February 18, 20188 yr Bellows as they went in my friends shop over a year ago and as they came out yesterday. As they are mounted overhead in my shop ready for use
February 18, 20188 yr I've used a couple of double lunged bellows and even built one and used it for 20 years. My bellows was set up and balanced so you could pump it with your pinkie to welding heat. A friend used one in a "historic" village that had not been installed by a blacksmith. It was up in the rafters and he had to put his weight into pulling the strap down. They wouldn't let him modify it and he ended blowing out his shoulder and hip using it for a decade full time. Get your setup right and they are a joy to use. Wrong and they can be a misery!
February 18, 20188 yr Great restoration, I would love to have a bellows like that but don't have the room. sigh
February 19, 20188 yr Author 4 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: Great restoration, I would love to have a bellows like that but don't have the room. sigh my shop is only 10 x 12
April 5, 20224 yr Iam thinking to raise my bellows overhead on attic but I have. Oncern how to lift 40 kg. They use toi much space at floor, and I cant reach them to treat them well. Any suggestion can I use bike rims as pulleys?
April 5, 20224 yr Are you planning just to store them in a high position and then lower them back down for use or are you planning for them to stay there and pump in that position? Yes, you could use bicycle wheels for pulleys but they are pretty large and cumbersome. Any grooved rim wheel would work. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
April 5, 20224 yr David R - Where did you get the leather to replace the old? And what thickness did you use? I have a large bellows the same size where the wood is in perfect shape but mice have attack the leather badly. I would like to rebuild mine for a 10ft x 10ft shop (ceiling mounted near the portable forge inside). -Jeremy
April 5, 20224 yr I used heavily treated canvas that they use for wind wings on oil drilling rigs. Lasted 20 years of use and poor storage before I gave the bellows on to another smith.
May 13, 20224 yr On 4/5/2022 at 5:48 PM, George N. M. said: Are you planning just to store them in a high position and then lower them back down for use or are you planning for them to stay there and pump in that position? Yes, you could use bicycle wheels for pulleys but they are pretty large and cumbersome. Any grooved rim wheel would work. Sorry for late respond. I am planning using them to stay there and to pump them. But for safety reasons i am not sure should i do that, there is deck under it, so bellows won't be seen if they "suck" air, they suck it sometimes when lever go down.
June 6, 20224 yr I saw this setup, i want to ask david are they hard to pull like in this setup ? Only with two pulleys and can pulleys be aranged differently?
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