Frame parts are loaded into 50-year-old oak lined barrels recovered from the original Bausch & Lomb RayBan factory. The final step in the restoration process is a high gloss tumble polish. The late Cecil Heath, a renowned chief engineer at Shuron and Artcraft Optical for almost 40 years helped design more than 15 machines for soldering, swaging, milling, straightening, bending and curling that has enabled RetroSpecs to restore almost any gold-filled frame to its original condition. has researched and developed sophisticated restoration techniques that require custom made machines to do much of the work. Each part is then thoroughly examined to determine which step in the restoration process it should proceed to. The frames are disassembled and the parts are sorted by company and design. The process begins with overnight ultrasonic cleansing.
RETROSPECT WEBSITE REGISTRATION
In the week between Christmas and New Years all of his frames were sold.Įach antique frame that enters the restoration facility in Los Angeles goes through an extensive process before receiving a Registration number approving the frame for sale. Jay brought his collection of restored gold-filled frames to high-end optical stores in Aspen and Vail Colorado, with information cards detailing their rich history. Jay learned that as rest of the industrialized world was recovering from World War I, companies such as American Optical, Bausch & Lomb and Shuron Optical began to mass-produce frames in 1/10 12K gold-filled wire – a material developed by the jewelry industry that was designed to last forever. He decided to further research the early 20th century optical industry and found many catalogues and advertisements depicting a Golden Age of American eyewear manufacturing. Unexpectedly, Jay discovered an enormous range in designs and quantity of these gold filled spectacles. He promptly leased a Fleetwood Jamboree and hit the road in search of 1/10th 12k gold-filled American manufactured eyeglasses that he believed he could restore and resell in the antique world. This was the perfect excuse Jay was seeking to travel America before getting a real job after graduation. Soon, friends and family were asking him to find and restore pairs of these ‘cool old’ frames for them. He found the gold-filled cable temples held the lightweight frame in position while pitching for his college baseball team. Jay Owens came across and restored several pairs of gold-filled 1940s spectacles while studying languages at Lewis and Clark College. was founded in the back of an 18-foot recreational vehicle in 1992.
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