I dunno if this is the right thread to post this in, but it's a potential side earner with little overhead costs.
First it starts when I was 12, that's a while ago... I broke a small window at home when a stepping stool I was getting off slid & it's leg slid into the glass panel on a door.
Dad said "You broke it. You fix it". Wise words.
So I had to ask him how, to pick the putty out with a shield, the little metal stars were in the putty (why?) "To hold the glass in place before puttying"
Then find a panel of glass, then figure out how to cut it.
Fit, space, nail, putty, smooth & paint it..
So I did all that, not bad for a first timer (untill I saw it again years later.. ouch)
But since then I have cut & fixed a few windows with that knowledge.
Lately, because I fixed a person's window after I mentioned "I can fix that"
I have been asked to fix a bunch of people's windows, about 7. Normally front door windows ( lol )
I have just used glass I cut from pieces I got from old window frames, free windows, the woods good for firewood.
I have never got cut, I think that's due to ingrained safety sense. Others seem to do something stupid in 7 seconds given the chance... But I never force anything & work 'with it, not against it'.
Now the last 2 panes, they were quoted NZ$140+ to fix.
(Ok, I have not been paid for it , but I got $20 for one pane elsewhere. Rippled glass, it looked even better than the broken original glass, my ripples were vertical & went with the wood panelling around the door)
But, I just realised, for near no expenses (putty & petrol) I can fix smallish broken windows, even for a small fee of say $20+ a pane, it's some side money. It' sorta just happened since this one person started saying "I know somebody who can fix that". ( Yeh, Me!)
Then he put a $ figure on it..
Uh huh, there's $$ involved now.
I tried using the Chinese glass cutter, with a sharpened diamond point in it. Don't.. They are useless.
You have to use the sort with the tiny wheel on it & the clear plastic handle with oil inside it.
I'm guessing YouTube would show you anything else you need to know.
I use safety glasses all of the time, and no force either. Put down a old sheet to catch paint/wood chips/glass fragments & putty.. Putty sticks to everything, it's easy to miss, stand on a bit & you leave some with every footprint.
But it washes off tools & hands easy with warm soapy water.
I also found that ( I love angle grinders ) a 4 1/2 inch grinder with a cut off disc in it is the best tool for removing old putty. It does not damage the wooden frame & makes a nice smooth sharp edge. Less force, but more dust & noise. And a lot quicker.
So, if interested. YouTube it. Practise on your own house or such first. Learn exactly how to 'Cut' glass. (It's easy once to get the idea of it) I spray some CRC ( WD40 ) on the line before I cut, so it gets into the crack & holds it open. There's a knack to it.
I use some fine sandpaper to take the sharp edges off.
I got some smaller panes of microwave oven doors, and last week some thicker plate glass from a entertainment system cabinet door. Even easier to cut & solid too. I first wondered if it was safety glass because the edges were smooth, rounded. But it was normal glass. Safety glass near explodes if you cut or break it.
If I was getting money for it I would get some spray paint to finish the job off too.
But, hopefully this is helpful. If not your sort of thing, maybe a good read instead. Maybe insightfull.
On the other hand, a home fixit can develop into a few $$, help others out, maybe even the start of a job.
One thing I have noticed, teach a kid a skill & 5 years later it's often their occupation.
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