Like the Tennessee Williams play, this is a story of hope and implied promise broken like a little glass unicorn (or in this case a really big piece of tempered glass which is not actually “broken” but might as well be.)

We ordered the glass to go in front of the monitor. Beautiful smoked 1/4″ thick tempered glass goodness. It took a few days for it to be ready as they have to special order tempered smoked glass.

We waited in anticipation.

We got the call that it had arrived.

Went and picked it up and brought it home. Giddy with the heady intoxication of the coming satisfaction of seeing our beloved games enhanced by the pixelated light shining through the smoky glass. We sarted to fit it into place and were surprised to find that it would not fit.

You may recall that the inside width of the cabinet is 27.000″ ± 0.001. The monitor frame is aluminum angle welded into a frame and then milled on a CNC vertical mill to EXACTLY 27″.

So….when we went to order the glass we were very clear about the fact that the glass HAD to be LESS than 27″. We explained the fact that the space was EXACTLY 27″ and if the glass was even a thousandth over it wouldn’t fit. They said “no problem”, and told us to order 26 15/16″ because the tolerance was ± 1/16″ but was usually dead on. We believed. We trusted. We did what they said to do.

Turns out the glass is very close to 27″ (not very close to 26 15/16) but it has to be slightly over 27 or it would fit. So back to the glass place we go. “It’s too big” we say. They measure it with an old tape measure. “It’s 27” they say. “Well, it has to be a few thousands over or it would fit” we say. “We don’t deal with thousandths” they say. “It was supposed to be under 27” we say. “Well, the allowance is 1/16 and it isn’t more than a 1/16 over” they say. “It actually IS more than a 1/16 over 26 15/16 or it would fit” we say. “Well, it measures 27” they say. “It measures ABOUT 27 on your TAPE MEASURE, but it has to be over 27 by a few thousandths or it would fit” we say (a little louder). “We don’t deal with thousandths” they say (again). “It was supposed to be under 27” we say. “Well, the allowance is 1/16 and it isn’t more than a 1/16 over” they say. “if it were a 1/16″ over 27 we could replace it for you.” they say.

No joy. Apparently the “tolerance” is more like 1/8″. So we will have to get another piece of glass. We won’t be getting it from that glass place.