Soldering Smoke: How Does Everyone Deal With It?

[ajb]

At my previous place I made up a piece of plywood to fit in the window of the lab with a bit of sheet metal formed into a box around a couple of high-flow 120mm PC fans and two inlets for bend-and-stay aluminum duct hose.  Unfortunately the hose wound up being not quite rigid enough to stay up on its own when stretched out to my soldering area so I had to hang it from the shelves above and it wound up being kind of a pain.  But it worked quite well.

We've since moved to a new place and my lab is now in the basement which, while much bigger, doesn't have any windows.  I contemplated cutting a hole in the wall to the next room which DOES have windows and running a duct, but I'm a little leery of having to explain that to the landlord since we rent.  I have a rough plan sketched out for a carbon filter unit that would fit behind the bench that I think would be plenty adequate (somewhere between the dinky little fan units and the larger industrial extractors), but I may revisit the duct idea. 

[vk6zgo]

I would say"Suck it up,Princess!",but I must admit the current generation of flux pens contain flux which,although highly effective,does  make your eyes water & your throat close up.

I've used flux-bearing solder & Liquid Resin Flux in a bottle without any problems for many years,but I would suggest some sort of cross airflow to blow the smoke from this stuff out of your face.

I very much doubt it is harmful once it is diluted by a room full of air,unless you are soldering on an Industrial scale.

[Dago]

I also just... not inhale the fumes and not hang directly over the point of soldering so that the fumes rise up to my eyes. Never had a problem... I do 99% SMD though so not a ton of solder fumes.

[digsys]

  My practice, experience and age are essentially identical to Retrolefty's ... 

+2   I love the smell of napalm in the morning !!
40+ yrs, 1000s hrs and yup, I do love the smell. If it does vother you, or you have ANY concern about your health,
pick one of the suggestions offered. They're all good. It's too late for us oldies to care :-)

[TheRuler8510]

A professional solution would be this:

http://www.ersa.com/art-ersa-ea-55-i-805-4913.html

Needs no outside ventilation, but it costs EUR 800. I'm using this:

http://www.reichelt.de/Loetdampfabsaugung/FXF-11/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=4135&ARTICLE=8078&SHOW=1&OFFSET=16&

Still expensive, but works reasonable well. I'm not sensitive to solder fume, but I figured it might be better for my health to use it.

Frank,

Any idea how the Ersa compares to the Hakko FA-430?

Maybe the Ersa is not availabe in the USA anyway, but I'm curious on a comparison.

Thanks,

[jlmoon]

In my really small lab space.. 6' x 7' closet..(all my wife would let me have)  I have a 8" turbine (quiet model) fan mounted in the ceiling just like a bathroom fan would be, with a piece of flex duct, one way damper and filter that routes the fumes along with my store bought cool air to the outside.  That and the potpourri on the floor, keeps the fumes on the down low when I don't forget to turn it on.  I have been breathing that stuff since before Apollo 13 and have not developed any serious neurological symptoms as of yet, knock on wood!   

[sleemanj]

As Lauren Bacall said, just put your lips together and blow.

[FrankBuss]

Any idea how the Ersa compares to the Hakko FA-430?

Maybe the Ersa is not availabe in the USA anyway, but I'm curious on a comparison.

I don't know, because I don't have either, just the PC fan like fume extractor, but looks like the Hakko is very similar, I'm sure they do both a good job. The Hakko model costs less.

[GreyWoolfe]

I have a weller fume extractor-WSA-350- that I bought off eBay for $30 and and additional $7 for 3 filters.  It works fine, I place it at the back of my Panavise work center and the flux fumes get sucked up without issue.  Hunt around and you can get a deal or just DIY.

How well does it actually remove fumes?
And do you have a window to help out (outside ventilation)?

