Summary for titanium eyeglass frames Discussion
titanium eyeglass frames are a special case: the thread opens by noting that true titanium is hard to join because it oxidizes quickly and usually needs specialty equipment, but eyeglass repairs do not have to meet aerospace standards. Goran Budija says titanium cannot be soldered, only welded under very special conditions, while Toby Padfield explains that eyeglass frames are often brazed rather than soldered and that titanium must be joined in an argon atmosphere without flux. Other contributors say hinges are probably spot welded, and several repairers report successful real-world repairs using specialized tools. Paul Fisher says his shop can solder titanium frames with a CO2 laser in argon, and chris mcg says titanium eyewear can be repaired with special equipment even though it cannot be soldered conventionally. Bruce Fanning recommends a Colorado Springs repair shop that has done durable titanium-frame repairs for years. The practical takeaway is that ordinary soldering usually fails, but specialized titanium eyewear repair services can often fix the frames.
Quickstart:
On the one hand, welding titanium to rigorous specifications requires specialty equipment which a hobbyist or jeweler wouldn’t have. On the other, all materials that are referred to as “titanium” in slang are not necessarily pure titanium, and jewelry & eyeglass frames are not aerospace components; repairs need only be sufficient for the purpose, not metallurgically perfect and impermeable to helium leakage 🙂
Thus you’ll hear both that welding titanium can’t be done except industrially, and simultaneously that repair isn’t all that difficult.
Read on, join in …
Q. I AM A JEWELRY AND EYE GLASS REPAIRER. I WISH TO KNOW HOW TO SOLDER TITANIUM, AND I ALSO WANT TO KNOW WHERE TO PURCHASE THE MATERIALS NEEDED TO SOLDER TITANIUM.
THANK YOU,
David Zobali
JEWELRY AND EYEGLASS REPAIR – NEW CITY, NEW YORK
2004
A. It is not possible to solder titanium– you can weld it but under very special conditions.
Goran Budija
– Cerovski vrh Croatia
Q. To Goran Budija:
If you can’t solder titanium, then how are hinges put on titanium eyeglasses? Also, under what conditions can titanium be welded?
Thank you.
David Zobali [returning]
JEWELRY AND EYEGLASS REPAIR – NEW CITY, NEW YORK
A. I think there is a problem with terminology– frames for eyeglasses are brazed not soldered, since the temperature exceeds 450 °C. nr
Titanium in the presence of any oxygen forms a tightly adherent oxide layer, which impairs joining by brazing, welding, etc. Therefore, titanium is brazed in an argon atmosphere, without a flux, using different types of filler metal.
There is a good description of the technology in a technical paper from Nippon Steel, one of the leading producers of titanium alloy products. Use the following link for more information:
https://www.nsc.co.jp/gikai/en/contenthtml/n62/6205.pdf ⇩
Toby Padfield
Automotive module supplier – Michigan
Ed. update: The above link is broken. Thankfully, the Internet Archive preserved a copy here ⇨
These days information often appears on the internet, then simply disappears forever. If that bothers you please consider a donation to The Internet Archive.
A. Hinges are probably spot welded. Process is same as for other metals.
For more info try Titanium.org web site 
Good luck!
Goran Budija
– Cerovski vrh Croatia
  | A. The following link will get you to a company that has all [the components] that you need to begin repairing or building Titanium frames: I am seeking somebody who currently does Titanium Eyeglass repair and came upon it. Anybody reading this with helpful info, please respond. Ed. update: Although that link leads to a supplier of titanium components for eyeglass frames, there are no articles on their site helpful to repairing frames. A. There is a guy in Colorado Springs Colorado doing business as “Eyewear Repair” his shop is on “Galley” (no street, avenue, road, etc. just “Galley”) He does amazing work and has made strong, long lasting repairs to several pairs of Titanium and Titanium alloy eye glass frames over the past 20 years. He has knowledge worth knowing! Ed. update: “Eyeglass Repair of Colorado” is now on Espanola St. and has a page at facebook.com/p/Eyewear-Repair-Of-Colorado-100069850762900/ A. We can solder Titanium frames. We use CO2 laser in argon atmosphere to do it. The equipment can be used in dental labs, too. A. We can repair any eyewear made of titanium – we have special equipment to do as they can’t be soldered.
