Quick and Easy Backyard/BBQ Bellows

Needed a bellows to ensure a trash document (25 years of old bank statements and bills) fire burnt fiercely and properly. Also something to breath life into BBQ coals easily.

This fine bellows https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-pair... would have taken too long ,even if I could not match the fine finish , and this one needed components I did not have. https://www.instructables.com/id/Better-than-a-Bell...

So I took a scrap 2 ft piece of steel pipe(3/4 inch diameter ) , flattened it at one end using a hammar - a rock would do as well !-to ensure a spray of air under pressure and joined the UNFLATTENED end of the pipe with duct tape to the hose of an airbed pump.

The two feet of pipe let me leave the pipe in the base of the fire for several minutes ,without melting the hose connection.

The airbed pump delivered a good steady flow of air into the base of the fire ,creating a ''blast furnace effect making the fire blaze furiously. .

The two foot length of pipe also allowed me to use it as a wand ,holding and pointing at places to breath life into glowing coals.

These Backyard/BBQ bellows worked very well indeed. A quick and dirty project ,but delivered the goods !

Tools needed to make this ;

A hacksaw -if the metal pipe needs to be cut to size

A hammar to flatten one end of the pipe (a rock or brick could also be used ,if no hammar ! )

Materials

Metal pipe about two feet long and about 3/4 inch in diameter )

Duct Tape

Airbed Pump and its hose (I am sure you culd adapt this to work with a bike or car tyre pump )

Construction

1. flatten end of pipe so its about1/8th inch in height an a bout an inch wide.

2. Connect UNFLATTENED end of pipe to airbed pump hose.

Usage

1. lay pipe in base of fire and pump air for several minutes at a time.

2.hold pipe in hand ,pump with other hand (or get an assistant ! ) and spray air over coals to make them glow and spring into flame.

Cautions :

Follow all fire precautions .

For paper trash fires -do it on a rainy or drizzly day and try put a mesh across the fire bin so burning pieces of paper do not fly out and set the neighbourhood ablaze