Ash in the corners...

[McLane]

Originally Posted by james

You should only use a soft metal brush to clean your oven floor without scratching -- look for copper/brass. A stiff brush, like the ones you use to clean a grill, will scratch and wear down your floor over time. And plastic will melt! You will be cleaning your oven floor when it is 800ºF+.

James

That only makes sense. The welding brushes are for cleaning up metal, and would scratch the bricks, which as you point out would be counterproductive in the longevity category.

[TDVT]

As I recall, at Frank Pepe's in New Haven they use a vacuum periodically (burnt cornmeal?), to clean the floor of their big coal-fired oven.

[Xabia Jim]

I worry about coals in a vacuum....always have when sucking up ash.

And on the burnt cornmeal....had that problem with the last pizzas, should have used the hearth broom more between batches!

I picture a round brush but it's got cone shaped bristles on the end. I know I've seen one that had stiff bristles, but I don't know what it was made of or used for...I'll keep looking.

[McLane]

No need to reinvent the wheel. There's a copper brush with a long aluminum handle for sale in the Forno Bravo store.

He seems to have everything else, why not a copper brush!!