I may be searching for something that doesn’t exist, but my glasses (cheap reading glasses) seem to attract fine dust in the shop. Every 10 minutes or so I’m taking them off and cleaning them with the bottom of my dusty shirt.
Is there such a thing as dust-free glasses? The lenses are plastic, so it must be a static electricity issue. Are glass lenses better?
If you know, tell me. It’s super annoying.
Replies
I'm very familiar with this problem. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any reading glasses that repel dust. What does help me is to keep a microfiber cloth in the pocket of my shop apron and use it to keep my glasses clean.
I can't answer with assurance but, it comes to mind that there are anti-static sprays that are primarily used for fabrics. I wonder if some of this sprayed on the lenses would help. I would test on a pair of old unused glasses first.
You might also check with people who sell prescription glasses. They might know of something.
Also, keep in mind the grade school science experiment where one rubbed a plastic rod on certain materials to create static electricity. You might try cleaning the glasses with different materials and solutions to see if one works better than another. For instance, I know that dish washing liquid does a good job of cleaning glasses. Don't know if it will prevent static. Also, try paper facial tissues to wipe them rather than cloth.
There are hydrophobic coatings you could try, but I don’t know of any dust-phobic coatings. I get dust on mine, especially when sanding, but I just use my shirt tail to wipe em and keep going. I have bifocal DeWalt safety glasses.
You could try Rain-X.
Mikaol
I recently watched a YouTube video by Next Level Carpentry where he wipes his glasses with an anti-static dryer sheet. I haven't tried it yet but he claims it works great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrA2mUnJN64
Mike
I think you should try Rain-X!
I use the dryer sheet trick on my face shield. It works if the sheet is fairly new or if it has been kept in a sealed bag. If it sits on a shelf or in a drawer for a while it is less effective.
It may be plastic lenses. I've found my Clic readers dont' attract dust as bad.
Dryer sheets and t-shirts are OK for safety glasses that get replaced. Those silly little cloths they give you with your prescription glasses really are the right thing to use. Your shirt tail is putting micro-abrasions on your lenses / coatings. Over time the scratches will gather more and more dust in the same amount of time.
Damaged glasses can seem to 'always' be dirty because the scratches don't clean off. Put on a spare pair of glasses and check your current ones against the light. Do they appear foggy? It may be time for a new pair.
I keep a proper wipe in the glasses case in the shop. I sometimes even remember to run it through the laundry ;-) No dryer sheet for me. The film left behind is worse that the dust. Of course "worse" varies with what you are doing. If I am free hand routing MDF the gain of using a dryer sheet as a wipe would offset the blur factor. Not so if I am at the tablesaw with good dust collection ;-)
I rarely have an issue with my safety glasses getting dusty (I do have good dust collection), and a good microfiber towel takes care of those. I use a plastic face shield at the lathe, though, and have no dust collection there. Sanding is a messy process!
Also, you could try Armor-All for glass. It doesn't streak and inhibits static. My wife uses it on her computer & cell screens.
Mikaol
I just give mine a blast of air and the dust is gone. I try not to wipe them if I can't get to water.
Dawn dishwashing detergent works for me. Wet the lenses with warm (not super hot, or cold) water first and then a drop or two on each lens spread with your thumb and forefinger while rinsing should do the trick. Just don't squeeze too hard and, if you feel any grit whatsoever - "Stop!". I use Dawn because it has never harmed the photo gray coating on any pair of my blended prescription glasses. I can't say yea or nay on any other brand. By the bye, if you can figure out a truly practical, easy and cost effective way to eliminate the humidity differential that builds up in the space between your eyeballs and the inside surface of your lenses, you'll be well on your way to a much hight tax bracket than you're in now. [Otherwise, consider yourself, "Just wiping them off", as doing that part of woodworking better known as "Wet Sanding".]
Get a set of "PEEPS" from Lee Valley or Amazon. Small to have in your pocket or apron and cleans them perfectly in a couple seconds with a brush and carbon pads. You'll wonder how you lived without it.
I used to have the same problem. Then I just took the lenses out.
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