It does a good job and I don't have outside ventilation.  The filters are carbon and absorb the fumes.  Mojo-chan says the filtering on desktop extractors are crap.  It may be the case, but for my purposes and budget, it works fine.  Would I like an $800 extraction system?  Of course, but it's a matter of champagne wishes and soda budget

[nanofrog]

I have a weller fume extractor-WSA-350- that I bought off eBay for $30 and and additional $7 for 3 filters.  It works fine, I place it at the back of my Panavise work center and the flux fumes get sucked up without issue.  Hunt around and you can get a deal or just DIY.

How well does it actually remove fumes?
And do you have a window to help out (outside ventilation)?

It does a good job and I don't have outside ventilation.  The filters are carbon and absorb the fumes.  Mojo-chan says the filtering on desktop extractors are crap.  It may be the case, but for my purposes and budget, it works fine.  Would I like an $800 extraction system?  Of course, but it's a matter of champagne wishes and soda budget

Thanks (wasn't sure the carbon filters did much if anything).  And I can definitely appreciate the budget comment. 

I'm fortunate enough to have a Honeywell unit laying around to convert (0.3um filtration, same as professional fume extractors) regarding costs. Hoping the mods would only run ~$100, though about half of this would just be for a Loc-Line Vacuum hose kit, so I suspect the actual conversion will run even more. Still cheaper than new, but used may become an option at this point, assuming the filters are still good (or it even has any installed). It's also quite large, but installing it on the floor should solve this (routing the hoses are my primary concern, and would rather not have to cut any holes in the desktop).

What you're using seems a lot easier, requires less space overall, and less expensive. Even with all the guts I need already (just need hose solution and build a suitable enclosure).

Decisions, decisions....   

[Nerull]

I've used an edsyn fuminator at work, they work better than you would think:
Kind of expensive for what they are, but far less than the hakko and similar stations. I haven't compared their performance.

I've also used one of the weller units and found it didn't work at all unless I held the iron an inch away from it. The smoke doesn't even drift in its general direction.

[M4trix]

Nerull,

not sure why is that solder on the base plate? Would that fume extractor tip over without that counterweight?   

[TheRuler8510]

actually it's not safe in a not ventilated room, it would be better to have a window or at least some kind of ventilation.
the small fume extractor filters might help a bit, but it's still far from ideal.
under such a conditions i would go for a kitchen fume extractor with a fan and tubing routed to outside and install it above the bench where you solder.

Rob77

Are you skeptical of the safety of using a Hakko FA-430 if it is not vented to the outside?

Is it then just a matter of getting some ventilation to go along with the Hakko?

Thanks,

[orbiter]

I use a 112cfm Delta server fan at about 10 volts,  the fan is basically just stuck into about 10feet of aluminium AC type ducting and directed out of the window.  Works a treat.

[Nerull]

Nerull,

not sure why is that solder on the base plate? Would that fume extractor tip over without that counterweight? 

The base has a built in spool-holder, but it doesn't need the weight.

[janoc]

I was also holding my breath while soldering and I've been doing it this way for years and I'm getting tired of it so, behold, the 555 in all its goodness for PWM fan control.

I have actually built that for exactly the same purpose, but finally it is sitting unused on the shelf. Most fans spin slower if you simply lower the voltage, so I just turn down the voltage on the lab PSU it is hooked up to. Most often I don't even bother with setting it up. It is summer, so I have a standing fan in the room and it is enough to move the fumes away.

[Rigby]

doesn't it build up in the room when you do that?  I can understand if you have a garage with a front and back rolling door, but in a house?  just a fan, no filter?

[liquibyte]

I was also holding my breath while soldering and I've been doing it this way for years and I'm getting tired of it so, behold, the 555 in all its goodness for PWM fan control.

I have actually built that for exactly the same purpose, but finally it is sitting unused on the shelf. Most fans spin slower if you simply lower the voltage, so I just turn down the voltage on the lab PSU it is hooked up to. Most often I don't even bother with setting it up. It is summer, so I have a standing fan in the room and it is enough to move the fumes away.

