how to make a synthetic diamond

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How to Make a Synthetic Diamondby mrcrumley on March 30, 2009 Table of Contents intro: How to Make a Synthetic Diamond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Prepare the Olive Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Transfer Oil to the Graphite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Setup (i.e. clean) the Microwave Oven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Remove the Thread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 6: Set the Graphite on the "Crucible" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 7: Place "Crucible" in Microwave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 8: Start the Microwave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 9: Admire the Finished Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 10: Make it into a Keepsake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 8 9

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http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_Make_a_Synthetic_Diamond/

intro: How to Make a Synthetic DiamondMy 10-year Wedding Anniversary is coming up so I thought I'd make my wife something special. A few months back I'd seen a show on TV where they demonstrated how companies were now making "cultured" diamonds in the lab. There are a few different methods, but the simplest is something called "chemical vapor distillation". The process is pretty straightforward. Basically, microwaves are used to create a slurry of graphite plasma which, when rapidly cooled form a crystal structure. I checked around on the internet and found several sites where others have been doing the same thing. The best part was that everything I'd need were pretty common household items. So, I rounded up the necessary supplies and began imagining how great life would be once I'd cornered the international diamond market.

step 1: MaterialsHere's the surprisingly short list of materials I used: A standard home microwave oven 2 coffee mugs 3 pieces of 3mm graphite pencil lead A few drops of extra virgin olive oil A 5" piece of 100% cotton thread The hardest item to find was the 100% cotton thread. It's amazing how scarce that stuff is. After searching through all of our sewing notions, I finally found some black thread that I think my mom bought back in the 70's.

Image Notes 1. Hard-to-find thread. Basically, if it's shinny, it's probably NOT 100% cotton.


step 2: Prepare the Olive OilAs I mentioned above, the theory behind this project is using microwaves to heat the graphite into a plasma. In general, pencil graphite is not reactive enough to microwaves. So, a thin oil is used to concentrate the heat in a specific area of the graphite. Also, as the oil heats up and begins to burn, it chemically separates the binder in the pencil lead from the graphite. Place a few drops of olive oil onto a plate and lay the thread in the oil. The thread will absorb some of the oil.

step 3: Transfer Oil to the GraphiteLift the oily thread and tie a knot in it. Don't pull the knot all-the-way closed! Carefully slip a piece of graphite through the knot loop and lay both the thread and graphite on a plate. I used two halves of a toothpick to keep the graphite suspended above the plate. This helps keep the oil confined to a single spot on the graphite. Pull both ends of the thread until the knot has closed around the graphite. Wait about 30 minutes for the oil to soak into the graphite.


step 4: Setup (i.e. clean) the Microwave OvenI didn't really tell my wife what I was up to. (It is, after all, a surprise.) But when she saw that it involved our microwave, her response was, "please don't burn the house down." I assured her it wouldn't, and that I'd need to clean the microwave before my "experiment." This ended her objections. So, while the oil was soaking into the graphite, I cleaned the microwave. The sites I'd read from others folks doing this insisted that a clean microwave would yield better results. Maybe, maybe not, but it sure looks better.

step 5: Remove the ThreadClip off part of the thread as close to graphite as possible. Then, gently tug on the other end of the thread and pull the knot undone. Try not to slide the thread up-and-down the graphite. Remember, it's important to keep the oil concentrated in one spot.


step 6: Set the Graphite on the "Crucible"Here's the ingenious part of the project. Turn one of the coffee mugs upside-down. (I used a slightly larger one as the base.) Set 2 more pieces of graphite (non-oiled) on the upturned mug, parallel to each other. Lay the oiled graphite across the other 2 pieces. Place the other coffee mug over all of it. Presto! It's a makeshift crucible!


step 7: Place "Crucible" in MicrowavePlace the stacked mugs into the microwave. In my setup, the large bottom mug required that I remove the glass tray.


step 8: Start the MicrowaveSet the microwave for its maximum cook time at the maximum power setting. In my case, that was 99 minutes and 99 seconds - which turned out to be long enough. Be advised: the microwave will spark a bit where the oil has soaked into the graphite. This is normal as the oil is bonding with the binder in the pencil lead. It should stop sparking after a few minutes. After the microwave is done, let the mugs cool completely before removing them. Remember, if done correctly, you've generated 1,200+ degrees inside the crucible. Be safe.

