BUILD A BELLOWS BUSINESS

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

When the adhesive is thoroughly dry, drill a 1/2" bore to accommodate the nozzle. The hole should pass through the very center of the nozzle end, in line with the joint of the two glued pieces, forming a tunnel that will bring the air from the bellows' interior to the metal nozzle you'll be installing later.

START TO FINISH

Before you continue construction, you'll want to put a nice finish on the wood. The best treatment I've encountered for rough, weathered lumber involves using a small propane torch and a stiff wire brush. Holding the torch head about an inch from the surface of the wood, draw the flame along the grain, overlapping your strokes as you move the fire back and forth. Keep the flame moving so it merely scorches the surface, making it smoke a bit. Using this technique, blacken the two exterior sides of the paddles, and also the inside surfaces of the handle grips. Then take the wire brush and scrape away the charcoal dust, working with the grain. This procedure raises a very attractive rustic pattern and leaves the wood a pleasant deep brown color. If you want to add yet more depth to the finish, wipe it down with some boiled linseed oil and let it dry.

When treating smoother surfaces and newer wood, you might want to simply coat the sanded surfaces with brown shoe polish (the paste kind) and rub it in well. On the other hand, if you want to produce a black, ebonylike finish, soak some rusty nails in white vinegar for a couple of weeks. Wait till the mixture begins foaming, and when it's ready, brush the liquid into the bellows' wood ... it produces a great stain, and does so at no real expense to you. And of course, if you insist on spending money, you can use any of the commercially available wood stains and finishes. (Either Danish or tung oil works very well.)

Then again, if you're creative with oil or acrylic paints, you might try sketching simple regional landscapes on the front surface of the "good" paddle. That sort of artistic touch can turn a handcrafted implement into a real piece of folk art, and increase its sales price significantly.

Furthermore, if the bellows turns out to be particularly striking, why not autograph your work? Just use a black permanent-ink marking pen, the kind with the needle sharp tip, to print the name and phone number of your company across the inner surface of the handle grip that doesn't have a hole. (After all, when the owner of one of your creations impresses his or her friends with the bellows' blow power, you'll want those folks to be able to find you so they can buy their own.)

HINGES AND FLAPS

Now, it's time to install the flapper valve and the hinge. Go through your leather and vinyl scraps and choose a piece that looks attractive with your wood finish. You'll need, at most, about 4 square feet of matching material to finish off the bellows (the exact amount will depend on the size of your design). The following is the easiest valve-making method that I've found. After cutting a small section about 1-1/2" square and a second piece that measures approximately 1-1/2 " X 5 ", place the square- finished (or grain) side down-across the inside opening of the valve hole, with any two of its opposite corners aligned along the center scribe (see Fig. 1). Next, use carpet tacks to secure the other two corners. Then place the longer strip of leather along the line in such a way that its center point rests over the middle of the square you've just attached. Tack its four corners down, and that's all there is to it!

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print