Old timer in Boise told me my brush technique was too rough

Back in 2019, I was working a job in the North End and this retired sweep, Frank, watched me for a minute. He said, 'Kid, you're whippin' that rod like you're mad at it. You'll wear out the flue liner.' I started using slower, steadier strokes and my brushes last twice as long now. Anyone else get a piece of advice that totally changed your method?

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3 Comments

grayw326mo ago

Yeah, that's a good one. I mean, it makes total sense when you hear it, but you just don't think about it when you're in the rhythm of the work. So what did that slower stroke actually feel like at first? Was it hard to break the habit of going fast, like did it feel like you weren't getting as much done?

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morgan.joseph6mo ago

Nah, speed still gets it done better.

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samf956mo ago

Frank was right on the money. It felt weirdly slow at first, like I was wasting time. I had to focus on letting the brush do the work with its own weight, not my arm. The soot actually comes off cleaner with less dust flying around, too.

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