Help With Bellows Restoration

[UKRay]

If it's any help, I've attached a pdf of the various stages I go through in bellows restorations.

Terry

Superb PDF, Terry. Very interesting reading.

Ray

[MADMAX22]

Thank you very much Terry. That is gonna come in very useful.

[JillW]

On 3/28/2010 at 11:21 PM, celticleather said:

I've restored many sets of fire bellows, and in my experience it's essential that you use veg-tanned leather. One of the final stages of restoration is to draw the leather into the 'concertina' shape around the internal springs, and for this to work, the leather needs to be thoroughly wetted. Chrome-tanned leather is very difficult to soak, and does not tend to hold its shape when dried in the same way that veg-tanned leather does.

I use 1-1½mm natural calf or 2mm goatskin, depending on the size of the bellows, and I dye it before fitting to the bellows.

If it's any help, I've attached a pdf of the various stages I go through in bellows restorations.

Terry

Bellows3.pdfUnavailable

Bellows3.pdfUnavailable

Hi there celticleather - I have just found an old pair of bellows for my husband to restore as a Christmas present - I'd love to be able to give him a copy of your pdf to help him as well if that is possible as he has never tackled anything like this before. Would it be possible to get a copy as the links here are not working.
many thanks Jill W

[Rahere]

The second link's good for a download, at least.

[MikeRock]

Rahere,

Second page looked like it was going to work, then said, "Unavailable"......rats!!

I'd sure like a look as well.  I have a bellows like that, 4' long.  A few mouse chews to repair.  It came out of the blacksmith shop on the east end of Main Street in Mt. Horeb, WI, in 1974.  I helped an antique dealer clean out the shop.  Fun times for a soon to be ABANA member, Lumpkin, GA.  I brought home the bellows and cone in a 1967 VW Beetle with the back folded down.  The cone mandrel in the front seat made the car rather lopsided going down the road.

[chuck123wapati]

4 hours ago, MikeRock said:

Rahere,

Second page looked like it was going to work, then said, "Unavailable"......rats!!

I'd sure like a look as well.  I have a bellows like that, 4' long.  A few mouse chews to repair.  It came out of the blacksmith shop on the east end of Main Street in Mt. Horeb, WI, in 1974.  I helped an antique dealer clean out the shop.  Fun times for a soon to be ABANA member, Lumpkin, GA.  I brought home the bellows and cone in a 1967 VW Beetle with the back folded down.  The cone mandrel in the front seat made the car rather lopsided going down the road.

it worked for me  i'll trty to put it on here.

Bellows3.pdf

[JillW]

9 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

it worked for me  i'll trty to put it on here.

Bellows3.pdf 1.45 MB · 6 downloads

Awesome Chuck - thanks for doing that it worked for me this time.
Much appreciated :-)

Jill W

[Handstitched]

I've done the occasional hand held bellows before,( even a bee-smoker )  but love to restore a blacksmiths bellows one day. WOW, what  lovely job that would be eh?