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best alternative to wire brush?

FanOfFanboys
FanOfFanboys Posts: 2,620
in EggHead Forum
so I need a new brush/scraper for the grate and I want to get away from the wire brush models. I know the risk is low but if I can eliminate it then why not

there are a lot of scrappers out there, from brass to wood. I was looking at the Sage Owl one on Amazon but before I pull the trigger I wanted to see what y'all use
Boom
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  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,316
    edited June 2020
    I just can't imagine living without my Weber wire brush... it's the only one I feel safe using. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
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  • hoosier_egger
    hoosier_egger Posts: 6,808
    If, and that's a big if I clean the grate, I use a ball of foil. Typically I'll just knock any large pieces off with the ash tool and carry on
    ~ John - Formerly known as ColtsFan  - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, Med BGE, BGE Chiminea, Ardore Pizza Oven
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

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  • Battleborn
    Battleborn Posts: 3,694
    ColtsFan said:
    If, and that's a big if I clean the grate, I use a ball of foil. Typically I'll just knock any large pieces off with the ash tool and carry on
    Sometimes I just drop it on the cement to knock everything off. Then the dog can come by and get all the burnt bits he wants.
    Las Vegas, NV


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  • JethroBodeen
    JethroBodeen Posts: 526
    I use a piece of walnut about 3" wide with a taper cut on the end..
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  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,896
    I have a Billy Bar that I think works pretty well, but a ball of aluminum foil is all I really need.
    Stillwater, MN
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  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,920
    +1 on the Billy Bar

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,740
    I use a putty knife for attached chunkies.  Other than that, the next fire is the Winston Wolfe.   B)
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • Acn
    Acn Posts: 4,490
    SonVolt said:
    I just can't imagine living without my Weber wire brush... it's the only one I feel safe using. 
    I do this too, also replace it fairly frequently.  

    LBGE

    Pikesville, MD

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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,453
    Like @Lousubcap I use a stainless steel putty knife for the baked crud. And for the rest a wooden paddle I made.
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,818
    I have the Billy Bar, works ok for me
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009

    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
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  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,768
    for the most part for me nothing. Just start new fire and let that clean it. Really that’s all
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Just given a Mini to add to the herd. 

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  • Eoin
    Eoin Posts: 4,304
    The ash tool gets enough off for me. After a greasy cook like lamb koftas, I usually leave the lid up for a bit and burn the grease off the grid before shut down.
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  • JonWesson
    JonWesson Posts: 166
    WesJohnson said:
    I scrub each bar individually with a Spanish peanut. 
    brazil nuts better and clean several bars at once
    large small and mini all in legal proceedings but i can use them for now no more, all gone                                                                                                                        usa somewhere on the road
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  • FanOfFanboys
    FanOfFanboys Posts: 2,620
    I am going to order the billy bar, thanks everyone 
    Boom
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,682
    Not saying this is best but it works well if you have the patience, my redneck grill floss fabricated from a scrap copper pipe

    canuckland
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,453
    edited June 2020
    Canugghead said:
    Not saying this is best but it works well if you have the patience, my redneck grill floss fabricated from a scrap copper pipe

    I really like your copper tube solution and will be making one of my own. But I’ll probably do a slight variation by flattening a 1” one after heating with a torch. Then using a rat tail file I’ll create 2 half circles so that I can clean two rows at once. 

    I think it was @fishlessman who years ago educated us that using a piece of ferrous iron on a stainless steel grate will leave minute iron residue on the grill which will cause rust to still form and etch even stainless steel making it pit.

    All that said that’s the reason I have used a stainless steel putty knife for years plus my homemade wooden paddle but your copper solution should last longer than my wooden paddle solution!
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,682
    edited June 2020
    @RRP this was a quick prototype, as you can see the bend is not very strong, I plan to make another one, stay tuned!  Actually I started out with two notches to clean two bars at once but changed my mind and cut it down to one. Why? with a single notch you can wrap around each bar for a 360 clean, not just the top 180.
    canuckland
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,453
    Canugghead said:
    @RRP this was a quick prototype, as you can see the bend is not very strong, I plan to make another one, stay tuned!  Actually I started out with two notches to clean two bars at once but changed my mind and cut it down to one. Why? with a single notch you can wrap around each bar for a 360 clean, not just the top 180.
    360 must be what the Billy Bar is doing, and I appreciate that, but your copper tubing beats a ferrous rod hands down in my book!m
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • GrateEggspectations
    GrateEggspectations Posts: 11,556
    lousubcap said:
    I use a putty knife for attached chunkies.  Other than that, the next fire is the Winston Wolfe.   B)
    Lol. When I read “attached chunkies,” it somehow conjured up the mental picture of a dating website for full-figured people who are married or otherwise committed. Don’t ask me how my mind works, as I truly have no words. 😊
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  • poster
    poster Posts: 1,346
    edited June 2020
    I use a palmyra bristle brush that is similar to the old steel or brass bristle brushes and it actually works well getting into crevises. Im trying to find a link to one in the US, but only seemingly getting hits in Canada. Dont ask me what palmyra is. Looks like wood

    https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/master-chef-dual-handle-grill-brush-with-palmyra-bristles-0852279p.html#srp
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  • Kayak
    Kayak Posts: 700
    It’s fiber from a palmyra palm.

    Bob

    New Cumberland, PA
    XL with the usual accessories

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  • Fred19Flintstone
    Fred19Flintstone Posts: 8,174
    I use a mason’s trowel to knock down the big stuff and let the fire do the rest.  
    Flint, Michigan
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  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207


    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
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  • Yno
    Yno Posts: 529
    I am stil using the wire welder's  brush I bought four years ago. It has not lost a bristle yet, but if it did, they are big enough to see easily. Does a good job on the stock grate and the GrillGrates.
    XL BGE in San Jose, CA. Also a Pit Barrel Cooker, a Cal Flame P4 gasser, and lots of toys including the first ever Flame Boss 300 in the wild. And a new Flame Boss 500.
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  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 7,362
    WesJohnson said:
    I scrub each bar individually with a Spanish peanut. 
    Googled Spanish peanut.... Game changer😂
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
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  • Mikee
    Mikee Posts: 897
    I do not think there is a problem with a wire brush so long as the grill grate is mostly clean. After cooking on the grill, open the vents and place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the grate. The hotter and longer you allow this the better. I do this while I do the usual wait for the protein to relax. This will cook off the grate. The danger with a wire brush is that a bristle will lodge onto the dirty/oily grate. Allowing the grate to burn off really only leaves white ashes to scrub off. At this point there is not much, if anything, for a wire bristle to cling to when cleaning the grate the next time.
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  • OhioEgger
    OhioEgger Posts: 993
    I've been using a s/s scrubby for years. Absolutely the best grid cleaning tool I've ever used.

    Cincinnati, Ohio. Large BGE since 2011. Still learning.
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  • TEXASBGE2018
    TEXASBGE2018 Posts: 3,831
    I use one of these with decent results



    Rockwall, Tx    LBGE, Minimax, 22" Blackstone, Pizza Party Bollore. Cast Iron Hoarder.

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