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Repairing Nose on a Mag Switch Frame

akaKJB

Oakley Beginner
6
53
I've got a pair of Mag Switch's that have been my daily wear pair for over a decade. They have the usual wear but I still love them. A friend recently gave me a pair of identical shades that I thought I'd just keep for parts. Looking at them, though, it appears the right side of the nose bridge is all that's broken and I'd rather turn them into a good backup set than have yet another set of Switch frames put out of service. There's a small chunk missing from the front. If he had that, I'm fairly confident I could have repaired it. Are there replacement nose bridges available? Failing that, I've got some good bonding material I can use that can be molded into shape well enough to work and not be noticed until you're really close.
I'll post some pics if needed.
 
Thanks!

Here are a few pics that show the damage I'm working with.
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I've got a pair of Mag Switch's that have been my daily wear pair for over a decade. They have the usual wear but I still love them. A friend recently gave me a pair of identical shades that I thought I'd just keep for parts. Looking at them, though, it appears the right side of the nose bridge is all that's broken and I'd rather turn them into a good backup set than have yet another set of Switch frames put out of service. There's a small chunk missing from the front. If he had that, I'm fairly confident I could have repaired it. Are there replacement nose bridges available? Failing that, I've got some good bonding material I can use that can be molded into shape well enough to work and not be noticed until you're really close.
I'll post some pics if needed.
Hi!
Greetings from Adelaide, Australia!
It's all bad news, I'm afraid.

The frames are made from a compound made from part magnesium. They are not only extremely "reactive", but extremely brittle, which is why very few manufacturers utilise the material in sunglasses. That is the reason these will be irreparable.

@Jacob Carstens has some spare parts from his failed repair which he may have and be willing to sell you.

There are no more spare plastic rivets at Oakley either, and even if there were, they are notoriously difficult to reinsert without damage. And don't even think about using the standard Juliet steel rivets. They are the wrong size, and I suspect that they may possibly react with the magnesium frames (which I suspect is why Oakley didn't use normal rivets in the first place).

If I were you, I'd salvage as much as I could and contact Jacob. I can't remember, but he may have an intact nosepiece if he hasn't just ditched everything. You may be able to sell off the ear rubbers (which don't look in that great condition in your pictures) and the lenses (but they are also a major pain in the butt to swap over, too!!).

If you still want to give it a go, maybe you could try using a juliet nosepiece and therefore be able to use the juliet rivets which should easily be able to pass through the orbital frame holes (as typically they're slightly bigger). This may be a pretty unique/cool solution until the magnesium erodes through the pin (if they react).

Bear in mind that you can sometimes find mag switches on eBay for $150-200 in pretty good condition, so really, I don't think you'd be saving that much by buying a nose piece.

All the best.

P.S. If you in fact are able to repair it, please post here on the forum and show us what you did!
 
Hi!
Greetings from Adelaide, Australia!
It's all bad news, I'm afraid.

None of this comes as unexpected information. As I stated above, I've got a Switch that I bought new back when they were still in production. I've worn them nearly daily since then and they've been a great pair of glasses. I try to take care of them as best I can, usually have a hard case or at leas a good pouch in my jacket to put them in when not in use. But they are getting the standard kinds of wear I see mentioned in the forums. I actually check eBay now and then to see if I can spot a used pair at a decent price. Those listings have become so clogged with Fauxkley's that it's almost not worth trying.

Since I got this broken pair nearly free (tossed a buddy $20), I'll at least toy with the idea of trying to salvage them in some way to have as a backup pair in case something ever happens to my daily shades. If I can't, well, the original reason for getting them was for spare parts anyway. Same reason I popped $600 for car that's the same make, model & year as mine, just with a blown engine. Instant spares.

The Juliet nose & rivets is an interesting idea. I wonder if there's something I could coat the rivets with before putting them in that will provide a barrier between them and the magnesium. Be an interesting experiment. I've also considered using this stuff I came across recently called "Sugru". It's a material you get warm in your hands and becomes pliable. You've got about a half hour to shape it however you want and after 24 hours, it becomes rubber that's attached itself to whatever it was in contact with. Nice thing about that stuff is that while it is a repair that will supposedly last forever, you can easily remove it later if you need to.

I'll check with Jason as well and see if he's got a spare bridge. Since these really aren't intended to be taken apart, I might use some metal weld epoxy to attach a new bridge to the frames. I'm pretty good at that and I'm very confident I could make that a fairly invisible repair.
 
Ouch!!!! Needs new bridge difficult to find good luck.
I was wondering if xmetal temple rubber would work on those?
 
None of this comes as unexpected information. As I stated above, I've got a Switch that I bought new back when they were still in production. I've worn them nearly daily since then and they've been a great pair of glasses. I try to take care of them as best I can, usually have a hard case or at leas a good pouch in my jacket to put them in when not in use. But they are getting the standard kinds of wear I see mentioned in the forums. I actually check eBay now and then to see if I can spot a used pair at a decent price. Those listings have become so clogged with Fauxkley's that it's almost not worth trying.

Since I got this broken pair nearly free (tossed a buddy $20), I'll at least toy with the idea of trying to salvage them in some way to have as a backup pair in case something ever happens to my daily shades. If I can't, well, the original reason for getting them was for spare parts anyway. Same reason I popped $600 for car that's the same make, model & year as mine, just with a blown engine. Instant spares.

The Juliet nose & rivets is an interesting idea. I wonder if there's something I could coat the rivets with before putting them in that will provide a barrier between them and the magnesium. Be an interesting experiment. I've also considered using this stuff I came across recently called "Sugru". It's a material you get warm in your hands and becomes pliable. You've got about a half hour to shape it however you want and after 24 hours, it becomes rubber that's attached itself to whatever it was in contact with. Nice thing about that stuff is that while it is a repair that will supposedly last forever, you can easily remove it later if you need to.

I'll check with Jason as well and see if he's got a spare bridge. Since these really aren't intended to be taken apart, I might use some metal weld epoxy to attach a new bridge to the frames. I'm pretty good at that and I'm very confident I could make that a fairly invisible repair.
Please post pictures (preferably including the "during" process)! I would be interested.

I've never seen a fake magnesium frame on eBay, and I've bought 4-5 of them over the years. It's just that they can be expensive. Anyhow, it sounds like you've definitely got skills I don't have, so I'll barack from the sidelines!!
 

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