51/510

Fire blowers developed from the kitchen bellows in the early-nineteenth century. This fire blower, for getting more oxygen into the fire to make it burn better, consists of a round metal drum inside which a wheel with floats attached revolves to produce a draught. The wheel is turned by the handle. This blower is painted dark green.

1 fire blower: metal; leather; fair condition - handle missingConsists of drum-shaped body made of tin, narrowing into square tube which becomes round nozzle at end. Inside drum is wheel with floats, with spindle which projects outside body and ends in small wheel covered with leather. This wheel rests against, and is turned by, larger wooden wheel with knob handle. When handle of large wheel is turned, floats inside revolve and produce current of air. Drum has number of small holes cut out of middle of either side, presumably to keep mechanism cool. Blower is painted dark green.

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'This type of fire blower is a variant of the usual type of domestic bellows. It relies on a mechanism to produce the draught and never attained the population of bellows. This one is made of iron and is defective since the handle, probably wooden, by which it was held upright is missing. The handle most probably fitted to the underneath of the tin drum. // It consists of a drum-shaped body of tin, narrowing into a square tube, which becomes a round nozzle at the end. Inside the drum is a wheel with floats, with a spindle which projects outside the body and ends in a small wheel covered with leather. This wheel rests against, and is turned by, a larger wooden wheel with a knob handle. When the handle of the large wheel is turned the floats inside revolve and produce a current of air. The larger wheel is on the right hand side of the implement. The drum has a number of small holes cut out of the middle of either side, presumably to keep the mechanism cool. // The blower is painted dark green and measures 20 inches in length. The drum is 6.5 inches in diameter.', Lavinia Smith No. 173., Lavinia Smith Catalogue (D60/28) - 'A list of the contents of the East Hendred museum. July 5 1940 // Heating and Cooking // 173. A blower of the same design but not so good.' (This record in Smith's catalogue is crossed out in blue pen) (See also 51/508)

1800-01-01 - 1899-12-31

Nineteenth century

Rippon, Miss Dorothy May Lyddon (Agent)