Oakley Jawbreaker Clip Corrosion

[Nickldn]

I have a pair of Oakley Jawbreakers, which are 2.5 years old, just out of warranty.

Great glasses and great lenses, I like them a lot......but I noticed in the past 6 months the metal clip which holds the top and bottom frame together has started to corrode on the side which faces the lens. Not easy to see unless the lenses are out.

I'm guessing this is from sweat, which as we know is a highly corrosive substance. I didn't realise the metal clip could corrode, seems like a major design oversight.

Oakley have not been helpful, except offering a replacement frame for more than the online price.

Has anyone else had this problem with their Jawbreakers, or is it just me?

[bobones]

Yes, mine broke completely a while back. I called Oakley who said there were no spares available. I still wear these with no clip and photochromic lenses in dark conditions, and foolishly bought another pair with different coloured rims.

[CustomMetal]

Yeap happened to mine... sutro don't have this issue and have a set of SunGod which I rate highly

[Nickldn]

There is a 3d printed replacement clip available on etsy and eBay:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/9499488 ... -clip-hook

Thinking of getting one to try. Don't want to throw these away, as I really like them.

Poor show from Oakley not providing spares.

I asked them if in this 'green' day and age (climate emergency I think it's called), when customers are more likely to value durable goods and appreciate availability of basic spare parts, should Oakley look to make its products more repairable and help customers lower their carbon emissions by not needing to buy replacement frames due to a repairable fault?

Fell on death ears of course.

Who owns Oakley now, is it Luxottica Group?

[Cleaner]

The corrosion does not look too bad in your picture. Remove the clip and then clean the part up and get the corrosion off and then protect the metal with a primer. Determine what the metal is, it is most likely a mild steel. Once you know what you are working with you can determine how to remove the corrosion and protect the part once it is cleaned up.

Luxottica owns Oakley.

[Nickldn]

The corrosion does not look too bad in your picture. Remove the clip and then clean the part up and get the corrosion off and then protect the metal with a primer. Determine what the metal is, it is most likely a mild steel. Once you know what you are working with you can determine how to remove the corrosion and protect the part once it is cleaned up.

Luxottica owns Oakley.

Thanks, I think that I caught it earlyish, maybe it's still fixable.

The funny thing is that when I asked if I buy a replacement frame could the same problem happen again there was no clear answer from Oakley customer services. All they said was if there was a problem they would replace the frame, if it was in the warranty period.

I assumed the clip was aluminium and would not corrode. After all what kind of manufacturer would make parts that go right by the wearer's brow out of a rust prone material? I mean it's not a cheap product, surely Oakley could do better?

[joejack951]

I assumed the clip was aluminium and would not corrode. After all what kind of manufacturer would make parts that go right by the wearer's brow out of a rust prone material? I mean it's not a cheap product, surely Oakley could do better?

Looking at the corrosion, I am leaning toward it being magnesium, likely chosen for its low weight (2/3 that of aluminum) and ease of manufacturing (you can basically injection mold it). However, as has been the case for other magnesium applications, if you can't protect it properly it is going to corrode and fail. Personal experience: Porsche 944/968 16 valve engine timing gear covers. I sold quite a few die cast aluminum replacement covers until Porsche started selling the same thing having long since discontinued the magnesium version

Assuming it is magnesium, this is a lesson for Oakley to do better on protecting a highly corrosion-prone metal like magnesium. For them to admit fault would mean recalling a lot of expensive sunglasses. Best to keep quiet and hope for the best.

[poulhansen]

I assumed the clip was aluminium and would not corrode. After all what kind of manufacturer would make parts that go right by the wearer's brow out of a rust prone material? I mean it's not a cheap product, surely Oakley could do better?

Looking at the corrosion, I am leaning toward it being magnesium, likely chosen for its low weight (2/3 that of aluminum) and ease of manufacturing (you can basically injection mold it). However, as has been the case for other magnesium applications, if you can't protect it properly it is going to corrode and fail. Personal experience: Porsche 944/968 16 valve engine timing gear covers. I sold quite a few die cast aluminum replacement covers until Porsche started selling the same thing having long since discontinued the magnesium version

Assuming it is magnesium, this is a lesson for Oakley to do better on protecting a highly corrosion-prone metal like magnesium. For them to admit fault would mean recalling a lot of expensive sunglasses. Best to keep quiet and hope for the best.

I thought it looks like magnesium as well. It's very light and highly corrosion prone. Other answers mention it breaking and that doesn't happen if it was steel. Clean and spraypaint it. Use a primer first. They are available for aluminium but I don't know about magnesium.

[bobones]

There is a 3d printed replacement clip available on etsy and eBay:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/9499488 ... -clip-hook

Great. Thanks for the info. Just ordered.

[IchDien]

Same here; although the humid environment may be to blame.

[Cleaner]

In some pictures it appears to be anodized aluminum. That could be an illusion as there are coatings to mimic that appearance. The nature of the oxidation will offer some clue about what material it is made of. Aluminum oxide looks very different than ferrous oxide.

In the Oakley forums there are reports of this part being magnetic which points to a steel alloy.

I would be surprised if this part was made of magnesium. Magnesium will quickly resemble a sponge in structure once it starts oxidizing. That part is not cast and does not appear to be a MIM part either. Magnesium would be the worst structural metal to use in an application where it is constantly exposed to salt spray as this is.

I am skeptical that a 3D printed nylon part will hold up in this applciation assuming they used metal in the first place.

[itsacarr]

There is a 3d printed replacement clip available on etsy and eBay:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/9499488 ... -clip-hook

Holy crap. Thanks for that link. I tried to get spares as well of that part. Seriously you just brought a pair I love back to life.

[joejack951]

In some pictures it appears to be anodized aluminum. That could be an illusion as there are coatings to mimic that appearance. The nature of the oxidation will offer some clue about what material it is made of. Aluminum oxide looks very different than ferrous oxide.

In the Oakley forums there are reports of this part being magnetic which points to a steel alloy.

I would be surprised if this part was made of magnesium. Magnesium will quickly resemble a sponge in structure once it starts oxidizing. That part is not cast and does not appear to be a MIM part either. Magnesium would be the worst structural metal to use in an application where it is constantly exposed to salt spray as this is.

Look up ‘magnesium thixomolding’. It is a process that’s heavily used in the manufacturing of high end camera bodies because it is lightweight and can produce highly detailed and precise parts at a fairly low cost (less than MIM for sure). Sweaty hands are all over those camera bodies and they hold up just fine. Yes, once it starts corroding magnesium quickly crumbles which is what it appears these Oakley users are experiencing. Steel would take a lot longer to corrode to failure and trust me, you’d know it was steel from all the red rust.

Regarding being magnetic, whatever coating they applied could be slightly magnetic.

I am skeptical that a 3D printed nylon part will hold up in this applciation assuming they used metal in the first place.

Yup, 3D printed nylon ought to fail pretty quickly unless metal was used strictly for show here. Metal laser sintering could work but would be pricey.

[Alexandrumarian]

Mine did it too, quite a disappointment. And besides, you don't want that crap washed down your face. As i worked on it, definitely looked and felt like anodized aluminum. What one can do to slow down the process is to scrape the porous growth down to shiny metal then seal with nail polish or whatever lacquer you have a hand. I used shellac as i have it at hand and it is totally natural and nontoxic, however it also not sweat proof and needs retoping often.

[joejack951]

Is anyone interested in a metal replacement clip? I could have some made in anodized aluminum if I got a show of hands. $30 price seem reasonable? I think I can do it for around that.