Proper spectacles!

[Chris Prieto]

So some time ago Tim mentioned he ground down some old lenses and put em in a pair of period frames. So I attempted to do the same. I cut the shape into surface lens with exact blade and drilled many small holes along the line and then used a tiny saw to cut thru the dotted line. I then sanded the edges of the lenses down on a big steel file. I can't believe it worked. The old frames I picked up on etsy for 30 beans or so.

[Al Smitley]

[Al Smitley]

These obviously are not at all as nice or authentic as yours but then I don't have as much ambition.  I bought these on Amazon.  There are others to chose from rather cheap and some more expensive.  These served my purpose as a prop when I portrayed an 1830s school teacher for a cemetery walk.  I only wore them as each group was approaching.

[CURTIS PAYNE]

my period glasses are originals and I simply took them and had real glass lenses with a prescription.   probably much safer to use modern lenses.    

[Al Smitley]

Tim Twiss has a pair of old glasses that he offered to loan me for the Cemetery Walk but I was afraid I'd do something to damage them and the sides were so short, I couldn't keep them on my head, anyway.

I know we tend to be larger people than they were 160 years ago but I probably would've been about average.

[Chris Prieto]

I'm actually really blind with super thick lenses so nobody would add my prescription to em. And if I used glass they would fallen off face from how heavy they'd be. I got contacts and tried to get them filled with blanks and nobody wanted to do that either cuz the lenses are so small.

I feel like glasses are one of those things that just need to be metal and round and your like 90% there.

If you stalk eBay and etsy some nice ones will come around for reasonable prices.