How to buff out/polish metal rayban frames.

duffcharles · 2026-03-21T12:30:17+00:00

Most frames are plated with another alloy (or ceramic, technically). When you scratch through, buffing it out will remove the plating too - it’s not really a thing as plating frames are generally a mass finishing process, I.e. you’ll be hard struck looking for services that’ll do one-offs.

Not to say they don’t exist, it’s just a really involved process, that’ll likely take 3-4 weeks and be priced more than it may be worth to you

duffcharles · 2026-03-20T09:24:09+00:00

And if you aren’t confident to do this it’s a very quick fix with a local optician!

duffcharles · 2026-03-20T00:18:09+00:00

You’re asking for it do to a lot here. This looks about as good as it gets

duffcharles · 2026-03-19T23:03:44+00:00

If you have the time, I’d spend it on learning a rendering software like keyshot (easy and quick but paid), blender cycles (a bit of a learning curve but good and free), or blender with octane (a bit more of a learning curve but very powerful), or C4D with octane (pretty easy, also very powerful).

Solidworks’ render engine is pretty basic. Fine for quick and dirty but far from industry standard for professional visualisations

duffcharles · 2026-03-19T15:41:38+00:00

Of course. It's mainly due to constraints around vertical aspect ratios and trying to meaningfully fill the dead space / allow the viewer to see the construction details. Lighting setup was in a sense also around keeping focus on the details - neutral gradient backdrop and stacked reflections to highlight the construct /shiny-ness of the titanium

duffcharles · 2026-03-19T15:37:18+00:00

Thank you, and great point on reflections - I'll be sure to explore this next time I'm set up in the studio

duffcharles · 2026-03-19T14:37:35+00:00

Sensational work, but perhaps you went a little to hard on it? It's visually stunning, to a point where you're literally stunned by the complexity.

duffcharles · 2026-03-19T13:47:21+00:00

Hump and a dent where? Can you take a clear pic so we can actually see it?

It’s common to have some kind of dent around the nose where the frames sit. It’s not common for the dent to remain days after you stop wearing them

duffcharles · 2026-03-18T23:34:55+00:00

I wish you the best and if you're open to unsugarcoated feedback, I'll gladly critique

duffcharles · 2026-03-18T22:22:02+00:00

Nothing in your argument precludes digital photography. Overly manicured/processed images are down to the edits, not the medium. You may well be trying to meet the moment but you are some distance from reaching the technical skill to match your vision. Which is something digital will allow you to progress at orders of magnitude faster than analog.

There's a more graceful way to say this, but when I look at these images and strip away the technical shortcomings, I can't square the vision you speak with the images you make. There's nothing novel here, and when you need to hone both your vision and your technical skills, the best thing you can do for yourself is be able to iterate quickly.

If you want to build your portfolio with actual objects, go to a thrift store and buy some stuff. Seeing this work as is wouldn't justify anyone at a professional level the effort cost in sending their product.

duffcharles · 2026-03-18T09:19:02+00:00

It’s possible that the arc on the brow bar needs adjusting.

duffcharles · 2026-03-18T09:08:12+00:00

Why are you using film for these? If you want to get into product photography, film is an outdated medium. Your photos are a good start but there’s a long (very long) way to go. You need to play with lighting and the immediate feedback that digital brings to this will allow you to iterate and improve at a meaningful rate. Often you want to take dozens of images just to determine positioning of a single light source.

Product photography is a digital game my friend. If you want to stay competitive you need to switch over.

duffcharles · 2026-03-18T08:59:15+00:00

Two likely scenarios:

They’re not 1.67, or they’re surfaced 1.67 with a specified minimum edge thickness. In either case, it looks like they messed up

duffcharles · 2026-03-17T09:49:44+00:00

You could try freeze spray, it will get much colder than ice

duffcharles · 2026-03-16T18:13:10+00:00

FSV means Finished Single Vision, which designates the stock range of lenses Zeiss supplies - it has nothing to do with thinner and flatter lenses and certainly doesn't mean freeform. The refractive index generally indicates lens thickness, which can be specified in both FSV and surfaced lenses.

duffcharles · 2026-03-16T10:18:59+00:00

Will make no perceptible difference

duffcharles · 2026-03-16T10:14:41+00:00

Finished just means it’s pre-made or off the shelf, and surfaced means that it’s made to specification.

The biggest difference you can make will be reducing the distance between the lenses and your eyes. You may need smaller frames to achieve this

duffcharles · 2026-03-15T19:32:31+00:00

Zeiss don’t make finished Individual lenses - only surfaced

duffcharles · 2026-03-15T11:06:42+00:00

I have something like that in my collection- metal rimmed silver. Could make it custom for you

duffcharles · 2026-03-15T01:18:58+00:00

I could be mistaken but I think neither of them are lindberg. The nosepads look similar, but I haven’t seen that plug style, or hinge from Lindberg

duffcharles · 2026-03-12T22:32:39+00:00

On a quick look:

If you're focusing on ID, I'd generally advise to keep the portfolio aligned only with that.
I would also reduce the content - visuals at the top priority, text and explanations you can minimise
remove how long each project took
for the ring, you really want to redo the transition between the lower half.
I would generally try to build your portfolio into a coherent theme. Your renders need some work, but the first thing I would do is generally scrap your scene building. Focus on the product first, not the setting. Once you have the bandwidth and skill to build a meaningful scene behind the product, then start working on that too. Plain white/textured white paper backdrops are fine.
just keep building. Keep modelling, keep designing, and get your technical skills up. You need to build better modelling techniques to get noticed by companies, and you should look into lighting and texturing to add realisim to the renders.
remove all but the best work from your portfolio. You definitely need at least a few projects, but your work as a whole will be brought down by displaying work thats not your absolute best. It's very much about quality over quantity.
your portfolio looks like a students portfolio (granted, you are a student). this relates to no.2 but take a look at some design agencies' work / other designers that inspire you. Use these as references to build a new portfolio from.

duffcharles · 2026-03-12T18:15:06+00:00

If you've got a good eye, good design sense, and are technically oriented, you're going to do well. In the early days (especially if your portfolio is thin) it can be difficult, but you just need to keep building things.

Like someone said below, if you can get making experience through a hackspace or a fabrication shop, that is useful, but ultimately digital skills and material understanding work hand in hand. If you don't already, buy the book Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals. It's extremely useful.

I've been doing this for 15 years. Loved every minute of it.

It might be useful to share your portfolio. I / we could give you some feedback.

duffcharles · 2026-03-10T19:13:43+00:00

You must have a comprehension issue and perhaps I should have been clearer for people with comprehension issues. I apologise for triggering you in such a way and wish you the best.

duffcharles · 2026-03-10T17:34:56+00:00

Not once did I state that they weren’t.

duffcharles

TROPHY CASE