Japanese box bellows?

Sam Salvati

Sam Salvati

Joined
Aug 6, 2007
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Anyone build/built/used one of these? I have been thinking of building a sort of traditional japanese style setup here at the house and was wondering if anyone had any first hand info on building and using one. Thanks!
 
Sam Salvati said:
Anyone build/built/used one of these? I have been thinking of building a sort of traditional japanese style setup here at the house and was wondering if anyone had any first hand info on building and using one. Thanks!
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Sam, I just met a smith a couple of weeks ago that recently built a box bellows...I'll try and locate his phone # and get it out to you...really very nice and effective.
 
Box bellows are almost so simple that they look harder to make than they really are. They dont even have to be built very 'air tight' or very well sealing to get a lot of airflow. I keep thinking about buildilng an 'upright' box bellows that I can attach a hinge and a lever arm to the plunger so I can use it while standing next to the forge just as you would a chambered bellows.
 
Justin.Mercier said:
Box bellows are almost so simple that they look harder to make than they really are. They dont even have to be built very 'air tight' or very well sealing to get a lot of airflow. I keep thinking about buildilng an 'upright' box bellows that I can attach a hinge and a lever arm to the plunger so I can use it while standing next to the forge just as you would a chambered bellows.
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Wow that is a great idea. I would think about flipping that over so it could be foot operated, leaving both hands free, but will probably make it left handed operation behind the chimney so i can get a little muscle on the left instead of being lopsided with my right hammer arm doing all the work:jerkit: hehe. i remember seeing the cheness video, looks like they had one made from steel pipe, might try that as steel is pretty easy to come by at the welding shop.
 
It would be easy enough to make it foot operated if you put a pivot in the center of your lever arm with a rod to ground, and then a pivoting rod hanging down for a treadle. Stepping down would be the "up stroke". You just need the weight of the piston inside the box to be sufficient to pull itself back down and create it's own air pressure on the 'down' stroke.
 
Ahh of course, just toss a brick in there on top of the piston:D. i have some garage door springs laying about too i could use to counter balance it as well, if they don;t go to the treadle hammer build.
 
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