A “Buddy Hollyesque” Eyewear Replication

Replications are always a unique challenge. Even when you have the exact blueprints to a frame there is always subtle differences, so now think about designing a frame with no blueprint and only having a broken original to work off of. That’s what we face with almost every replication, and this job was even more challenging. You see, the frame I was supplied for a blueprint was old and after many attempts to repair and refurbish had been morphed into a shell of what it once was. However, we were lucky because this particular client was a very talented photographer so he was able to supply a plethora of images along with the mangled frame so we had a few different references to work off of.

As you can see, this frame had seen better days. Outside of the cracking acetate it had been warped from heat and the acetate no longer wanted to hold a polish.

Armed with reference images and the frame on hand we got to work. We settled on a dark tortoise to switch things up but keep the overall warmth and feel of the original frame’s havana color. This project presented some unique challenges that you’ll only find on vintage frames. Luckily, this client was flexible as we are no longer able to find the particular hinge this company used. His main concern was replicating the overall fit and feel that he had grown to love. The other challenge was the unique bridge bump, it’s very exaggerated compared to most frames and had a lot of hand work on the backside. Outside of that the overall shape and fit was a little more straightforward.

Prototyping is a large part of replications, taking the image from a computer screen and technical drawing and morphing into a physical prototype shows so many subtle changes that need to be made.

I believe we prototyped this particular replication around seven times before we cut the first shape in acetate. Some times this is a win and we get it right after the 3D print prototypes and the first cut is perfect. Other times it just shows other problems we need to fix before we move on to crafting the final frame. In this case we had prototyped perfectly and the test piece was exactly what we were looking for.

Then began the exciting part of creating the final product. While we get a general shape from the cutout, there is still a large amount of handwork involved. With this particular frame we had to blend the lugs into the outer contour of the frame for a more seamless transition. Then like every frame it was sanded, tumbled, beveled, and polished to get everything ready for lenses. And after lenses this is where we ended up.

A happy client is always a good ending, and in this case he was ecstatic. He thought the artisan he met in Italy years ago was the only one he would know of that could do it, little did he know there is now somebody in the United States able to bring his all time favorite frame back to life.