When people light fires they often blow gently on the glowing embers. The extra oxygen in the air being blown helps to get the fire going. Bellows were, and still are, used for the same purpose. They get the fire started in the first place, bring the fire back to life as it died down and, most importantly when cooking, raise the temperature of the fire. Industries such as blacksmithing and iron smelting also used bellows to get their fires up to the necessary temperature.

Hand-worked bellows were a common in any home that had an open fire for cooking. The bellows shown here are quite small and are for domestic use. The top and bottom are made of flat, shaped pieces of wood and the 'bellows' section in between is made of tough leather. This section works like a concertina. The leather is nailed firmly to the wood so that no air can escape. The nozzle is made from iron and, as well as being riveted to the wood, is also bound with cloth tape, again so that no air can escape - except where it should. On opening the bellows, air is drawn in through the small circular grill on top, and then expelled when the bellows are closed.