Plastic bristle brush vs. steel wire on a 1970s clay flue, the steel won by a mile

Last month I took on a house over in Dayton with a clay flue liner that had this thick, crusty creosote layer, probably 1/4 inch in spots. I started with my standard plastic bristle rotary brush because it's what I normally use on tile liners. After two passes I checked the camera and it was just polishing the stuff, not cutting through it. Switched over to the steel wire brush, same rod setup, and it started chunking off like you'd expect. Took maybe 40 extra minutes but the paint test showed zero shine left on the glaze. Some of the older guys swear plastic is safer on clay, but it just didn't have the teeth for that baked on buildup. Has anyone else hit this kind of creosote where the plastic brush just slides over it?

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