grufty

hi this is my re-enactment forge medieval to ww2. the bellows were made by William Alldays & son Birmingham England in 1884.
i'm 99% sure the leather is original.

hi another thing to consider is the out let pipe size my bellows have a 3/4" outlet that i closed down to less than 1/2" as i found it blew bits of charcoal over anybody watching demos, this seems to work well for anything from 1/4" upto 1" reaching fire welding temp very quickly using charcoal http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/562112_148572791936739_2065722429_n.jpg

the rasps i get given which i turn into draw knives and steel strikers all harden well in water at non magnetic, the draw knives i then put a near edge and polish, heat a 2"x2" bar to white heat place the back edge of the blade on the block and watch the colors run up to the edge removing when it gets peacock blue air cool and sharpen. this seems to soften the back to allow flex but it takes and keeps a very good edge. good enough to work seasoned welsh oak and elm. hope this helps . the rasps are (save edge usa)and(mercury)