Image Notes 1. One of the commenters asked about the wattage, so I thought I'd post my microwave's info. I find it interesting that it uses 1480W but only outputs 1000W. Where does the missing 480W go?


step 9: Admire the Finished ProductAfter the mugs have completely cooled, remove them from the microwave. The oiled graphite will be broken. The others should largely be intact. You'll also find a small lump, slightly larger than a grain of sand where the oiled section was placed. Congratulations! This is the product of your labors, a genuine diamond. I took the raw diamond to a jeweler I know and had her test it. She confirmed that underneath the scale material, there's a tiny bit of diamond material. She said that its quality was pretty poor, but it did fluoresce like a "real" diamond. Now, admittedly, this homemade synthetic diamond is too small and too filled with inclusions to make into jewelry. But, it technically qualifies as a diamond... and I made it, so that's pretty cool.

step 10: Make it into a KeepsakeObviously, this falls a bit short of what we think of when we hear "diamond". But, after posting the original article, I came up with a pretty cool way to preserve my achievement. I filled a small washer with clear epoxy and dropped my diamond into it. After it hardened, I strung it on a chain to make a diamond necklace. My wife was impressed. After all, how many women can wear a diamond that their husband actually MADE?

Image Notes 1. This is probably the piece with the diamond material. 2. ... but this could be it... 3. ... or this could be it. 4. ... I'm pretty sure this isn't it...


Image Notes 1. The jeweler gave me back all the graphite, scale, slag, etc. along with the diamond material. I THINK this is the piece with the diamond.

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Comments50 comments Add Comment view all 178 comments

mrcrumley says:

Apr 1, 2009. 10:09 PM REPLY OK, I admit it: This WAS an April Fool's Day prank. In fact, it's the basis for my entry into the Instructables' April Fools Contest, " How to Prank the Instructables Community". I appreciate all the comments. To those who weren't fooled, bravo. And to those who were, take comfort that you made a great contribution to this effort. Thanks.

Plasmana says:Some of the missing 480W went into the fan and the turntable motor...

May 27, 2009. 9:35 AM REPLY

mrcrumley says:... and the government eavesdropping equipment? Don't forget that.

May 27, 2009. 10:10 AM REPLY

Plasmana says:

May 29, 2009. 1:15 PM REPLY Oh yeah, I forgot about that, I had also heard reports that they are spy transmitters found in electronics like VCR's, stereos, computers, ect. So watch out people!I need to make a transmitter senor... -_-

froggyman says:

May 3, 2009. 3:02 PM REPLY hey, i just tried this with my microwave, and i am positive that i followed all of your instructions precisely but after like 50 minutes my microwave just stoped working and then smoked. Now, all i have is some melted graphite with out any traces of a diamond like piece/particle along with a broken microwave. Do you have any idea what i did wrong, i mean i did use the 100% cotton thread (which wasnt cheap) and the extravirgin olive oil PLEASE HELP

mrcrumley says:"...just stoped working and then smoked." I think the problem is you've got one of those dirty, hippie microwaves

May 3, 2009. 4:13 PM REPLY

tcase says:

May 5, 2009. 11:18 AM REPLY Im not going to say this isnt funny, but, this is the first time Ive read it, and someone actually tried this... destroyed their microwave, and spent money they may have not had, in hopes to make a diamond. Now, I would say you owe someone a new microwave.... lol... Next time, you may want to add, " Please do not try this at home.", Or, "This instructable is so complicated, please contact me before ever attempting.", this way you can say, hey, its a joke, dont do it and destroy your stuff.... BY THE WAY, GREAT INSTRUCTABLE ! THUMBS UP ! !

mrcrumley says:

May 5, 2009. 12:11 PM REPLY Umm... You do realize that your belief that froggyman ruined his microwave is solely based on his CLAIMING it burned up. Be careful, you might be the subject of his future April Fools instructable, "How I tricked a guy into thinking I blew up my microwave."

froggyman says:if you dont believe that my microwave got totaled I took a picture for you yes i did do this outside, because i was aware that something *might* go wrong, fortuanatley nobody got hurt I guess the pressurizing wasnt the greatest idea.... kinda regret attempting this

May 6, 2009. 2:22 PM REPLY


Bradysales says:

May 23, 2009. 11:09 AM REPLY This picture dosent make any sense, Why is the door gone, why is there a window frame underneath it, why did you take the step to put the microwave out side without moving those dry leaves, and why is this same picture on google.

froggyman says:well if you read the other comments you might understand a bit better...

