Norman Childs Eyewear Handmade Zyl Frames

Plastic eyewear known as zyl frames, are made out of cellulose acetate. The best frames are made from zyl that is produced by the Italian company, Mazzuchelli. We usually evaluate the quality of the plastic by smell. The sweeter the smell, the better the plastic. Japanese frame manufacturers have even been known to chew on the plastic to test the quality. The material comes in either sheets, blocks or strips.

We then cut them into small sheets which correspond to the style of frame we want to make, then we use the pantograph machine to mill out the shape. For some special designs, we use a bevel on the front or back of the frame. After that, we use a special epoxy to glue on the plastic nose-pad. Piece-by-piece everything is done by hand. Next, we use an ultrasonic machine to weld the front hinges to the frame. Most of these optical components are imported from the French company, Comotec. The next procedure is to use sand paper, files, and a metal plate to touch up all the minor details on each frame. Again, everything is done by hand. We now have a front frame.

This batch of frames will then go to the “tumblers.” There are four tumbling processes: coarse, medium, fine, and extra fine. In the tumbler, we use the diamond shaped wood pegs and paste to smooth out all the edges and any scratches that may have occurred in the making of these frames. This process takes about five-to-six days. We need to take them in and out of the tumbler for each stage. The front frame is now presentable and ready-to-wear. Now we need to use a special cutting machine to cut the angle that connects the front to the temples. This process ensures that each frame has a 90 degree angle on both sides and the right four-point adjustment. The last stage is to hand polish each frame to ensure the highest quality of shine. The whole manufacturing process takes about three to four weeks, regardless if you are making one pair or two hundred pairs. This is why plastic zyl frames are called handmade frames.