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Tinting Seiko™ Diacoat™ Lenses

It is widely known that some of the scratch-resistant coatings on the market have adversely affected the tintability of various plastic lenses. Seiko™ Diacoat ™ II lenses have been designed to reduce or eliminate such tinting problems. Diacoat™ II lenses are unsurpassed in tinting speed and consistency lens to lens. This easy to follow tinting guide will help you tint to desired colors quickly and effectively.

Seiko Lens Recommended Tinting Guide
General Information and Procedures.

All of our testing was performed using BPI® products. Lenses should be cleaned before tinting. Prepare unit (tint pots) as recommended.

  1. Use distilled water or tap water. (Tap water should be left exposed overnight so chlorines may dissipate).

  2. Bring water temperature in pot to approximately 140°F.

  3. Add 3 oz. of tint to 1qt. water. Make sure tint is mixed thoroughly.

  4. Bring temperature of tint in pot to 200°-210°F in 15°-20° increments.
    CAUTION: Keep pot lids open. This prevents pressure build-up and boil over, which can cause contamination if tints mix from splattering.
    Use a thermometer to check tint temperature.

  5. After cleaning lenses, insert them into BPI® Lens Prep II™ (use Lens Prep that is heated if possible) for 10-15 seconds. ( Do not wipe after removing).

  6. SLOWLY insert lenses into desired color until darkness of tint is achieved.

Colors that closely match uncoated lenses

(All tests were performed using BPI® tints.)

Pink

 Sun Brown
Red G-15
Yellow True Gray
Orange Rose Tone
Violet Winter Gray
Blue Lime
Cosmalite Sand
Pecan Cruxlite
Swiss Chocolate Heather
Rodenstock Maroon Sun Green
Darker grays will favor the blue spectrum, not red. See color correction sheet if color is not desirable.
Darker browns will favor the red spectrum. See color correction sheet if color is not desirable.

Color Correction Sheet

Color If Color is Correction Time
Gray Too Blue Orange or 6 sec.
Red and Yellow or 4 sec. each
Brown 6 sec.
Too Purple Yellow 6 sec.
Brown Too Red Yellow 6-7 sec.
Too Blue Yellow 6-7 sec.
Sun Brown Greenish Red and Blue 4 sec. each

Troubleshooting Chart

When tinting scratch-resistant lenses, the rule of thumb is never to use lenses from two different manufacturers; since their processes are different, their tinting abilities may differ.

Problem 1

Lenses tint different shades after being dipped for the same amount of time in the same color.

Possible Cause and Cure

  • Lenses are from different manufacturers. 
    Suggest use of same lens manufacturer.

  • Lens thickness is considerably different. (Ex. +100 and -100)
    Adjust either lens separately to desired color.

Problem 2

Lenses take too long to reach desired color.

Possible Cause and Cure

  • Tint is not hot enough.
    Check temperature in pot.

  • Tint may need replacing.

  • Check heat transfer fluid in tank.

  • Suggest the use of BPI® Lens Prep II™ before tinting.

Problem 3

After removing lenses from the tinting pot, the lenses have blotches.

Possible Cause and Cure

  • Tint is contaminated. Replace tint and check container for holes that could allow transfer fluid to leak into tint.

  • NOTE: This problem seems to be prevalent when using the solutions made by many manufacturers that slow or prevent the evaporation of tinting fluids. We do not suggest using these products, but if you do, we recommend the BPI® product (BPI® Xcelerator™) with the use of Seiko lenses. Our tests show less occurrence of this problem when tinting within our guidelines.

  • Lenses were not cleaned thoroughly before tinting.