@_mark_
I really did not see a question. I saw venting. And that's fine.
Couple things..youtube. Now the guy that repairs my horns repairs them like a person like you or I can not nor ever will. Goes with the territory. However this gentleman is always willing to show me how he does stuff. And another thing..to fix stuff you need tools. Tools (micrometers, bore gages, granite blocks, etc are not cheap and you need them. I have many hundreds in just these "simple" tools. Sounds like you could not afford them..so why complain.
The other thing. You can not hope to progress beyond a certain level of proficiency without good instruction. Take that to the bank.
But there are avenues out there. You just have to ask.