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Mag Switch Lens Removal Guide

Alright! so you know i'm all about sharing the how-to's and DIY tips an heres one that really got to me. for a long time now, lens removal in Mag frames (save the mag Mframe which was beautifully designed) were deemed impossible without destroying the lens.. i scoured the web and... nothing. But thanks to a tip from Marc2040, i think i cracked it.. nearly. Its still no simple process, but it is possible.

i always found it ironic that a frame called a "Switch" had lenses that are pretty darn hard to switch out. haha..

Anyway. Just a standard disclaimer before you start thinking you can do lens seaps for your Mag switches..

1. This is not the definitive way to do it. im sure there are other ways but this worked for me, and it seems the best i can figure right now.

2. There is a HIGH risk of damaging the finish on the frame, as well as the lenses. Magnesium is a very Rigid metal and does not give. At all. As such, the lenses have to do all the bending/flexing to be removed. Orbital edges will not flex and may get chipped by the lenses during lens removal.

3. Please only do this if the frame is a beater and you intend to restore the frame. If you want to have a different lens everyday or swap one in for nighttime driving, get a Flak Jacket or something else that was DESIGNED to have lenses swapped regularly.

anyway here we go. My beater frame was in fairly rough shape. these were from a friend who had them for a few years, then it started to corrode and he just boxed it away for years.

basyqe2y.jpg


the good-
1. all rubbers are still in perfect shape. phew. its next to impossible to find spares..

2.once i had all the rubber off, i could see the extent of the corrosion. sweat is basically the main cause. (i keep saying to keep your frames clean... well. heres another case in point.) the salts had weakened the ceramic mantle in some spots, and reacted with the Magnesium itself causing corrosion. under the earsocks, this was in the form of spots of tacky black gunk, and aroud the frame it was present as dry, white oxidation marks and a peeling coating.

ok on to the lenses. they are seemingly encased in solid magnesium, so looks impossible. but..

6aqetujy.jpg


to remove the lenses, you must firstly expose an edge of the lens such that it can push past the lip of the orbital. As with most frames, nose-side comes out first. to do that, first of all... warm the frame up. i used a big bowl/tub of warm/hot water. this helps to soften the lenses a little and also expand the frame, which will help. we need every nanometer we can get haha.

ok lets start.

1. pinch the lens and grip it tightly. pull it towards the temple side till you see a gap open up between the lens and frame at the nose side.

NOTE: do not place any stress on the flex coupler; isolate the pulling forces within the single orbital. there has been a case of someone snapping the frame in half at the flex coupler while attempting this.

2. once you have a gap, no doubt youre holding the lens there with all youve got. now, from the inside of the frame (the side your face usually is), press the lens in the corner nearest to the nosebridge (indicated in the diagram) outwards- just like popping lenses on regular o-matter frames.

if all has gone well, the lens is now halfway out with a corner sticking out; the edge of the orbitals threatening to take a chunk out of the lens, while the lens is pressing so hard against the orbital it may very well chip the coating off (and it probably will).

now the hard part is over, but the critical part is just beginning. to save the orbital and the lens from as much damage as possible, i find it is best to not keep forcing the rest of the lens out of the orbital by pushing it from the back. it is far more effective (and safer) to push out some of the lens from the bottom of the orbital, and in combination, slide the lens out in the direction of the nosebridge.

3a6u9a4a.jpg


here is mine. you can see minor damage on the orbital lip (didnt crack te ceramic coat, but the paint is gone), and the top of one of the lenses got abit chewed up due to me trying to push it out the conventional way. the iridium peeling in the bottom of the right lens (left in pic) is not related to the lens removal.

ok now you can proceed to clean up the oxidation, and proceed with the restoration. DO NOT attempt to remove the arms or flex coupler rivets. they are all plastic pins PUSHED into place and will not come out (without damage).

now for the rest of the restoration..
uta5ydun.jpg


good luck guys!
 
Alright! so you know i'm all about sharing the how-to's and DIY tips an heres one that really got to me. for a long time now, lens removal in Mag frames (save the mag Mframe which was beautifully designed) were deemed impossible without destroying the lens.. i scoured the web and... nothing. But thanks to a tip from Marc2040, i think i cracked it.. nearly. Its still no simple process, but it is possible.

i always found it ironic that a frame called a "Switch" had lenses that are pretty darn hard to switch out. haha..

