A rude awakening

Nials Johannes could hear a rattling sound, it had an ominous tone to it, it went on and on.

Nials hadn't realised he was still asleep.

The sound was permeating everything... it was getting into his dream ... so familiar but ...

It became so intense it shook him out of his sleep and he sat up abruptly.

It appeared that he had some early morning company. There was a large crow, perched on the curtain rail.

It was staring at him intently.... "Claa aa aa aa aa aa"

Nials went to get up, startling the animal...

"Calm down ... it's ok ... be calm ..." he croaked sleepily as the bird flew around the room, crashing into everything

He managed to open a window and the damned thing made a run for it.

How had it gotten in? ... Must've fallen down the chimney or something ...

After getting dressed, he made himself a coffee and sat down to work.

The sound ... the sound had mixed in with what he was dreaming ...

THAT WAS IT!! ... Graphite!!

Graphite. Has. A. Higher. Melting. Point. Than. Diamond.

In the right conditions this might actually work ...

... A graphite mould would be perfect, higher melting point than diamond and ... once cooled, soft enough to break away. But how to heat it to near 4000°C without incinerating everything else in range??? ...

... Simple, cross phase lazers ...

... Still, you could not have that amount of heat directed at carbon in standard atmosphere, any oxidising factor and the whole thing will just burn away, you would need a graphite plinth, inside an enclosure, with a pure inert gas heat sink... Argon would be perfect ...

Nials dialed the parameters into Forge.ai ... et voila

... "i need to call this in to the lab..." he said out loud to himself ...