Public Service Announcement - How to Crack a Large Beckett Slab
 

The big ones are 13 inches x 10 inches x 3/4 inch.

My tin snips were to small to crack a corner.

A large locking pipe wrench would be ideal, but I didn't have one.

The pipe wrench is angled, so when gripping the slab at the flip end, the angle of the grips is not in the plane of the slab.

Then place the tightly gripped slab on the concrete garage floor so that the grips and the opposite edge of the slab as in contact with the floor. If you cannot bend over to perform this step a locking wrench will be necessary.

Take a deep breath and then step on the raised corner where the pipe wrench is gripping the slab.

Once you hear a loud cracking sound, release the pressure with you foot.

In my case the flip fell out immediately. The tin snips or whatever you for smaller slabs can then be used to crack the front and back of the case near the top. This step is best performed in a garbage can as the plastic fragments and can fly in all directions. With the top of the slab pointing downward, no fragments flew up out of the trash can. Continue to the opposite side and then the mylar sleeve and the card or whatever should slide out easily without damage.

A long screwdriver to pry open the slab once the corner is fractured might work, but I think with the large holder that the risk of damage to the contents might be higher with the inability to control lengthy cracking over the surface of the card or whatever.

If I had another slab to crack, I would make a youtube video, but alas I do not.

Happy Cracking

You really need a small bandsaw... it's so much easier. *

No, I haven't cracked any, but I have been doing some prototyping work in plastics and the bandsaw is a huge help.

Thanks for the write up, Frank. Not sure I have done a large one but the small BVG (Beckett) ones are very tough themselves. I would try a hammer and flathead screwdriver to start with. I might have some really large bolt cutters that would work too.

I’m sure a bandsaw would work well, but that would require both the saw and electricity.:eek:

I even tried solar leaving the slab outside in the midday sun for a couple of hours. Didn't work.

Benefit
 

I am the beneficiary of Frank's latest surgery.
When he suggested that the slab could be removed prior to shipping some Old Turkey...well I took him up on the offer.

I explained that I may need a surgeon if I attempted this. He, of course, checked my lowly insurance coverage, and decided to try it himself.

His efforts are greatly appreciated. Other buyers may have to do this work themselves.:D

Thanks Frank for sharing your technique and for the random haggling we did LOL:p

This video does not address the problems encountered with a large Beckett slab

Do you have a pic of what you are trying to crack out?

I had a Quaker Oats box with cards on the back in one of the large slabs and some larger wire cutters would work just fine on it.

Look at the OP and I was very successful.:p

Or you could just mail it to yourself in a padded envelope and let the USPS do its usual thing...it'll come back with at least one corner busted open.

Indeed, but the purpose of cracking the BVG 1 slab was to avoid incurring the increased cost of shipping it.:D