Fix Broken Glasses by Soldering

If you have a pair of metal glasses that broke, you can fix them by wire-wrap and soldering. The remaining steps will show you how.

Step 1: Use Solid Wire

As a first step, make sure that you use solid wire. The wire should be a solid conductor and should not be stranded so that it can hold its shape. If the wire is insulated, you should strip it so that you expose it for soldering. For my repair, I used telephone wire.

Step 2: Begin Wrapping

In this step, begin wrapping wire over the broken segment. No special tool is necessary, just use your fingers. Choose the longer segment if possible. Make sure to push the segment up so that it extends over the end of the broken segment. This will allow it to join with the other half of the break. Leave enough wire for the other segment and complete the wrap for the current segment.

Step 3: Complete Wrap & Solder

In this step, do the following:

1. Carefully connect the segments together and continue wrapping so that the break is in the middle of the wrap.
2. Use temporary adhesive putty (Scotch's 860) to position the glasses for soldering.
3. Flux the wrap so that solder flows well.
4. Solder lightly to strengthen the bond, but do not use too much solder to allow for an additional layer. Use just enough solder so that it ends up between the copper wire and the broken frame.

Step 4: Add Layer & Finish

In this step, do the following:

1. Add another layer of wire for a stronger joint.
2. Flux the additional layer.
3. Solder the additional layer. Use more solder than the first layer so that it creates a strong bond between layers, devoid of air pockets.

If done correctly, the bond should be strong enough to resume wearing the glasses and should be very rigid.