Update: That trick with the suction cups on a tricky curved glass job

I had a job last month in a fancy downtown office building where they wanted a big, curved piece of laminated glass installed in a reception area. The radius was tight, maybe 18 inches, and the piece was heavy. My usual method with two guys and a lot of grunting just wasn't going to cut it without risking a chip or worse. I remembered an old-timer I worked with in Tampa years ago talking about using multiple small suction cups instead of the big lifters for control on curves. We had a set of those little 3-inch cups in the truck. I placed six of them in a line along the curve's edge, spaced about a foot apart. It let me and my partner walk the glass into place with way more control over the bend, like handling a big, stiff piece of tape. It went in smooth on the first try with zero drama. Has anyone else used a bunch of small cups for control on a bent lite, or do you have a different method for those jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

adams.vera23d ago

Isn't it funny how the best solutions are often about breaking a big problem into smaller, easier pieces? Like when my kid's toy box is a mess, I don't just yell "clean your room." I tell her to just put away the blocks first, then the dolls. Your suction cup trick is the same thing. Instead of fighting the whole big curve at once, you broke the hold into six smaller, easier points of control. It works for organizing a closet and apparently for installing fancy glass too.

white.sandra23d ago

Right? It's like when my closet was a total disaster. I didn't try to fix it all in one go. I just told myself to only deal with the shoes that day. Next day, just the jackets. Suddenly it wasn't this huge scary thing anymore. Breaking it down is the only way I get anything done.

hannah_wright3d ago

Find it works best when the small tasks feel like a real win. Like finishing just the shoes makes you want to tackle the jackets next day. What's a chore you still avoid because it feels too big?