"Cracking" An ICG Slab - Pics!

I've been meaning to crack this baby out for a while now and finally got around to doing it. I don't know if everything I did was necessary, but I've never cracked a slab and this is the plan I devised.

The primary tool I used is my cordless oscillating tool with a fine-toothed blade. If you don't have one of these, I highly recommend them. Beyond that, I used a clamp, a chisel and a work bench.




Here is what I started with:



Clamped to the table:



First end cut off (the plastic melts a bit):



Now the same for the other end:




After cutting off the remaining sides:



I used a chisel to separate the layers that were slightly melted together. There was little resistance; I don't know why the center cracked like that:



Side view of the layers:



All of the parts with the coin still in the insert:



Taking the coin out of the rubbery insert:



Note how flexible the insert is:



Free at last:



New home:



I hope this helps those who are wondering about slab construction and/or removing coins safely.