Modern Sunglasses and NCOWS

[Pitspitr]

Good Point FCK. And another one is that an anachronism is an anachronism. Technically, if I'm doing 1876 but wearing 1895 glasses, they're just as out of place as if I'm wearing modern sunglasses.

[Delmonico]

Really it al boils down to the firing line, where good eye protection is needed PC be damned.  But then I've never seen to many firing line pictures that looked that PC with steel targets and other things, like buildings, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't most buildings back then have 4 walls and a roof?  Or at least if a tornader hadn't got to them.

Away from it, esp in primative camps the non-PC stuff can be removed and exchanged or even left off.  

[Pitspitr]

Yep.

[Texas Lawdog]

What Del said!

[Cuts Crooked]

Hmmmm?

Gotta agree with Fox Creek, let's get everyone shooting authentic powder afore we go ta werk on the glasses!

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Unique?



It's authentic - to a small portion of the NCOWS time frame.

[Major 2]

Then there is this ....
http://www.shadowsofthewest.com/auction_details.php?name=RETROSTYLE-COWBOY-ACTION-SHOOTINGSAFETY-GLASSES--CLEAR&auction_id=100936

[Black Powder]

Those pass the sniff test for me.  Bigger lens, sidewalls, and I can still wear my contacts.

Thanks for the link.

BP

[Dr. Bob]

Well, I guess I play the eye wear pooobah!   I have PC eye wear for the late 18th Cen., 1st half of the 19th Cen., and the last quarter of the 19th Cen.!

Spectacles prior to the 20th Century did not have nose pads.  They had some type of arch that rested on the nose.  Spectacles with nose pads look 20th century!  Sorry, but that is just the way it is.  That is the reason that I will continue to wear my 1950's RayBan shooting glasses on the firing line.  I have a pair of early 20th century driving glasses without nose pads and with perforated metal side guards and riding bows.  The round amber lenses are 2" in diameter and have screws holding the lenses in, so could be equipped with safety lenses.  They are the closest ones that I have seen to being correct, but the frame is not very strong and I hesitate to wreck them at a CAS shoot. 

That is my somewhat educated opinion.  I am far from infallible, but that is what I have found in studying eye wear for the past 25 years.  I am sad to say that I don't have the books that I used back then and can't document this well.

Your mileage may vary!

[Black Powder]

Spectacles prior to the 20th Century did not have nose pads. 

A subtlety I'd not picked up on.  Thank you, Dr. B.

I see better out of contacts than I do my glasses, except anything within arm's length, and I'd like to find something protective that looks acceptable in case somebody happens to be taking an action picture of me blasting away.  For $10, with the side flaps, those struck me as a pretty good value and look.

Guess I'll stay wearing my glasses when I shoot and contacts when I want to look even more handsome.

BP

[Deadeye Don]

Again,  I think the reason this post was started was to encourage pards to wear glasses as close to authentic as possible while still maintaining good eye protection.  I think this is an individual matter for us all to decided on our own.  If all you can find is wire glasses with nose guards then so be it.   As long as you are making an attempt to be more period correct and not wearing space age Star Wars glasses I really dont think anyone will care.

[Books OToole]

Again,  I think the reason this post was started was to encourage pards to wear glasses as close to authentic as possible while still maintaining good eye protection.  I think this is an individual matter for us all to decided on our own.  If all you can find is wire glasses with nose guards then so be it.   As long as you are making an attempt to be more period correct and not wearing space age Star Wars glasses I really dont think anyone will care.

It always comes down to the age old question:  "Where do you draw the line."

I have to agree with Dr. Bob:  Nose pads are 20th century.
     As safety glasses on the line, they are fine.  Off of the firing line they are just another pair of 20th century glasses.


Books

[Delmonico]

It always comes down to the age old question:  "Where do you draw the line."

Books

Yep, the big #1 question.  A couple years ago a new guy was in the store for some clothes, not a local, had some stuff already and as we all tell folks he'd went to a shoot even though he knew he had work to do.  Funny thing is at lunch, unasked for, somebody told him what was all wrong with his outfit,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,while eatin' a modern sliced bread samwhich he'd just drug out of a plastic bag, don't know who or where, don't care, but they guy who told me this was just to nice to tell Mr. Wonder Bread where to stick his samwhich, a been me, I would have and I doubt the Wonder Bread guy has teeth there.

[Black Powder]

I dunno, there's cool and then there's cool. 

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Again,  I think the reason this post was started was to encourage pards to wear glasses as close to authentic as possible while still maintaining good eye protection.  I think this is an individual matter for us all to decided on our own.  If all you can find is wire glasses with nose guards then so be it.   As long as you are making an attempt to be more period correct and not wearing space age Star Wars glasses I really dont think anyone will care.

Nothing more...nothing less......We spend several thousand dollars in guns & clothes...but we can't take the time, effort and expense to equip ourselves with proper eye wear? I just don't get it....

