Winnowing Device

Punggu, also called pungro, is a tool used to blow air into a furnace for building a fire. It was generally placed on the kitchen floor, and used to build a fire in the furnace or to feed the flame by supplying air into the fire. The wind raised by the blower would enter the furnace and feed the embers. The blower shown here has fans inside its cylindrical body, next to a circular iron wheel. A thin belt made of a rubber band or string is fitted in the middle of the fans and the furrow on the outer edge of the wheel, so that the fans inside would spin and raise the wind via the belt when the user turns the wheel using the handle. The size of the blower is as tall as the furnace, and its iron body lends it substantial weight. Since it was generally placed in a kitchen corner and exposed to dirt or other impurities that could rust the iron blower, it had to be carefully maintained by applying oil on it.