An Austria-based factory of market-standard eyewear, Silhouette International Schmied AG’s brand value is nothing to scoff at when one looks at the luminaries like Queen Elizabeth II who have endorsed it. As a large-scale enterprise, they have sold over 5 million units of eyewear on an annual average in recent years, and their products are distributed to over 100 countries.
Unlike many brands which push for cutting-edge innovation in terms of digital features and progressive lenses, Silhouette instead aims for a modern, urban look in style and sustainability as its core tenet. This does not necessarily only limit itself to build quality, but instead the quality of life elements – such as the highly convenient ‘Titan Minimal Art, the line of products that catapulted the company to mainstream prominence, because it was the most lightweight pair of glasses available at its time.
Even though the glasses tend to be sturdy, the nature and design of the thinner models make them flimsy, unable to absorb impact, and vulnerable to breaks. The most common form of these breakages occurs at the hinge which connects the temples (or arms) to the lens frame.
It is customary as well as optimal to turn it into the glasses store and get it professionally repaired. However, Silhouette is a highly praised and valued brand, and even third-party repairs are much more expensive than the average glass repair, and no warranty is provided against physical damage. So here are some DIY tips and tricks you can try to attempt fixing it at home.
- First and foremost, gauge the type of hinge your glasses use. A simple cursory look at it will tell you everything about this. Standard broad-framed prescription glasses use a metal bracket, which essentially uses a refined version of the regular screw joint system. Broad-framed fixer-uppers are therefore easy to repair: just extract the screws carefully, replace it with a new one, and you should be good to go.
- However, many of Silhouette’s eyewear make use of the modish three-piece drill mount system. Usually seen on their rimless glasses, they drill the receptive holes right into the lens, and the posts that penetrate them are supported with what is called ‘compression mounting’. These are usually tougher to repair, and industry professionals recommend not attempting a home repair. It does require a lot of attention and patience because the posts are lodged right inside the sensitive lens. But if you practice caution, it is doable.
- First, assess the kind of damage. Usually, one post will break off, in which case, after you remove the side/arm, you need to dislodge the broken piece from the lens first (or both pieces in case both are broken).
- After this, you will have to weld the post back into the arm. Make sure that it is placed perfectly and the alignment is parallel to the other unbroken post.
- Attach tape to your lens so as to not scratch it accidentally.
- Now mount the arm back. Insert the posts slowly back into the drilled holes, and then use a plier to reattach the arm and tighten it.
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