Tbh, a job at a 1920s farmhouse outside of Salem last fall completely changed how I handle old flue tiles.

I was cleaning the main chimney and found the original clay tiles were basically dust held together by soot. My usual rods and brushes just started punching through. The homeowner's dad, who was watching, said his grandfather used to soak the whole flue with a garden hose sprayer attachment for an hour before sweeping. Sounded crazy, but we tried it with a gentle mist. The soot turned to mud and came off in sheets with a soft poly brush, zero damage. Now I carry a pump sprayer on every pre-1940s call. Anyone else have a weird old-timer trick for fragile historic liners?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_martinez2mo ago

Why do so many old fixes work better than new tools?

sandraflores2mo ago

Totally get what you mean @uma_martinez lol. My grandpa's old hand plane still works better than my electric sander on some jobs.

daniel4702mo ago

Tell me about it, my dad's old cast iron skillet cooks eggs better than any non-stick pan I've bought new. They just built things to last back then, no planned obsolescence. Sandraflores is right about that hand plane, it's like the tool just becomes part of the job after a while. New stuff feels cheap and breaks if you look at it wrong.