Bellows
Videos
Bellows are a device constructed to expel a controlled blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclos
Hand-made English fireplace bellows
A preserved baker's bellows at Deutsches Werkzeugmuseum (German Tools Museum) at Remscheid.
Old bellows used on goldfield near Milparinka, N.S.W., Australia. 1976.
Pair of piston bellow tubes and plungers used by the Moro on display at the Museum of the Filipino People in Manila's Rizal Park.
Fire piston
Videos
A fire piston, sometimes called a fire syringe or a slam rod fire starter, is a device of ancient Southeast Asian origin which is used to kindle fire. It uses the principle of the heating of a gas by
Bellows
…for many centuries. Piston bellows developed in Southeast Asia (probably by the Austronesian peoples) using the principles of the similarly indigenous fire piston. It led to the independent development of bronze and iron metallurgy in Southeast Asia. They were present in various Southeast Asian cultures, and the…
Demonstration of a fire piston
Modern fire piston made from 1/2" PVC pipe, wood dowel, and rubber O-ring
Fire pistons from Thailand (1,2); the Philippines (3,4); and Java, Indonesia (5)
Modern replica of a Southeast Asian fire piston made from cocobolo