SOlder Fume Pump Opinions

[dknguyen]

Hello all. I am able to get a fume extractor tube that mounts onto the tip of my soldering iron...problem is that the tube doesn't go anywhere and a pump is far far too expensive. I do have a small window right beside the desk above my head that I can vent stuff through and I was thinking about taking 120mm computer fan or whatever and sealing off one side completely to a to seal off the end of a ~3mm-4mm tube to a computer fan maybe through a plastic bag or something to match the disparate diameters.

I don't know too much about pressure and was wondering if this would be effective at all at moving air down the tube?

 

[ericgibbs]

Hello all. I am able to get a fume extractor tube that mounts onto the tip of my soldering iron...problem is that the tube doesn't go anywhere and a pump is far far too expensive. I do have a small window right beside the desk above my head that I can vent stuff through and I was thinking about taking 120mm computer fan or whatever and sealing off one side completely to a to seal off the end of a ~3mm-4mm tube to a computer fan maybe through a plastic bag or something to match the disparate diameters.

I don't know too much about pressure and was wondering if this would be effective at all at moving air down the tube?

hi,
If you restrict the air flow thru your 6" dia fan, you could cause it to overheat.
You will get lots of air flow, you could 'bleed' some of the air flow thru the fan, in order to keep it cool, by controlling the 'bleed' say using a vane, you could control the 'suck' at the iron tip.

To cope with the different diameters you can buy cheap plastic funnels to reduce the bore. A 6" dia plastic funnel would fit well over the fan

 

[dknguyen]

I could just use a smaller fan.

 

[ericgibbs]

I could just use a smaller fan.

As you have a window just above your bench, why don't you make a fume hood with a small fan, above and towards the back of your workbench?

You could also fit a small bench light in the fume hood and maybe a flip down magnifier lens.

 

[dknguyen]

I have nowhere to mount it- not allowed to drill hole sin my wall.

 

[stevez]

What you need to determine is just how much air flow is required - too little and it's ineffective - too much and it negatively impacts the soldering operation. The typical fan doesn't develop much pressure so you'll get very little flow thru the tube. "Very little" might still be enough so experimentation might be a good way to get some information. I'd probably use cardboard and tape among other things.

A vacuum cleaner might be rigged for experimentation as it is likely to develop more pressure/suction. Shop vacs aren't too awfully expensive however the noise would drive me nuts with any amount of use in that application.

If more pressure is needed a small vacuum pump might be in order however the vacuum pump itself must be protected from the fumes - with filters or possibly by drawing the fumes thru water. I was thinking of the relatively low cost, low vacuum pumps - 10" w.c. or less.

 

[JimB]

To turn the question around, do you have a reaction to the solder fumes?
How much soldering do you do?
Are the fumes a problem?

Adding the tube to the soldering iron makes it bigger and heavier, harder to hold for long periods and more dificult to use in confined areas.

If fumes are a problem for you, I think that a fume hood, with a light maybe as Eric suggested is a better way to go.
If you can't mount the hood on the wall, maybe some kind of bench mounting?

JimB

 

[dknguyen]

I actually wear a respirator when I solder. If I do accidentally get a single good whiff of the fumes, I can feel the acid in my lungs for a couple hours. So yeah you could say fumes are a problem. THe problem is that it'd be fine if air always moved in through my door at out the window, but sometimes it flows the other way so it ends up blowing in my face before it leaves the room. I just need to get the fumes to bypass me on their way out the door or the window.

 

[JimB]

OK, so the fumes are a big problem.

To get a reasonable flow of air through the tube on the soldering iron you will need some kind of vacuum pump.
How about using a computer fan connected to a length of flexible hose, about 3" diameter, the sort of stuff used for venting clothes dryers out of a window?

JimB

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I actually wear a respirator when I solder. If I do accidentally get a single good whiff of the fumes, I can feel the acid in my lungs for a couple hours. So yeah you could say fumes are a problem. THe problem is that it'd be fine if air always moved in through my door at out the window, but sometimes it flows the other way so it ends up blowing in my face before it leaves the room. I just need to get the fumes to bypass me on their way out the door or the window.

Do you suffer from asthma?, the flux in UK solder was changed a couple of years ago, because there was a VERY tiny chance that the fumes could cause asthma attacks in a tiny percentage of asthma sufferers. I was part of the survey which tested fume levels in various industries.

 

[dknguyen]

Not to my knowledge. It just bugs me. I am sensitie to cigarettes and other things like that though.