Antique Wood and Leather Blacksmith Bellows

C-18878 Traditional hand-operated blacksmith bellows constructed of shaped wooden paddles joined by riveted leather sides and fitted with a tapered metal nozzle. The broad paddle faces show pronounced wear and darkened grain from prolonged handling, while the leather-secured with decorative domed tacks-has hardened, cracked, and thinned in areas from heat exposure and age. A drilled hanging hole at the paddle end suggests wall storage when not in use. Designed to deliver a concentrated blast of air to stoke forge fires, the form is entirely purpose-driven, with no excess beyond what function required. Bellows of this type were standard equipment in small blacksmith shops, farm forges, and rural workshops before electric blowers became common, remaining in use well into the early 20th cen...