May 23, 2009. 2:31 PM REPLY

tcase says:lol...yea, its called well, we will just leave it with intelligence...lol

May 23, 2009. 3:10 PM REPLY

mrcrumley says:No offense, but I'm still skeptical. Remember, I have photos showing how I made a "diamond".

May 7, 2009. 6:57 AM REPLY

Also, the fire department in West Seattle might want to talk to you about a house fire your microwave might have been involved in,

froggyman says:LOL, yeah you caught me... and were right about being skeptical

May 7, 2009. 1:02 PM REPLY

question for you though: How on earth did you find that picture? I even made sure to clear all tags from it after I downloaded it, to re upload it. You were actaully right in the first to think that I didnt actually attempt this and now I will have to make that instructable about How i (almost) tricked a guy into thinking I blew up my microwave In other words, all of what I said was made up, and I just wanted to see how many people I could get into believing me (unfortuantly it wasnt many) but, after all it was an April Fools instructables.

tcase says:lol.... kills me I will never trust anyone again....lol Im going to go talk to my wife about our microwave...... lol

May 7, 2009. 2:08 PM REPLY

mrcrumley says:The internet and I are like "this." We talk a lot.

May 7, 2009. 1:57 PM REPLY

froggyman says:

May 7, 2009. 2:09 PM REPLY seriuosly though? how on earth did you that picture? do you know of a reverse picture search engine or what? or do you live in west seatle and have seen that picture before?

mrcrumley says:I did an image search on "microwave" "burn"; found it on page 10.

May 7, 2009. 11:42 PM REPLY

tcase says:

May 7, 2009. 3:55 PM REPLY Well, some people seam to just know these things......Maybe its called just being skeptical, like mrcrumley said...... everything comes around in the end, even if they were sure the picture was on the net or not....lol


tcase says:

May 7, 2009. 9:30 AM REPLY lol, Im actually sure the're could be a way to do it, but technology hasnt reached it yet.. as long as your microwave could produce some sort of pressure like apressure cooker, and go from their, it may be possible. If you could combine a pressure cooker, and a microwave, ?? could it be possible???... now, you need to quit, my wife has enough lil projects around the house that is just laying there from things Ive tried from instructables...lol

tcase says:

May 7, 2009. 4:06 AM REPLY Well, technically speaking, when you read something on the internet, you should be skeptical anyhow. I would have bought a used microwave before attempting this in the first place. My wife would have killed me even if it did work. My father in law and I were going to try it ourselves, and the idea of cleaing the one we use for coffee, and heating things up, just didnt sound like fun.... ( my wife likes it when we clean something, and we didnt want that to happen, didnt want her to think we would do it all the time...lol), sorry bout your micro dude, but from now on, if something calls for something you use all the time, try to get another used one to use, then try it...

tcase says:

May 6, 2009. 3:42 AM REPLY lol, Ok, we can leave it at that.... lol I think what I like the most about yours, was it was simple, enlightening, and enjoyable. You even did your research. But the only problem is, you have to have a high pressure, high temperature press to create a synthetic diamond. and there are 2 ways of doing it. one is chemical, which uses micro-waves, and the other I cant remember right now. I had to search it up myself just to make sure...lol.. You got me and my father in law on this too until I read more. My father in law wanted to go out and buy a couple micro-waves so we didnt mess up my wifes....lol.. I havent told him yet that it was joke, maybe I will ride it out for awhile.....lol

froggyman says:

May 6, 2009. 2:14 PM REPLY yeah i modded my microwave a bit to take in for the fact that it needs pressure to actually form the diamond(i thought the author just forgot to put that step in) What i did was seal it to make sure it was air tight, then i added a house to the inside that had one of those plugs to be connected to an air compressor, after that i realized that i would want to get a pressure valve in there so i could see what the pressure was. After that i got the setup put in the microwave, double and triple checked to make sure the air leaks were minimal/non existant. Then i hooked it up to my air compressor and turned on the microwave. The pressure maxed at around 300 psi. as that is as much pressure as my air compressor can output. This was also a brand new microwave(1700 watt one to be sure it would be able to get to high enough temperatures and I didnt want to cheap out on the it), so i dont think it would one of those "dirty hippy microwaves.

porcupinemamma says:

May 14, 2009. 11:30 PM REPLY I am soooo gulable and was soooooo disappointed that this was a joke. I truly thought I would be abe to make a synthetic diamond. I carefully followed your instructable. I never grasped the world of science or math (alas) so I never caught on that this was a joke- sigh I can however teach you how to make some cool balloon animals :0)

mrcrumley says:Do they involve microwaves? 'Cause that would open up a whole new "species" of balloon animals.

