Executive – Vinylize Eyewear

The new Executive

Counterbalanced Vinylize

Introducing the counterweight

Spectacles are front heavy because of the lenses, which can cause them to slip down
the nose. Heavy brass from the casings are crimped onto the temple tips to balance the frame.

The headstamp markings are removed with a lathe. This leaves concentric marks on the surface that look a lot like the grooves on a vinyl record.

Read up on how we make the counterweight

The new Vinylize Executive

Upcycling the spent cartridge cases

The .38 Special cartridges used for Caliber are collected from shooting ranges. Vinylize upcycles the entire cartridge case.

The headstamp markings that show who manufactured the bullets are removed with a lathe. This leaves concentric marks on the surface that look a lot like the grooves on a vinyl record – a nice nod to the Vinylize brand’s USP. The brass casing is separated from the rim bearing the headstamp and melted into ingots. Next, the rims are fitted onto the acetate temple tip of the frame and crimped into place. After the frame has been assembled, it’s rhodium plated. Rhodium is a highly reflective silver-white metal extremely resistant to corrosion, which makes it tough and hypoallergenic.

Made from the .38 Special cartridges

Opticians can glaze Executive from a -8 to a +8

“Nearly all spectacles are front heavy because of the lenses, which can cause them to slip down
the nose,” Zack explains. “I realized that the heavy brass from the casings could be used on the temple tip – the two parts of a glasses’ frame that run from the eye rims are called temples. When you add weight to the temple tip, the frame stays on the wearers’ face.”

The result is a highly distinctive frame that fits perfectly with the Vinylize ethos and visual esthetic, making a statement in more ways than one.

The idea to make eyewear from spent bullet casings came when Vinylize’s Zack Tipton found some 9mm casings on Maui a few years ago.

Zack acknowledges that there is a great connection between rock and roll and bullets. But he’s much keener to emphasize the fact that it is also about repurposing spent bullet casings to make a smart, practical frame.

“I’m inspired by everyday discarded manmade things I come across,” he says, “and unfortunately you find casings all the time in America.