We’re a poor alternative to google for sourcing: old links break, shops move or go out of business, etc. And we’ve entered the age of spambots — millions of robotic computers hunting night & day for forums where they can insert comment spam. We currently receive more than a thousand spams per day, are drowning under efforts to post free advertising here, and no longer do postings of that sort. Apologies.
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Q. When setting up a repair is there any way other than abject failure to determine if a frame is titanium, stainless, or other unsolderable material? ⇦ Answer?
Thanks.
greg coyston
optical lab-repair guy – winnipeg manitoba canada
2007
Q. Hello,
I have a pair of eyeglasses. The frames are made out of titanium wire. Can I use silver solder to repair the nose bridge? What I notice using regular solder is this. The solder flows, but will not solder the break. ⇦ Answer?
Thanks
John Arcotta
– Frederick, Colorado
2007
A. I have just finished soldering a broken hinge of a Flexon bow. I used silver-bearing solder and plain yellow flux paste. I am not a jeweler in any way, and have no prior experience doing this, other than general electronics/PCB soldering.
Matt Swanton
– North Smithfield, Rhode Island
May 10, 2009
Thanks Matt,
Flexon frames are made of titanium memory alloy (about half titanium and half nickel), not pure titanium like some other frames. Your technique apparently works on memory alloy, but I suspect that it doesn’t work on frames which are pure titanium.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
A. I am a Jeweler. I just broke both hinges off of the ear wires on a pair of Titanium glasses. I used my handy dandy oxy-acetylene Smith Little Torch
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
, HandyFlux
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
, and jewelers Easy Flo silver solder
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
to braze the hinge pieces back on the ear wires. Very strong solder.
Dave Bender
– Friendswood, Texas
March 23, 2010
Thank You, Publishers, for adding the Hyperlinks to my response. I must say, ‘Grobet’, is a major Jeweler Supply Company, that carries quality supplies. But, I prefer Cadmium-free silver solder ⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
Dave Bender [returning]
dfb Creations LLC – Friendswood, Texas
March 25, 2010
Hi, Dave. Thanks for your instructions!
The links are both for the readers’ convenience [if we look things up once, it saves 500 readers from having to each look them up], and for our own benefit [we may get a commission if readers buy the product from the source we’ve linked to].
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
Hi thank you so much for the info, my son just mangled my Oakleys this morning. So out with my oxy torch as low as I could get to with some silver solder and Harris stay silv white flux
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
. Filed the area, and very importantly cleaned the area with some degreasing all purpose cleaner. Just fluxed, heated the area and dabbed some silver in place and used the heat carefully allow the silver to distribute. Quick filing and almost good as new, and most importantly silver joints are quite strong. Again thanks for the info, very simple repair.
kris lowe
– squamish bc canada
May 14, 2011
A. The PUK 3S High Precision Welder
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
is much less expensive than a laser and will weld titanium as well as many other metals including jewelry metals.
Elaine Corwin
– Bridgeport Connecticut USA
July 26, 2011
A. I used hot glue. Two days later still holding.
Brady Gallogly
– Cincinnati
February 13, 2012
Q. Hi! I’ve been a welder for about 5 years, was a titanium repair welder (in a purge chamber) for two. I’m going to be making titanium jewelry on my own, but I need to somehow attach rings to make a titanium piece a pendant for a necklace, adhere titanium pieces to blank bands to make them rings, to blank cuffs to make them bracelets, to blank studs and hooks to make them earrings, etc.
What would be the best way to do this? It’s been ages since I’ve brazed or soldered anything, and never titanium.
I’m hoping to use stainless steel for all the stuff I want to adhere to my titanium pieces, but if I can’t find some things in stainless, I might have to use silver.
If I can find these things in titanium, I will just use that and weld them together, but I have to use what I can find.
Any advice would be most appreciated!
Stephanie Puckey
– Milwaukie, Oregon
June 27, 2020
A. You can TIG weld titanium; according to some sources it can be soldered too, but it is not simple. German PUK 5 precision TIG welder
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
and US made Orion precise TIG welder
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
are two brands. Reactive metals studio sells jewelry grade titanium sheet and wire (www.reactivemetals.com/titanium). Hope it helps and good luck!
Goran Budija
– Zagreb Croatia
September 25, 2020