30-10-11, 01:35 AM
You will NEVER hammer it flat if its cast end of... best you could try is to sit a firebrick in the ash box with the sag of the grate resting on it then try your thermonuclear antics again hoping that the outside sags a bit...then stop using coal....sounds as though its either a cheapo stove or a woodburner....our woodburning cooker was destroyed by a previous owner of the house burning coal and melting the firebox
The Frying Scotsman