[Cob] offtopic; clay hot-air popcorn maker?

[Jonathan Walther]

Hi folks, this is a little off-topic, but this seems to be the kind of
place where people know about dealing with clay.

I have been buying organic green coffee beans and roasting them myself
using my hot-air popcorn maker.  Unfortunately, it is melting down, even
when I fill the butter tray with ice cubes.

I would like to take the metal innards and electrical parts out, and
give them a new outer shell, which won't melt.  I would also like the
new shell not to be too heavy, and to be resistant to dropping.

Would it be a bad idea to use clay for this?  I have absolutely no
experience with clay, and very limited budget, but am willing to
experiment.  I've also heard about geopolymers, but because they are
expensive and little known, would like to know about any clay/ceramic
option first.

Are clay and ceramics the same thing?  Is it hard to make a solid
ceramic, similar to the type they used to coat the old cast iron
bathtubs?

Jonathan

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