ronwend523 Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I wanted to share an idea for a vertical bellows that could be operated with a pull cord making operation a bit more easy and take up less room. Excuse the crude drawing and as far as measurements that would be to taste, I guess. The plan is the same as the conventional Japanese style bellows but upright instead of laying down. Just a hairbrain idea. I welcome any and all thoughts. Sorry the drawings are on their side. They didn't load like I wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Plusses: it blows on the down stroke all by it self Minuses: you have to lift the weight of the plunger each time as well as the overhead of the air flow. You can't increase the speed of the down stroke if you want to increase the rate of airflow. Making an attachment to hold weights on the plunger arm can help this but you are then raising more weight. I think I would prefer a standard box bellows; but I'd have to try one like this to compare it with my experiences with the standard version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronwend523 Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 Very Good points Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I like vertical piston bellows almost regardless of shape. They double lung easily, it's just a matter of valving and better yet one lung doesn't feed the other, both are independent. Actually a double single lung setup it just uses the same piston. Intuition says pumping a double acting piston bellows would be a PITA however a little imagination makes them really easy. A horizontal lever to pump the piston with a weight that slides back and forth takes the grunt out of pumping air. How much it blows depends on how far you slide the weight from the pivot point. Don't tell me you can't figure out how to make a lever with a central pivot a weight can slide past both directions. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronwend523 Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 Frosty, now you got me thinking. Great idea there. The old timers with the big hour glass bellows had pulley systems to work the bellows up and down. I'll have to do some dreaming on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Here's a thought: rather than messing with counterweights and the like, why not put the plunger of the bellows on a continuous pulley? Just like the standard box bellows blows on both push and pull, this would blow on both pulling up and pulling down. (Valving and outlet not shown.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 How coincidental! Only this morning I was pondering the option of installing my japanese box bellows vertically instead of in the horizontally as it was made to be used. It will certainly work up ended if the flap valves are rehung and would save me some space in my little 6x8 foot forge.....except.....it's a low roof only six foot at the eve so I'll not be able to achieve a decent stroke. Had I thought about it prior to building I could have easily altered the diemsions to suit and retained the capacity! On the other hand,,,,,it does provide me with a useful storage area on it's top! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronwend523 Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 JHCC you may have something there, by golly. I went shopping or should I say looking for a cylinder type air chamber. My thoughts are on the steam locomotive piston and cylinder set up. I looked at chimney pipe, 8" and then thought of PVC pipe, 10" or 12". Have both ends capped. On each capped end make a check valve for incoming air, out of some fittings and a ping pong ball. Make the same for out going and tie the two ends together with say 1 1/2" PVC to a T fitting that goes to the forge feed. I hope I'm giving enough info to paint a picture for you. LOL I'm a dreamer Engineer. LOL. Go with that idea if you will. My end result would be to have a bellows that I can pull on a cord above the forge and make the bellows work. Also save room in the work area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Medieval european smithies tened to use twin single action bellows with a toggle system so that one would be exhausting while the other was intaking. I believe there are several examples shown in "Cathedral Forge and Waterwheel" this was superseded by the double lung bellows that snuck over to blacksmithing from the goldsmiths in the 14 century IIRC. De Re Metallica still shows water driven single action bellows in the mid 1500's.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronwend523 Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 I made a quick drawing of my last design thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 The problem with that design is that you'd be pushing overhead on the upstroke, which is going to wear you out right quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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