Honestly, the running over seems like a good idea. Unless you cut a tire. I would opt for the localized sledge hammer treatment. Localized hits with a 12 pnd sledge will do a lot of damage. Just my 2 cents.
You'd probably end up with an even bigger mess, and one even more difficult to get the coins out. As noted in the link that Kentucky posted, and in plenty of other links as well if you care to look it up, acrylic begins to melt at 320 degrees F. Not hard at all to reach in a fire. You'll also find out that acrylic doesn't actually begin to burn until it reaches around 900 degrees F - and it would take one heck of a fire to reach that. And even if you could do it, you'd have to wait until it all burned away before you could do anything with the coins. The problem with trying to burn it, and or burn the wood away from it, is that when the acrylic melts, you might end up with some and maybe a lot of the coins becoming completely encased in the melting acrylic. And then what do ya do ?
Yes it is. Look at the pics posted by the OP, you can clearly see that the acrylic popped right off the top of the coins where it broke. Yes it is. Heat guns can reach 900-1000 degrees F, acrylic begins to melt at 320 F. But it softens well before it reaches that temp. Look it up - I did before I posted.
You'd have to break it into pieces, have a tight fire such as in a "rocket stove" type setup prob built with bricks, steel mesh above the flames, and then it would all melt down into the fire while leaving the coins further up .. a tad charred though. Or it might not work at all. that's one perplexing problem. It's like those coins in those toilet lids/seats. And people who make entire floors out of coins using acrylic. yikes.
You could have driven a truck over a panel lying flat on an evenly distribution surface, as compacted soil. I suggest you remove 2 blocks from each side of support system which will reduce the horizontal vector, after sawing each length side at the middle (~1 inch in from panel edge on each side). Sawing the side frame on the coin vision side at the length center where you've made the 1 inch cuts will help reduce frame strength. The panel needs to be turned over so the coins are facing down when applying the force to the diagonal surface. I apologize for what appears to be my poor suggestion. THE "BREAKING FORCE" MUST BE APPLIED AT THE PANEL CENTER WHEN IT IS ANGLED!! A simple/safe solution is to use a 1 block height support for the diagonal panel, and drive over with a tire at the length center which should be, if panel is installed as suggested, having a 1" gap under the believed ~32 inch long panel. Rather be safe than sorry, as we're talking a considerable amount of energy. Please apply the OSHA safety suggestion. JMHO
Flip it over so the coins face down. Run it thru a planer a few times removing a decent amount of the wooden structural support. Do it enough times without the planer blades going into the acrylic, only the wood. This will give you a good starting point to get to work on the acrylic.
Let us know what you're hourly rate ends up being. Just sounds like a huge hassle, especially if you you have trouble separating the acrylic from the coin surfaces. Also, I think if you try heating the mess, you're just going to end up with organic residue stuck to the coins (just speculation). Best of luck. Looks like you'll need it
I get it. At this point it becomes a mission and the coins WILL be removed from the acrylic……. I will likely meet my maker when someone suggests a difficult task that I can’t possibly accomplish….. “Oh yeah, watch” will likely be my famous last words!
I definitely underestimated the amount of force that would’ve been needed to break the boards. I assumed that after 10-15 bricks, that I would have achieved the amount of force needed. The board is indeed angled, it just doesn’t show that way. Brilliant idea. I had access to a planar before I moved, but now I do not. So I’ll have to go another route. 100% this. These coins are coming out one way or another, haha!
'bout $90 .. hopefully with a warranty. I thought he had a Monster Truck with those Monster Truck tires !!
I read somewhere if you freeze it ( in a deep freezer for a few days) the acrylic becomes very brittle. Try it with a small section, let us know the results.
If the tire was properly inflated as it appears, I would bet the tire hadn't been damaged! Is that correct?
I had a similar situation with a coffee table shadow box that had agates in it. What some have mentioned already in this thread will work, but it's dangerous. Put on plenty of PPE and start whacking the heck out of it with a hammer.
I'd forgotten, but I believe that's what I did when I was experimenting -- freeze, then smash. Again, you get dangerously sharp shrapnel, and I got bent coins.