Introduction: Kill All Data on a CD/DVD in 5 Seconds or Less.

About: ***Look for new video's and Instructable on the 2nd and last Tuesday's of every month.***

Kill All Data on a CD/DVD in 5 seconds or less.

Why would you want to do this:
++Destroy old backups of a few years
++Remember you burned the special bedroom time to DVD
++Your Ex wants the CD/DVD's back.
++FUN WITH AOL DISK!!!! LOL

Step 1: What You Need:

1. Small paper cup.
2. A old working microwave. Sometimes you can get it for free on Freecycle or Craiglst.
3. A place to pug the microwave OUTSIDE or GARAGE

****NOTE****
DO NOT DO THIS IN YOUR HOME
DO NOT USE THE SAME MICROWAVE TO COOK IN

4. The CD/DVD's you wish to destroy.

Step 2: What to Do:

1 Place CD/DVD on a small paper cup in the center of the microwave.
2 Turn out the room lights for best visual effects.
3 Caution! be ready to stop the oven when the CD/DVD starts to smoke. The smoke smells bad, and is bad for you.
4 Set the microwave on high for 3 to 5 seconds. (My microwave works best at 4 sec)
5 Watch the pretty blue light show.
6 Turn on the room lights.

Caution! the CD/DVD will be HOT!!!!

P.S. they make cool wind spinners (keep birds away) or coasters.


Step 3: How It Works

The Science
The aluminum layer in a CD/DVD is very thin. The microwave oven induces large currents in the aluminum. This makes enough heat to vaporize the aluminum. You then see a very small lightning storm as electric arcs go through the vaporized aluminum. Within a few seconds there will be many paths etched through the aluminum, leaving behind little metalic islands. Some of the islands will be shaped so that they make very good microwave antennas. These spots will focus the microwave energy, and get very hot. Now you will see just a few bright spots spewing a lot of smoke. The good part of the light show is over, turn off the microwave.

I suspect that if you leave the microwave going much longer, the CD/DVD will burst into flame. This will smell very bad and may do bad things to your microwave and house. Don't do it.