done about 20 years ago and that they have a machine that this it all now.

[@UseMyFrame]

We have machines that do this too, but there are still times when it's necessary to do this by hand. Those who need it will understand, thanks for watching.

[@rickg2492]

Thanks Neal. My new optician can't quite get the high gloss finish on my new glasses. I've brought it back 3x and still not happy. My old optician I've had for years (I have moved away) have that high polish crystal glass finish on all my glasses. I've even showed them my old glasses on how I want it to look and they still come back like they ran it on the polisher for just a few turns. After viewing your video I am thinking of doing it myself. Thanks again.

[@UseMyFrame]

It can be tricky to do; but send them to me and I'll polish them for you for free (just the return shipping of $8). Just mention this comment! :)

[@Maci504]

Can you polish the face of the lens?

[@UseMyFrame]

No. Although it is possible to polish out scratches on the front of the lenses, doing so will distort the power.

[@JD-kf2ki]

Even though I'm not familiar with the lens industry, still I can confidently tell that this is not the way. That thing can polish my car's windshield.

[@livingfailure7838]

You'd be surprised how many labs have one of these. It depends on the edger you have. Newer edgers have this sort of feature built in, but for the older ones, you've gotta do it by hand

[@arnerasmussen]

Can you also polish acetate frames the same way? I have a acetate frame that I can’t get shiny any more, it has changed to a white kind of surface. It used to be shiny and glossy.

[@UseMyFrame]

Usually you can! I like to use something metal to lightly knock the old polish off the wheel before applying fresh polish to it. I would test it somewhere like on the inside temple tip just to make sure you don’t damage the frame. If that works well, have at it! Use slightly less pressure than you would on a lens and clean the polish off the frame frequently. It’s best to remove the lenses and the temples too so you don’t risk scratching the lenses and so you can get into tighter spaces of the frame better. 😎

[@arnerasmussen]

UseMyFrame.com Thank you so much for information and for the great video! 👍 I will try this out on my frame, need to buy me the machine first... I see that this is a must have tool👍😉 Thanks again, really appreciate your response and great video!

[@UseMyFrame]

@@arnerasmussen No problem, glad to help! Also, if you want to send your frame to us, I'll do it for you at no charge (just shipping). Just mention this comment from KZbin! :)

[@adanjowdampha1068]

I was thinking in grinding the edges of my glasses with high prescription , but is seems that doing that give the effect of having a window inside of the lens

[@UseMyFrame]

Yes, you can try using water while you're doing it to help lessen the effect; or polish the edges afterward.

[@hg3814]

thank you !! awesome

[@UseMyFrame]

You're welcome!

[@wileyearly7051]

How do you buff out scratches on face of the lenses

[@340rps]

You don't, you have to actually remove glass to remove a scratch and then you messed up the prescription

[@izzzzzz6]

@@340rps Surely the same machine that made the lens is also able to take of a layer evenly to remove scratches or is the thickness of the glass also critical?

[@hymlog]

...GLASS HITS THE WHEEL AT 8 MIN. 9 SEC. ....THIS GUY TELLING A KNOCK KNOCK JOKE COULD BE 20 MIN....EASY!!

[@richardichard4237]

As a doctor I can hear that you have serious breathing issues. Are you a smoker...? Go get a lung check up, otherwise...I’d personally give you 6 months. Cheers.

[@frankstanton6972]

Waste of time!

[@UseMyFrame]

Waste of a comment!

[@christianoland9878]

I've got a question for ya -- I recently bought this on amazon for another purpose - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08J7QZBFF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 could this be used to polish my glasses? if so, which attachment and which color compound would I use?