Primitive Technology
patreon
Water Bellows
🕑 Added 2024-08-01 21:44:04 +0000 UTCI built a Water Bellows. It’s an upside-down clay pot with an inlet valve and an outlet spout. The inlet valve is simply a hole in the pot with a leaf plastered to the inside with wet clay so that it forms a one-way flap valve. When pushed down into water, the valve shuts and air is forced out of the spout and into the fire. When the pot is lifted in water, air is sucked in through the open inlet valve and the cycle repeats.
I got the idea from a Food and Agriculture Organization website I saw years ago. A Google image search for “FAO water bellows” gives an image of someone using a more complicated version at a brick forge in Zimbabwe, possibly from 1994, but I can no longer find the original diagram or description. From memory, the air and water containers were steel drums and there was a U-shaped pipe to convey the air down from inside the air drum when lowered, through and out the water drum and into the fire. Air entered an inlet valve in the top of the air drum when lifted. There may also have been an outlet valve which would presumably have been located on the outlet pipe. The pipe remained stationary through the cycle.
My design is a simplified version of this with a spout leading directly from the air pot into the fire. The spout moves with the pot instead of being fixed in place as it is raised and lowered. The spout nose is resting in place on the ground in front of the fire acting as a hinge, with the whole unit acting as a lever. If the nose of the spout is resting in the entrance of a fixed tuyere (air pipe) then the angle of the jet can be kept constant with the added advantage of the venturi effect drawing in more air. My design also only has one valve (inlet) for simplicity.
The bellows produced a similar effect to the traditional blacksmith bellows without requiring leather to build. It seems to produce a higher-pressure jet of air than the blower I’ve used previously. It’s also less complicated to build, with fewer perishable materials and has fewer moving parts that often break or seize during use. It should be easier to maintain, more ergonomic and require less skill to use. My next step is to conduct a test iron smelt with the existing prototype and compare its performance with the old blower. Possible improvements could be made where it would be made a double acting bellows with two connected pots similar to the Peruvian whistle jar but with 4 valves to direct air flow. It could also be made larger or two could be used at the same time.
Comments
Primitive Technology
Thanks. My mcn usually handles these copyright issues. If possible the mcn takes the income from the stolen content and gives it to me. Much appreciated.
V and S Reinhardt
Hey I think you ought to know your content is being used with this account https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_Jpot-KKJX/?igsh=OXFxbzJiMjVhZWd0
Primitive Technology
Yes, those are good ideas and I'll do something like that. I tested it yesterday with a smelt and had all sorts of issues. I found it easier to tie rope through the handle, stand up and lift and drop the pot into the water than it was to sit and do it. I envision something like a hanging lever as is seen with the traditional bellows. No weight is required because the pot is heavy already, only a lever is needed to lift the pot. the set up would be similar to this video: https://youtu.be/YA0qf53WbR0?t=515 . Thanks.
Freeze Frame
The concept would be similar to a spring pole lathe. Except Instead of rotating a piece of wood back and forth, it would be raising the bellows up and down.
Freeze Frame
Have you considered using something like a spring pole with these bellows? If done correctly, you would only need to power the bellows by pushing downwards and the spring of the pole would cause it to rise back up. It would definitely be a lot less physically demanding then the set up you have currently. Depending on the set up, it could probably blow quicker as well.
Primitive Technology
More side splitters coming right up. Thanks Amy.
Amy Tobol
I thought it was great! Slip some more funny in now and then!
Primitive Technology
I was going to do it but there was a dog barking in the background, I'll keep it in mind next time. Thanks Amy.
Primitive Technology
Yeah, it wasn't want to be a joke but I added the captions afterwards and thought it was funny too.
Amy Tobol
I love watching how you make fire. Thanks! Next time try to show the flame grow, please!
Amy Tobol
*Dramatically zooms in on a pot of water* PRIMITIVE FIRE EXTINGUISHER.
Primitive Technology
No it's not me, there's a lot of stuff like that out there. Thanks for letting me know.
C.O.T.F.M
Good day John. There is a primitive technology app on the Google play store using your images. Someone posted it on r/PrimitiveTechnology I didn't know if it was associated with you.
Primitive Technology
Someone suggested adding another air compartment so it would be buoyant in water so that it's pushed down with the foot and rises again by itself. Also, a bigger one is a good idea too. Thanks.
Ken Clark
Interesting and very cool. Any ideas on making it lighter? A bigger one might get a bit tiring to use for a long time?
Primitive Technology
I might make 2 or I might make one twice as big. Even if it's still the same height but twice the diameter it will get 4 times the volume (like pushing 4 smaller bellows at once. Assuming a cylinder 50 cm wide, 25 cm tall, it would pump close to 300 liters of air in 6 pumps. A 25 cm diameter bloomery typically needs 250-300 liters per minute. So that's 1 pump every 10 seconds with the large bellows I reckon. Thanks Kenneth.
Primitive Technology
Absolutely.
Kenneth Crips
You need a pair of these so you have a continuous flow of air.
Kenneth Crips
You solved your bellows diaphragm problem.
Primitive Technology
Thankyou! Good sleep and not stressing seems to work well I've heard. Much appreciated
Primitive Technology
I replaced the leaf cause it was a bit small, but yes it lasted for the few hours I tested it. Much appreciated.
Howard Leung
Mate I have subscribed for almost a decade, and you have not aged a day. What's your secret besides touching grass
Örn Arnarson
Amazingly simple and effective. Surprised how long that leaf and clay valve lasted.
