Tipton Eyeworks

Handmade vinyl glasses produced by  Tipton Eyeworks.

The foundations of Tipton Eyeworks were laid in the Seattle Washington workshop of Zachary Tipton when the young designer first began making custom rimless eyewear in 1998. For three years rimless designs were produced - all custom made - and various techniques were experimented with as new ideas took form.

Some parts were hand forged from titanium welding rods and others were cut from solid material by the same machinists who make Boeing aircraft. In 2001 Tipton began experimenting with new ways to make a unique plastic frame. After testing many materials, from acrylic to polycarbonate, he hit on the idea of using vinyl records. The unusual texture and color of the vinyl made both the material and the concept practical, interesting and appealing to work with.

During the first years of experimentation and production, Zachary’s father’s personal record collection suffered some serious damage, so as the business grew, old records were purchased and made into frames.In 2002 Zachary moved to Hungary where he found a factory which was willing to develop a vinyl frame that could be mass produced. A special method of joining cellulose acetate with vinyl was pioneered and the Vinylize collection was born. Newly developed methods of machining, tumbling and thermal forming followed.

More at:
tipton.hu
tiptoneyeworks.wordpress.com