On Jun 2, 10:33 am, Nick Leverton wrote:
SWMBO's reading specs have broken, the frame adjacent to the bridge has
fractured. Even in the event she gets round to ordering them this week,
it'll take at least a fortnight for new ones to arrive from the Far East
via an online optician (for strong prescriptions it's hundreds cheaper
than the local bricks-and-mortar optician charges and a far better range).

As it's one of those metal framed specs which tensions the frame to hold
the lens in place, there isn't a hope that gaffer tape will work :-)
In my experience, cyanoacrylate is too brittle and domestic epoxy too
weakly adhesive for the small contact area involved. But as I seem to
have simultaneously run out of epoxy (lost the resin tube), cyanoacrylate
(gone solid) and anything useful except grab adhesive/filler, it's a great
chance to try something new.

What would the team suggest that is cheap, readily available, useful for
other purposes too, and can hold the lens in place in the broken frame
for a couple of weeks against the flexing of a normally abused pair of
glasses ?

I think you need some reinforcing in whatever glue you use. I use fine
steel wire, which may be obtained from twisty ties. Copper wire is not
strong enough.
Perhaps you could drill holes in the frame and thread the wire
through. Or file a slot for the wire.
I use epoxy and put the job in a warm place for a few hors. A box with
a light bulb in it is excellent.