A really good sponge

[james]

I couldn't find my big sponge, so I tried to clean by bricks with a small sponge. Wrong. I needed bricks, so I picked up another large construction grade sponge ($2) at Home Depot, and what a big difference it makes.

Get a good sponge. :-)

James

[nissanneill]

Hi James.
Your oven repairs are looking good. i can see why you are trying to salvage the oven, certainly worthy of a few dollars and a couple of days.
A good scrubbing brush or stiff yard broom also does a good job in cleaning off surplus mortar, but care required to prevent scouring out the mortar in the joints. Better for absorbent bricks but the sponge is better for smoother, sealed bricks.

Neill