Try heating the nut first next time. A little heat from a torch breaks the salt bond way faster than any oil.

Honestly, I felt the exact same way about cash for gas money. Swiping a card at the pump felt like nothing, but handing over actual bills made me wince. I started doing it last year and it totally cut down on my extra little drives for no reason. Tbh, watching that envelope get thin by the third week was a real wake-up call.

Come on, that spacer is overkill. Modern tempered glass is built to handle way more stress than people give it credit for. I've done tons of installs here without any special gap and never had a single crack.