Wow, very cool blog.

Customizing would freak me out, i am sure I would mess it up... It is funny I was looking at some romeo's online and they are customized but, how do you know they are real? It just makes it kinda hard to sell them if you need to? (I say need because who wants to sell their glasses :D)

There'll always be a market for customs, so there'll be people to sell to. However, it does seem customs do pull in less money then they used to. I don't know if it's the economy or if it's because third party customizers are getting more diverse in what they can offer (probably both).

I think Oak is right. Both have a severe effect on the custom market. Although I think there is one more factor not touched on...Bad experiences with customs. There are a lot of hacks out there who hack for profit and not for passion. That is where the goofy lenses with horrible optics come in to play, or coatings that haven't been tested and then fail shortly after someone gets them home...Things like that probably tend to leave a sour taste in the mouths of the buyers and cause them to not want to waste money again...

I like that briefcase...Carbon Fiber is pretty bitchin stuff, and I have wanted to work with it many times but just haven't. I have done some fiberglass work with my old car stereo system, but nothing that the top surface was viewed in it's raw form, so polished finishes weren't a concern. If you have any links or sources you can refer me to for resin/epoxy and carbon cloth, I would greatly appreciate it. It can get expensive buying from several sources to find "That one good one" ya know!! Good luck on the stems...

If I could make a suggestion.

Instead of carbon fibre, maybe go with texallium.It has a similar appearance, should be a bit cheaper, and from what I've heard so far, doesn't have the problem that carbon fibre produces when it breaks. Razor sharp edges.

Aramid fibre would also be really interesting to work with, as it has more give to it than carbon fibre does, however, aramid fibre usually leaves a bit of a fuzzy kind of finish to it. It would take a ton of man hours to get it nice and smooth.

Mike

kevlar would be interesting too...So many options when dealing with synthetics and fibers...

Kevlar is the dupont name for aramid fibre.

It's like Kleenex = Tissue paper.

Mike

*edited to add:
I learned quite a bit about carbon fibre when I was racing. This was many many years ago, and has advanced alot since then. I've since studied fibreglass, carbon fibre, texallium, and aramid fibre because I'm a hockey goalie, and was learning about the process involved in making goalie masks. It's really fun to learn about the different materials involved.