OCB

[Dr. Bob]

OCB,

From this discussion, it appears that "proper eye wear" is different things to different folks.

From the Montgomery Ward & Co.'s Catalogue No. 56 - Fall & Winter 1894-95 [The Gun Digest Company, 1970] pages 198 & 199.

There are the following categories:
          Spectacles
  Straight Temple Spectacles
  Sliding or extension Temple Spectacles
  Riding or Hook-Bow Spectacles
  Solid Gold Spectacles, Straight Temples
  Solid Gold Spectacles, Riding or Hook Bow Temples
  Colored Lens Spectacles [Without Focus] [Both straight and riding temples with blue or smoke lenses]
          Goggles
  Goggles wire gauze, blue, smoke, green or white lenses [These tie behind the head]
  Goggles or eye protectors, good finish velvet bound edges [Better quality of above]
  Railroad or Driving Spectacles, blue or smoke lenses, velvet bound, straight temple bows
  Driving Spectacles, well finished, steel frame, hook temples, fine coquille smoke colored lenses, folding wire gauze   
  protecting shields.  [These are pictured with oval lenses and the re-curve arch bridge between the lenses.]
          Shooting and Millers' Spectacles
  Shooting Spectacles improve the vision wonderful when viewing field or landscape, and prevent the eye becoming
  affected by strong light.  Amber colored shooting lenses. [Pictured with small oval lenses with etched lens with clear
  circle in center with straight temples and re-curve arch bridge]
  Shooting Spectacles, with fine quality of amber lenses and riding or hook bow frames.
  Millers' or Stonecutters' Spectacles, for protecting the eyes from injury; plain, white lenses, large eyes, turn pin temples.
  [No picture, and no wire gauze protecting shields.]

NONE of these give adequate protection for MY eyes.  Since they don't, I have no desire to get "old timey" frames and add side shields to replace my modern RayBan shooting glasses.  Modern frames are modern frames and just don't look anything near period correct.  This is just my opinion and I will  judge no one on what solution that they choose.

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

White Buffalo...
if you get a chance catch this movie....it has been playing the last month or so on the Western Channel. Its not much for authenticity, but Charles Bronson (as Wild Bill Hickok?), is wearing a set of eye glasses that look to be spot on for our time period. Probably the only thing right about this movie. The lenses are tinted and the glasses cover the whole area around the eyes and have the clear shields on each side of the glasses.

OCB

[Books OToole]

The folding side lens set-up is call a Richardson Lens and it is approprate from the 1840s to about 1880.

They would be neat sunglasses, but they would definately not be safe as shooting glasse.

Books

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

They would be neat sunglasses, but they would definitely not be safe as shooting glasses.

Books....with the proper safety lenses they would be better then most.

OCB

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

OCB,

From this discussion, it appears that "proper eye wear" is different things to different folks.

From the Montgomery Ward & Co.'s Catalogue No. 56 - Fall & Winter 1894-95 [The Gun Digest Company, 1970] pages 198 & 199.

There are the following categories:
          Spectacles
  Straight Temple Spectacles
  Sliding or extension Temple Spectacles
  Riding or Hook-Bow Spectacles
  Solid Gold Spectacles, Straight Temples
  Solid Gold Spectacles, Riding or Hook Bow Temples
  Colored Lens Spectacles [Without Focus] [Both straight and riding temples with blue or smoke lenses]
          Goggles
  Goggles wire gauze, blue, smoke, green or white lenses [These tie behind the head]
  Goggles or eye protectors, good finish velvet bound edges [Better quality of above]
  Railroad or Driving Spectacles, blue or smoke lenses, velvet bound, straight temple bows
  Driving Spectacles, well finished, steel frame, hook temples, fine coquille smoke colored lenses, folding wire gauze   
  protecting shields.  [These are pictured with oval lenses and the re-curve arch bridge between the lenses.]
          Shooting and Millers' Spectacles
  Shooting Spectacles improve the vision wonderful when viewing field or landscape, and prevent the eye becoming
  affected by strong light.  Amber colored shooting lenses. [Pictured with small oval lenses with etched lens with clear
  circle in center with straight temples and re-curve arch bridge]
  Shooting Spectacles, with fine quality of amber lenses and riding or hook bow frames.
  Millers' or Stonecutters' Spectacles, for protecting the eyes from injury; plain, white lenses, large eyes, turn pin temples.
  [No picture, and no wire gauze protecting shields.]

NONE of these give adequate protection for MY eyes.  Since they don't, I have no desire to get "old timey" frames and add side shields to replace my modern RayBan shooting glasses.  Modern frames are modern frames and just don't look anything near period correct.  This is just my opinion and I will  judge no one on what solution that they choose.

Dr. Bob.......
You pick the type that bests suits your persona/impression........or as close as possible.

OCB....