I hope to turn a cast alum. grill into a coal forge. has place for air. I think I need to insulate alum sides,bottom.

I have red clay here&creek sand, yellow clay, wet gumbo mud. What would work best?? Sand easiest I think.

On wheels & will be mobile. 

Thanks, 

You want to know if you can use a 1221°F container to hold a 3,500°F fire?  Yes, No, Maybe.

Reference: Melting point of Aluminium is 660°C (1,221°F).  Steel often melts at around 1370 degrees C (2500°F). According to "Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers", 10th, coal gas burns at about 3,590°F (1,977°C) under 100% air conditions. More or less air will decrease the temperature. This means that the maximum temperature of a coal fire in a forge is about 3,500°F (1,927°C). 

Have you looked at the JABOD Forge or the 55 Forge? 

 

A mix of about 1/3 pure clay to 2/3 sand. Put some gumbo clay in a jar with water and shake it up. When the mud settles out their will be a layer of sand, then silt and lastly clay. From their estimate how much sand to ad. Strait clay works but tempering it really helps for wood I find 2” of adobe protects it from burning, and as the flash point of wood is only about  1/2 the melting point of aluminum you should be fine. One can build either a simple bottom blast or a sideblast, the aluminum grill is just the box holding the hole in the ground

 

Mopar, Have you read this thread?

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53873-read-this-first/

 

I looked at the "55" forge& read other

Suggested post. UNLIMITED yellow

& red clay&creek sand.i think it

Will  line alum.grill with several

Inches of packed&moulded clay..

I will fill temper it with a few wood

Fires&see what happens.lots of

JUNK sweet gum,pine,oak for

Free. Thanks

I lined my BBQ grill with sand and red clay from the yard. I recently added in some hard firebricks just to give it something a bit harder, hopefully it stays together a bit better. Here is the thread on mine.