This was just something I found on the net as I was looking for a way to hook up a 4-wire fan I had to use for this purpose.  I did adjust the pot and R3 values so I could use a 5K 3 turn pot I had on hand though.  As far as not venting the fumes/smoke to the outside, I think most of you worry too much unless you're doing it on an industrial level or you already have respiratory issues.  I'm with the old timers here, been breathing around it for years to no discernible ill effects.  The only reason that I built this was to keep the smoke out of my eyes and so I didn't have to stop breathing while soldering.  I'll probably get a lot of flak for this but I've been smoking for 33 years and I'd say that would contribute more to ill health than anything and I'm strong as an ox.

[G7PSK]

I have never bothered with flux fumes from soldering not even holding my breath. I do have one of these though for other jobs as well as a welding mask version as I have had metal fever from welding or cutting zinc plate in the past and I don't fancy brown trousers.
http://www.protecdirect.co.uk/Protec/Personal-Protective-Equipment-(PPE)/Respiratory-Protection/3M-Versaflo-Powered-Air-System/3M-Faceshield-M-306-c-w-Helmet-Visor/p/M-306?utm_source=Protec&utm_medium=Froogle&utm_campaign=Shopping&gclid=CjgKEAjwn-WcBRD61NHM-uqDrm4SJADrP4tPZIAWWXXLHbgkE5Iy4GNjYrKkR_CV36Ll1UF0Os3gLfD_BwE

This would work with flux fumes you can get various levels of filtration.

[Dave Turner]

I've been soldering for 50 years and until recently never used a fan or any other type of extract system. Having said that I have usually been in a reasonably well ventilated environment, so used the blow whilst soldering technique.

Whilst setting up my new reduced size lab I bought a Blackjack 6000 rework station which includes an extractor attached to the iron. I do find the iron, thus equipped, slightly cumbersome, though not unduly so; it's just a matter of getting used to it. The extractor includes a small filter which may or may not prove to have reasonable longevity.

Providing that you are not soldering continuously this sort of system may help. Nevertheless I would, as others have, advise increasing the air flow in your basement.  Most basements that I've come across do have some form of ventilation; are you sure that yours doesn't?

[jay]

When your lab is your home or your home is your lab and there's family too it's nice to get rid of those soldering fumes. I have been happy with a simple less than 100 EUR DIY solution (it's good enough because my wife says she can't smell the soldering smoke at all any more).

Parts used for the DIY fume extractor:
- an exhaust fan (inline fan) with 140 / 190 m3 / h capacity (two speed settings), 100mm duct connections
- an activated carbon filter (180m3/h) with 100mm outlet
- 1 meter of 100mm air duct (flexible type)
- 50cm of 55 mm (more rigid type that holds it's position when bent)
- a plastic box big enough for both the fan and the filter
- a simple switch
- some duct tape and clamps
The box resonated a bit so I added some bitume (not sure if it's called that in English) mat that reduced the noise significantly.

So how it compares with the commercial products? Well, it's cheaper, uglier and a bit noisier than the 1500 EUR device at my work place. It has only two speeds. I've been planning to make a speed controller for the fan motor but it's quite OK even without it.

You can easily get the parts from a hardware store that sells ventilation gear or a growshop (at least in most of Europe).
The construction should be quite obvious but I'll post pictures if someone finds that useful.

[M. András]

i rigged a 6/4mm copper tube to the iron's body with electrical tape for now it will be replaced with a proper extraction kit, but for now it does not feel unconfortable for me at all but the black PU tubing makes the whole thing semi rigid from flexible, im waiting for the next paycheck to buy some decent filter material, but for now a plastic housed fuel filter keeps the pump from clogging up from the particles in the fumes, its rated for 65L/Minute air output god knows how much does it suck in with this setup as its an electromagnetic piston type. the fumes goes straight into the tubing without any chance of getting in my face again