An old mason in Baltimore pointed out my brush angle, total game changer

I sweep chimneys full time and always thought I had the technique down. Last fall a retired mason watched me work on a row home in Fells Point and said my rods were pitched too steep. He showed me to keep the brush nearly level with the flue walls and let the weight do the work instead of pushing up hard. First couple sweeps after that came out way cleaner, less soot dust in the room too. Has anyone else gotten advice from an older guy that made you question your whole setup?

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emma_young7d ago

Ran into something similar with my grandfather's old carpenter friend up in Vermont. He watched me hang a door and just shook his head, then showed me how he checks the reveal with his fingertips instead of a tape measure every time. Felt backwards at first but now I barely touch a level on interior stuff. Funny how those guys have tricks that look sloppy but somehow they've been doing it forty years without a complaint. I still catch myself holding a pencil behind my ear like he did, though I have no idea why it helps.