Period Eyewear

[Pappy1963]

I do not know if this is the correct forum, but I am new too reenacting and all I have left to buy is a pair of period eyeglasses. Can anyone help me out and tell me where to go to find them.

Thanks

Gregory, welcome to the forum. Please review the rules for posting on the forum. One of the rules is that all posts must be signed with the poster's full name. - Mike Chapman

[crneilsen]

Re: Glasses

I would go to your local antique store and try to find small, oval, wire frames with straight earpieces. You will get them for less at a junk store or antique store. You can then get lenses for them.

CR Neilsen

[dusty27]

Re: Glasses

One possible source might be;

Re-enactment Eyewear
RR #4 Box 62
Williamsport, PA 17701
717-322-9849



Good luck

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Glasses

I've had good luck with these fellows:

http://www.eyeglasseswarehouse.com/rare-eyeglasses.html

In response to an e-mail they sent photos of exactly what they had in stock. They also offer cases. The reading glasses I ordered cost $42 and when I put them on I found their magnification equal to the 1.25 power drug-store specials I use at work, so I didn't even have to get new lenses. Yet.

[Spinster]

Re: Glasses

I used Reenactment Eyewear, listed above. As my prescription is an unusual one, and my face very wide, I had to go with his reproduction frames as there were no period frames in stock that would fit.

I'm very happy with the quality of the lenses (and I am VERY hard to fit in lenses), but on a couple of occassions folks have questioned the accuracy of the reproduction frames, due to the fact that the temples wrap around the ears. Upon further reading, I agree that such a treatment is questionable and was not common during the CW period, but note that I had been looking for a proper pair for more than a decade, and that the frames passed for a juried 18th century site.

[Johan Steele]

Re: Glasses

https://www.jastown.com/acces/acces.htm

https://www.metiques.com/catalog/glasses.html

Either site has a good selection, I got lucky the day before I decided to order a pair I found two sets of appropriate glasses for less than $20 in a antique store, all together I spent just $65 on lenses & frames. And I have a spare set in case I breakm one.

An important thing to look at when you are in an antique shop though is what is holding in the lenses, if it's a screw you're fine. If it is a lead solder plug you are out of luck as modern eyeglass people apparently can't remove the pulg w/out damaging the frames. Something about the heat required to melt the solder damages the frames. Of coarse they just may not want to mess w/ desoldering anything too.

Good Luck.

[acwillen]

Re: Glasses

I do not know if this is the correct forum, but I am new too reenacting and all I have left to buy is a pair of period eyeglasses. Can anyone help me out and tell me where to go to find them.

Thanks

Gregory;

Just in case it hasn't been suggested to you before, there are two other options I believe you should consider before buying glasses.

1) You could get a pair of contact lenses. Ask your optician about lenses you can "put in on Friday and take out on Monday". I use Acuvue2 lenses, but there are several brands and some fit different people better than others..

2) If your eyes aren't too bad, you could try going without any correction at all, see the world from the point of view of the original boys.

I could be wrong (and if I am I'm sure SOMEONE here will correct me :) but I've always gotten the impression from the images I've seen that actual eyeglasses were very uncommon for the rank and file. And the spectacles that were around were mainly reading glasses, not worn all day.

[Scott]

Re: Glasses

Another option is lasik eye surgery....I had it done about three years ago and I must say that it was one of the absolute best things that I have ever done in my life.... although maybe lasik is a bit much just for a hobby but it seems to work out really nice in modern day life as well :D

Scott Davolt

Thanks

[JimKindred]

Re: Glasses

One caution on lasik eye surgery. Should the individual be young enough to be considering a career in military aviation this surgery could disqualify you. The Army will accept commissioned pilots with vision correctable to 20/20 with glasses. The surgery will eliminate you from consideration. How the Air Force or the Navy treats this subject I do not know.

If you are interested in civil aviation I would check with an FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) regarding this before the surgery.

Once the surgery is done there is no turning back.

I realize that my above post is off topic but since the surgery was mentioned I thought this caution acceptable. If not please remove it.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Glasses

One caution on lasik eye surgery. Should the individual be young enough to be considering a career in military aviation this surgery could disqualify you. The Army will accept commissioned pilots with vision correctable to 20/20 with glasses. The surgery will eliminate you from consideration. How the Air Force or the Navy treats this subject I do not know.

If you are interested in civil aviation I would check with an FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) regarding this before the surgery.

Once the surgery is done there is no turning back.

I realize that my above post is off topic but since the surgery was mentioned I thought this caution acceptable. If not please remove it.

Jim

A recruiter recently told me that; the military is now excepting people one year after lazer surgery for non flight mosīs. As until recently they were not excepting corrective surgery at all.

[JimKindred]

Re: Glasses

Thanks. I would still check before having it done. Rules change all the time and all services have different requirements. I was writing strictly about flying MOS's.

One thing about recruiters, they are the first person who will lie to you in your military career. :wink_smil Or as they like to say "I didn't lie to you, the truth changed."

[Clark Badgett]

Re: Glasses

I will chime in here regarding the lack of photographic evidence of eyeglasses. 100 years from now my decendants will be arguing that I didn't wear glasses, when in fact I've worn them most of my life. I never wear them in posed photos, and was forbidden from wearing them in my military photos back when I had them.

[Pappy1963]

Period Eyewear

Friends:

Does anyone know a good supplier of period eyeglasses?



Thank-you
Gregory Papierz
1st Michigan Infantry

[BHoover]

Re: Period Eyeglasses

Does anyone know a good supplier of period eyeglasses?

If you make a habit of looking in cases at antique malls or flea markets, it's possible to pick up a set of period frames very cheaply. You should always try them on to make sure they fit, and also try to find a pair that has screws to hold in the lenses, rather than rivets.

Given some patience it's possible to find frames from $5 - $10. Then you can have lenses with your prescription put in the frames. Most large chain stores won't do it, but if you can find a small independent optician it's much more likely they will be interested. I have had lenses made for as little as $40. In fact, that particular set required some kind of die that the optician didn't have, but he was so interested in the project that he bought the equipment just to have it.

There are people who specialize in period eyewear, but it will cost a lot more to go that route.

[ephraim_zook]

Re: Period Eyeglasses

Greg,

One option springs immediately to mind -- Don Griffin's Reenactment Eyewear in Williamsport, PA. He sets up shop at many events, too. I'd look around for period frames in antique shops, flea markets, ebay, then have Don make your prescription to fit. Someone gave me frames. I left them with Don, who made the lenses for me and mailed them back. Didn't cost a whole lot.

I guess you'd find other optometrists who would do the same thing for you, if they don't try to get you to part with your frames first. Look to individual practitioners. I don't think you'll have much luck with the big chains like Pearle Vision.

http://www.reenactmenteyewear.com/home/

Ron Myzie