How to Tint Eyeglasses At Home Using RIT

You will need the following items

• Distilled water

• Distilled white vinegar

It may be possible for you to try RIT dye at home if you have an old pair of prescription glasses that you wish to tint but do not wish to spend a lot of money having them professionally colored. As RIT dye is a fabric dye that is easy to use at home, it is also effective on plastics, so it can also be used to tint eyeglasses. However, only plastic eyeglasses can be tinted by the process. Depending on the type of plastic, the length of time in which the eyeglasses are left in the RIT dye, and the type of coating on the lenses, the results may differ.

Step 1

It is possible to remove the lenses from your eyeglasses if you so desire. You can also tint the whole pair of eyeglasses, including the frame. Some eyeglasses do not allow the lens to be removed easily.

Step 2

In an old saucepan large enough to accommodate your eyeglasses, bring two quarts of water to a simmer on the stove. Set the thermometer at a low setting to prevent the plastic from melting or warping.

Step 3

Then, add one ounce of RIT dye and five drops of distilled white vinegar. Stir well.

Step 4

Make sure the lenses or eyeglasses are thoroughly covered with the dye solution before submerging them.

Step 5

Do not wait longer than 10 minutes between checking the eyeglasses to ensure they are not warped or melted.

Step 6

Let the lenses or glasses sit in the dye until the tint is as dark as you desire. Depending on how dark you wish the tint to be, you may leave them in the dye for no more than 10 or 15 minutes for a light tint, or you may leave them in for an hour or more for a dark tint.

Step 7

If the tint on your glasses is too dark, remove them. Rinse them in warm tap water, then gradually cool them until they are cool to the touch. Dry them with a soft cotton cloth and reinstall the lenses if necessary.

An important tip

If you want to tint your eyeglasses with RIT, you should use hot water initially, but after a few minutes it will cool. The tinting process will take longer because the water temperature will be lower, so it will take longer to tint your eyeglasses.

Other plastic items, such as buttons, can also be dyed with RIT.

In order to prevent RIT dye from staining your equipment, be sure to clean everything that you used immediately following the tinting process. Some plastic items may require soaking in bleach in order to remove the color.