This is going to be a loooong post (because mine are a work-in-progress....)
I prefer 'smaller' goggles. Not in terms of lens size, more in terms of bulk. What I am aiming for with this pair is a suggestion of a pair of Edwardian driving goggles (think along the lines of those worn by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in
A Game of Shadows).
I've made goggles in the past, which have suffered in the first instance because they were a pair of modded swimming goggles and in the second because, although I used sunglass lenses, I then used card for the cups. So this time I've decided to use proper materials....
I began by buying a pair of cheap 'John Lennon' style sunglasses, and removing the temple arms, which were held in place by screws and easily taken away:
I then cut out a template from some thin card stock:
Before transferring the form to fine aluminium mesh:
I then offered up the mesh to the lens, to check for size.
This mesh has sharp edges; I don't want to scratch the lenses or put my eyes out with the stuff. So I had a cast around and found some foam, but it was too thick. So I cut off a length of the stuff and then halved the thickness.
I used UHU glue to attach these strips to the mesh.
I cut a couple of slits into the foam to allow for the remnants of the bridge and the temple arms, and then test-fitted again.
I then cut some more foam, but left it at full thickness, to attach around the mesh where it meets my face. This was again UHU'd to the mesh, which I then rolled up and glued into the cup shape.
I then UHU-d the lenses into the cups. I kept as much of the structure of the original glasses as possible, partly to make the whole thing that bit easier to build and partly because it reflects the lighter nature of construction I am looking for. This is the current state of affairs:
The next steps are going to be to add extensions to the back of the foam, so it meets my face properly, then fit leather over it before adding a strap.
~Addendum~
I've thought of a better way of joining the lenses to the mesh- so have removed half of the foam....
~Later~
I'll edit this post, rather than double-post:
I removed all of the foam eventually... then started by adding papier-mache around the top edge of the mesh, before gluing the lenses down onto this paper mass.
I then started thinking about how neat a fit I'd need around my face. The mesh was cut to the wrong shape, so I cut a little off of it (bringing it closer to my face) and then added the bits that were missing (this would be, around the sides) out of the card templates I'd originally made.
An advantage of using card is that it is a fairly forgiving material- so it will bend or form itself, a little, to the shape of the eye sockets. When I was reasonably happy with the fit, I added an aluminium foil coating.
I've now ordered some leather off-cuts on ebay, to neaten up the joint between the cups and the lenses, and provide a comfortable edge to the fitting of the cups. Now to look for a strap....
