If you’re an iPhone owner, your biggest fear (aside from another price drop) is likely that you will one day drop your precious phone and shatter the screen. If that sounds like you, read on for a cheap way to replace your screen in the event that it does happen.

You’ll need a $3 sheet of 1/32-inch thick plastic, a razorblade, Dremel, scissors, eye protection and some Goo Gone. You just scrape off the broken glass with the razorblade, measure and cut the plastic, black out the parts of the glass that should be black (by either painting it, or using a Sharpie if you’re desperate).

In the end you’ll have a perfectly functional iPhone. If you do a good enough job, the average person won’t notice the difference in passing. Close inspection will obviously give it away though. Don’t forget that plastic is far easier to scratch than the glass they use. The good news is that the touch screen will work without a problem. No matter what, it’s better than dropping $250 for a new screen from Apple. For that money you could almost buy a whole new phone.

Fix a cracked iPhone screen on the cheap [via infiniteloop]