I’d like to make a smallish sized pot for small backyard fires. Something that i could put a few charcoal briquettes in and make s’mores. Would I need to make that out of a special type of clay? My experience on clay is just that I took the intro class 
I thought this would be an okay first project. I’m just not sure what kind of clay to get. It would probably have to handle up to maybe 500 degrees.
Thanks!
According to the ever-reliable folks who contribute to Wikipedia, charcoal burns at over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit…
Well, there are chimineas. Those sort of look like they’re terra-cotta, which is a low-fire clay. Low-fire clays don’t start to melt until over 2000F… Still, one does wonder about the thermal shock that ceramics are prone too. If the fire is a gradual thing, then there shouldn’t be any shock…
Chimineas are supposed to be used with a layer of sand in the bottom. This both protects the ceramic from direct heat of the coals, and buffers the thermal shock.
Aha! That makes huge sense. I haven’t felt like sitting on a back porch since I first spotted chimineas in grocery stores, so I haven’t looked into the particulars.
Oh yeah, you are totally right. I didn’t realize they got that hot, that’s crazy, thanks!
I didn’t realize that. I never owned one before. That is really good to know. I’m seeing some stuff online where they are putting rocks in between the coals and the pot, I imagine that is to protect the pot. Great point, than you!