Choose from this woodsman's selection of handsome fireplace bellows in pine or oak for
your fireplace. Bellow Selection Guide Sale Priced and come with FREE Shipping
Description and Size
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Pennsylvania Pine Fireplace Bellows
with Black Suede finish leather, 7 1/2" x 19 1/2" Item# 68010
FREE Ground Shipping to all contiguous states in the United States.
Advantages of Fireplace Bellows
Tired of getting down on your knees, putting your face near your fireplace fire, and huffing and puffing to
tend to your fire? At least as long ago as 930 B.C., fire bellows were used to solve those issues and provide a superior, mechanical replacement to blowing on a fire.
Any fire requires three essentials: combustible material, heat and oxygen. Fireplace bellows augment
the oxygen supply by adding a focused airflow to your fireplace fire.
Tips for Using Bellows
Ifyou are having trouble getting your fire to catch initially, use your bellows
gently. Aim the nozzle at the base of whatever kindling has glowing coals but no flame. The idea is to supply additional air flow without blowing out the beginning fire
and to get the coals to transition to burning flame.
If your established fire is flagging, it may be because it is not receiving enough oxygen.
There are two ways to provide more air to the fire: Use your poker to rearrange your firewood to create a narrow channel through which air can rush, or use your bellows to
provide supplemental air. On sections of fire logs where you have glowing areas without flames, direct the metal nozzle of your fireplace bellow at the base of those coals. Your
goal is to transition those coals into flames.
If you are having difficulty holding your fireplace bellows still and focused, you can brace the metal nozzle on the fireplace grate or a non-burning section of a nearby log.
Bellows Construction
Traditional, single-action piston fireplace bellows are made with
carved, wooden sides and protruding handles;
an expandable, accordion-style leather middle that creates an air chamber;
and a brass valve nozzle.
As the handles are pulled away from each other, air is drawn into the chamber. As the handles are
pushed together, the air is forced out through the nozzle.
Fireplace Bellows Selection Guide
Larger fireplace bellows do the job more quickly. The larger they are, the more air that is propelled per
stroke. However, it is a generally good idea to match the size of your bellows to your fireplace: A huge bellows looks strange hanging by a very small fireplace, and a bellows
that would be a good match for an average fireplace can look dwarfed by a very large fireplace.
Long-handled bellows provide additional pumping leverage.
If you plan to hang your bellows by the fireplace or woodstove, select ones with a leather loop on the end of
the handles.
Solid wood bellows last for decades with minimal care. Those made with leather instead of non-leather
air chambers usually outlast the less expensive ones.
Because fireplace bellows come in different wood finishes, you may wish to select ones that complement the
wood of your fireplace mantel or the other wooden furniture or floors of the room.
Maintenance
Every few years, apply a leather conditioner to keep the leather supple and oil the wood to maintain it.
Storing fireplace bellows away from the direct heat of a fireplace will extend their use.
