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Bellows inlaid with mother-of-pearl and pewter, Dutch, 17th century; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
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Bellows inlaid with mother-of-pearl and pewter, Dutch, 17th century; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Bellows inlaid with mother-of-pearl and pewter, Dutch, 17th century; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

bellows

mechanical device
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bellows, mechanical contrivance for creating a jet of air, consisting usually of a hinged box with flexible sides, which expands to draw in air through an inward opening valve and contracts to expel the air through a nozzle. The bellows was invented in the European Middle Ages and was commonly used to speed combustion, as in a blacksmith’s or ironworker’s forge, or to operate reed or pipe organs.

In its simplest form, a hand bellows consists of two flat boards of rectangular, circular, or pear shape, hinged at one end and connected around their edges by a wide band of flexible leather to form an airtight joint. Wire rings keep the leather from collapsing when the boards are separated suddenly and the pressure in the chamber is less than atmospheric. One of the boards has a hole in the centre, covered inside by a leather flap or valve that can open only inward. The outlet nozzle has a relatively small opening.

When the boards are separated, the partial vacuum created causes the air to rush into the chamber through the valve; when the boards are brought together, the valve closes, and the air in the chamber is discharged through the open nozzle.