Many problems arise because not enough attention has been given to the characteristics of different lens materials.
CR39 un coated The easiest to tint lenses are un- coated CR39 lenses. This material is very porous and accepts dyes without any major problems. It can easily be tinted, then hard coated or treated with a scratch resistant or hydrophobic (slick coat) solution Hard coated CR39 lenses Any factory hard coated lens will tint slightly off color compare to the virgin CR39 material. and the tint will have to be adjusted. Polycarbonate Lenses Polycarbonate is so soft, that it has to be hard coated. It also has no pores but a closed surface; therefore it is non tint able. There are hard coats that are tint able and some are non tint able. The non tint able ones will not tint in a conventional dye pot and maybe reach about 15% absorption if tinted in the microwave. These hard coats will accept dyes with a color shift Trivex This material will tint very easily, but as it does not contain any pores, so the dye will only cover the unprotected surface. Lens cleaners containing Isopropyl and or other solvents will dissolve the color and wash it eventually off. Therefore a Trivex lens has been coated with a tint able hard coat to color it and then there will be some color shifts. High Index These materials can be tinted, however in the conventional dye pot this can take hours to reach 45% absorption, while they can go to 80% absorption in 4 to 8 minutes in the microwave. High Index materials will show the largest color shift of all lenses. They are very slow absorbing red colors.
Tint Removal The ethylene glycol neutralizer that has been used in dye pots forever has proven to very toxic when heated to dye removal temperatures. It will provide long term damage to kidneys, liver and brain if not used under a ventilation hood that will vent the fumes to the outside and not into an air conditioning system Shopping Centers, Office buildings). OMS Optochemicals produces a surfactant and water based neutralizer that will not emit toxic fumes. This product is also usable for all types of plastic lens materials without damaging any of them.
Basic Colors
Blue……………Red…………Yellow
When understanding the use and workings of the basic colors one can achieve any other color under the sun. One would not need any pre mixed dye solution as brown, black or green. Defining the workhorse dye. In the dye business you can actually use any of the 3 basic colors as the main carrier and then adjust the mixed colors from there. In OMS MicroTints the blue has been defined as the workhorse, also the main color. This results into that when for example a black starts to fade it will not go purple as in other optical dyes. It will fade more towards a grayish blue. If tinting the basic way start tinting with the first basic color listed below: Blue + Yellow = green One can get different greens by using more of less of each of the above colors. Green + Red = G15 (a greenish black) G15 + more red = Black Black + Red = Yellowish Brown Yellowish Brown + red = Natural Brown Natural Brown + red = Reddish brown
See graphic color guide click ► OMS Opto Chemicals, Graphic lens tinting guide
If tinting with ready made and mixed dyes. When using concentrates pour them into the container and add water to top.
If using ready made dyes, as in MicroTints, make sure to shake the bottle very well as dye pigments will settle at bottom of the bottle. For example if using a black dye and the bottle has not been well shaken lenses will turn out blue instead of black.
Also before using a hot dye in tint tank or tinting bucket make sure to stir the solution at the bottom to bring all the pigments back into solution or you will get colors that are off.
Temperature Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Most dyes have heat limits and will decompose with over heating.. It is a fact that the hotter the dye the faster it will work, but the manufacturer will give you the limits. It is also advisable to use a lab thermometer to measure the correct temperature in the dye itself, as thermostats on tinting units are not always reliable.
How to correct and adjust colors If a Black lens is: Too blue dip in red or brown Too green dip in blue and red Too purple dip in yellow Too brown dip in blue
If a Brown lens is: too yellow dip in blue too blue dip in yellow and red too grey brown dip in red
If a Green lens is: Too yellow dip in blue Too blue dip in yellow Too grey dip in blue and yellow
(Above may vary with different plastic materials and hard coats)
High Index materials Most high index materials will tint brown when dyed in a black dye and will tint black when tinted in a brown dye.
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