Anyway. Just a standard disclaimer before you start thinking you can do lens seaps for your Mag switches..

1. This is not the definitive way to do it. im sure there are other ways but this worked for me, and it seems the best i can figure right now.

2. There is a HIGH risk of damaging the finish on the frame, as well as the lenses. Magnesium is a very Rigid metal and does not give. At all. As such, the lenses have to do all the bending/flexing to be removed. Orbital edges will not flex and may get chipped by the lenses during lens removal.

3. Please only do this if the frame is a beater and you intend to restore the frame. If you want to have a different lens everyday or swap one in for nighttime driving, get a Flak Jacket or something else that was DESIGNED to have lenses swapped regularly.

anyway here we go. My beater frame was in fairly rough shape. these were from a friend who had them for a few years, then it started to corrode and he just boxed it away for years.

basyqe2y.jpg


the good-
1. all rubbers are still in perfect shape. phew. its next to impossible to find spares..

2.once i had all the rubber off, i could see the extent of the corrosion. sweat is basically the main cause. (i keep saying to keep your frames clean... well. heres another case in point.) the salts had weakened the ceramic mantle in some spots, and reacted with the Magnesium itself causing corrosion. under the earsocks, this was in the form of spots of tacky black gunk, and aroud the frame it was present as dry, white oxidation marks and a peeling coating.

ok on to the lenses. they are seemingly encased in solid magnesium, so looks impossible. but..

6aqetujy.jpg


to remove the lenses, you must firstly expose an edge of the lens such that it can push past the lip of the orbital. As with most frames, nose-side comes out first. to do that, first of all... warm the frame up. i used a big bowl/tub of warm/hot water. this helps to soften the lenses a little and also expand the frame, which will help. we need every nanometer we can get haha.

ok lets start.

1. pinch the lens and grip it tightly. pull it towards the temple side till you see a gap open up between the lens and frame at the nose side.

NOTE: do not place any stress on the flex coupler; isolate the pulling forces within the single orbital. there has been a case of someone snapping the frame in half at the flex coupler while attempting this.

2. once you have a gap, no doubt youre holding the lens there with all youve got. now, from the inside of the frame (the side your face usually is), press the lens in the corner nearest to the nosebridge (indicated in the diagram) outwards- just like popping lenses on regular o-matter frames.

if all has gone well, the lens is now halfway out with a corner sticking out; the edge of the orbitals threatening to take a chunk out of the lens, while the lens is pressing so hard against the orbital it may very well chip the coating off (and it probably will).

now the hard part is over, but the critical part is just beginning. to save the orbital and the lens from as much damage as possible, i find it is best to not keep forcing the rest of the lens out of the orbital by pushing it from the back. it is far more effective (and safer) to push out some of the lens from the bottom of the orbital, and in combination, slide the lens out in the direction of the nosebridge.

3a6u9a4a.jpg


here is mine. you can see minor damage on the orbital lip (didnt crack te ceramic coat, but the paint is gone), and the top of one of the lenses got abit chewed up due to me trying to push it out the conventional way. the iridium peeling in the bottom of the right lens (left in pic) is not related to the lens removal.

ok now you can proceed to clean up the oxidation, and proceed with the restoration. DO NOT attempt to remove the arms or flex coupler rivets. they are all plastic pins PUSHED into place and will not come out (without damage).

now for the rest of the restoration..
uta5ydun.jpg


good luck guys!

Great job! May i know the material used to restore?
 
I`ll start very soon, to recover from death my Mag switch. The only thing what I can not do yet, is that how to remove the plastic screws on the side, as I want to get everything into pieces. Reason: I will polish the magnesium surface, I will use "Mothers 05101 Mag and Alu Polisher". After polishing the frame, I will gold plate it, as I want a near gold shiny finish. That process will be experimental, but there are plenty tutorials and methods online.
I think the Mag Switch is far the best looking metal Oakley, so my frame deserve an update, as my Ice lenses are in 99% condition, so it would be a shame to keep it in a box just for nothing...

I appreciate any help regarding the screws removal process, the lense removal I know its allmost impossible, however here the topic creator successfully did it, means it is not impossible!

Wish me good luck, I will update you with pictures soon!

Best Regards
 
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