“A beautiful and traditional fireside tool.” The Woodee Bellows are our contemporary take on the traditional fireside bellows of days gone by. They are designed to help get your fire started and to breathe life into dying embers and help light a fire. A roaring fire needs a good air supply as the availability of oxygen limits the process of combustion. Bellows force oxygen into the fire to make it burn hotter and faster. In years gone by it was a common fireside tool and something you may well remember lying on your parents and grandparents hearths. Of course, it has also been used for millennia in blacksmithing to drive oxygen into the forge to heat metal; although these would have been huge, it was the same principle. Today there are only a few traditional bellows makers in the country. The Woodee Bellows are a fine example, bringing together traditional craftsmanship and natural materials. Each bellows is unique and is the work of seven different traditional craftspeople. Available in Herefordshire Oak or Ash they are made using Hereford Willow and Herefordshire Beeswax and soft flexible leather - a true heritage product. The paddles are crafted into shape by traditional joiner David Malone, who chamfers the solid lines and incorporates a ‘breathe hole’ into the back for maximum efficiency. The handles, plus every nail within our bellows, is hand-forged by our blacksmith Steve Lloyd and the metal nozzle is turned from a solid piece of metal by our agricultural engineer. With all the components made, the bellows are assembled by our skilled octogenarian leatherworker Mike East. They come in a box handmade by Seamus Hayes with a Woodee Logo lasered into it. The result is a collaboration of craftsmanship to the very highest standards. They are a piece of practical rural art, a statement piece that will become a useful family heirloom. Now available to purchase through clearpay.
