Fix and Fit
Making the Grade: Creating a Dispensing Test
By Alex Yoho, ABOM

When you're hiring a dispenser, one surefire method of narrowing the field is observing an applicant's practical skills in action. Creating a test frame is an easy way to observe a potential employee's abilities.

To test adjusting skills, take an inexpensive metal frame with lenses, L-shaped endpieces, and adjustable pads and bend it carefully in ways they will need to fix regularly.

Taking a perfectly fine frame and twisting it can create a screening tool when hiring a new dispenser

REBUILDING BRIDGES

There are three planes of adjustment possible on the bridge area. To begin, X the bridge until a light reflection from the front of the lenses is about 10mm different vertically.

Next, the bridge should be skewed. A frame with normal face form will have from 3mm to 7mm distance to each point where the bridge connects to the eyewire, depending on the frame size. To skew the bridge, use your thumb to push on the right side of the bridge while pulling back on the left side.

The final misalignment for the bridge is frontal skew. When the frontal skew is aligned, the bridge may be arched but overall will be parallel to a flat surface. To alter this, grasp the right eyewire and bend the bridge until there is about 2mm difference.

NOSE JOB

For the nosepads, splay one side until it is nearly flat against the lens. Then, take any frontal angle out of the other side so the pad is straight up and down. While you're at it, pull the bottom of the pad away from the front to change the vertical angle.

Next, widen the left temple out until the tip is about 10mm further out than its original position. Then add about five degrees of retroscopic tilt to the right endpiece and finish it off by straightening the right temple tip just a bit.

EVALUATION TIME

As the candidates are interviewed, explain that you want them to bench-align a badly bent frame and describe what they are doing as they go. For each person under consideration, provide a new test frame that is bent the same amount. It wouldn't hurt to time the applicants as they align the frame since part of being an adept dispenser is working quickly as well as efficiently.

In the evaluation, note whether they begin bending in the bridge. This is important since the bridge does just that--bridges the two halves of the frame, so any adjustment made before bending the bridge will have to be changed after corrections are made.

The order of plane of alignment doesn't matter--just make sure they address all of the distortions you've created. An experienced dispenser will take the time to re-check all three.

After the bridge is aligned, it would be a real bonus if the candidate mentions that inspection of the eyewire for rolling would be a prudent thing to do on the way to aligning the endpiece. Again, it is not important which alignment is addressed, whether the X, Y, or Z planes of the endpiece.

ALIGNING THE TEMPLE

The temples should be aligned in or out (X axis or plane) as needed for head space first. This often takes the use of pliers, but I like to see candidates use their hands.

Next, the temples will have to be moved up or down (Y axis or plane). The objective here is to wind up with an average amount of pantoscopic tilt which could be anywhere from 8 to 15 degrees. Again, a bonus would be if the candidate explains that this is the bend used to correct eyewear that is crooked on a face and to add either pantoscopic or retroscopic tilt as needed during adjustment.

While working on the endpiece area, ask how they would handle these modifications on a plastic frame. The answer should include how to put pantoscopic and retroscopic tilt by bending the hinge either by hand or with an angling plier, filing the butt of the temple to maintain the established angle, and finally heating the endpiece and bending it inward to maintain the proper head space.

The nosepads should be universally aligned by correcting and matching the frontal angle, splay angle, and vertical angle, which the dispenser may do, at least roughly, when aligning the bridge area. When finished, pads should be symmetrical and positioned for an average nose.

Using this practical test, job applicants will demonstrate their skill level, temperament, and ability to communicate. Knowing that these qualities are up to speed will go a long way toward making you comfortable with your choice.

Questions or comments to the author are welcome at ayoho@cox.net