May 14, 2009. 11:41 PM REPLY

porcupinemamma says:Lol! ;0) What about some kind of an LED embedded balloon creature-Ruldolph's nose per say? LOL

May 15, 2009. 2:08 PM REPLY

MozonTheGreat says:My microwave Blew Up :-/

May 13, 2009. 10:40 AM REPLY

mrcrumley says:"Blew up"... Like, in size? OK. Well, congratulations on your new, larger microwave!

May 13, 2009. 11:20 AM REPLY

i make shooting things says:i knew i should have patented this when i had the chance. Damn you Mr.Crumley

May 10, 2009. 9:16 PM REPLY

bowmaster says:The missing 480 watts goes to power the computer.

Apr 29, 2009. 1:49 PM REPLY


mrcrumley says:That's just what government wants us to believe. I think the truth is much more sinister.

Apr 29, 2009. 9:00 PM REPLY

bowmaster says:It goes to power the mind control wave generator.

May 3, 2009. 8:40 PM REPLY

mrcrumley says:Now, THAT is much more plausible.

May 5, 2009. 12:12 PM REPLY

bowmaster says:

May 5, 2009. 3:14 PM REPLY I took apart a microwave and extracted the mind control wave generator and hooked it up to my computer. I am currently writing a bit (read: tons) of code so I can use it.

XOIIO says:best april fools joke i have seen

May 3, 2009. 2:01 PM REPLY

xilefakamot says:I feel AMAZINGLY gullible right now... Then again I'll believe anything.

Apr 29, 2009. 1:03 PM REPLY

The embarrassing thing was that I told everyone about this before I saw it was an April Fool's! It was a good laugh though (at my expense).

mrcrumley says:

Apr 29, 2009. 1:15 PM REPLY Wow, that's a shame. Um... on the bright side, you could always try to discover a way to ACTUALLY make diamonds in the microwave before April Fool's Day next year (a bunch of folks insist it's possible, even after finding out it was a prank). Then, you'd have the last laugh.

imshanedulong says:go to this!

Apr 27, 2009. 12:59 PM REPLY

itsalladream says:I guess a dirty microwave could introduce impurities. ;)

Apr 26, 2009. 7:45 PM REPLY

mrcrumley says:Yes. But the main advantage to a clean one is that your wife will have less objections.

Apr 27, 2009. 12:48 PM REPLY

actsofsubterfuge says:Awesome instructable! Seriously. That's amazing. A few questions/thoughts:

Apr 3, 2009. 11:04 PM REPLY

1. Why extra virgin olive oil? Was this just what you had available or is there something preferable about it? 2. Would a bigger piece of graphite yield a better/larger result? I know they make very thick pencil lead for certain drafting pencils. Maybe powdered graphite would work (with a dollop of oil, naturally)? 3. Any idea how to remove the scale? maybe a rock tumbler with incredibly fine grit? Again, awesome job. I can't believe how simple and ingenious this process is. I can't wait to try this out.

mrcrumley says:Um.... I addressed a bunch of those questions in my follow-up post, "How to Prank the Instructables Community."

Apr 4, 2009. 6:10 AM REPLY

actsofsubterfuge says:Wow...... really? But... I already took out a second mortgage to start my microwave-oven synthetic diamond business.... smallbusinessfail.

Apr 8, 2009. 9:06 AM REPLY


mrcrumley says:You should apply for stimulus money as a carbon offset provider.

Apr 8, 2009. 11:13 AM REPLY

cd41 says:Obama would do it...

Apr 25, 2009. 10:45 AM REPLY

=SMART= says:Haha, you got him good !!

Apr 7, 2009. 5:41 AM REPLY

markvid says:the missing 480W is wasted because you can never have a 100% efficiency. ;-)

Apr 1, 2009. 10:33 AM REPLY

cd41 says:How sad, if only we did, then the electricity company would get my money

Apr 25, 2009. 10:41 AM REPLY

drewp84 says:Why not use black mugs? Wouldn't they get hot faster?

Apr 9, 2009. 5:37 AM REPLY

XkidXhavocX says:black only gets hotter than white under light..

Apr 10, 2009. 12:24 PM REPLY

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