: Daveweldz - Viewing Profile

Hi
Please bear with me as I am not informed. Both at work and at home my art form is steel. I was asked develop a pellet fired grill (smoker) for a client. Pretty much all the models on the market are sheet metal. After a far bit of research I'm coming to the conclusion the a ceramic type grill would be a superior product. I just dont konw enough about the subject to decide if this is a really viable approuch. I find myself in completely foreign territory. Again please bear with me.

I'm thinking of basically a standard propane BBQ with the body made of some manner of ceramic material. I'm thinking of a slip. My first question is what type of clay, I started looking at high fired and even refractory type clays. Im thinking this is over kill. The operating temp on a grill like this is in the 500F range maybe 800F max. This is well below any cone temperatures I see on clay bodies out there. So is it safe to say pretty much any clay body will suffice from a temperature stand point?


So if that is the case a more important issue will be strength and toughness for shipping and daily use. Any ideas here would be appreciated.

Insulation and light weight would be another attribute, looking at paper clay, is there a practical limit to how much paper material can be added? From what I can see online about 20% by weight is the limit. Is there another material that could be used as a light weight filler?

Any words of wisdom on producing such a peice in a production type setting owuld be greatly appreciated.