SOLDER FUME PROTECTION

[KORGULL]

I read somewhere that in Europe they are banning solder that contains lead. It is being phased out over the next year or two if I remember correctly. Too much lead is leaching out of discarded electronic goods and contaminating the environment.

I use a system similar to what petemoore described.
I have a 12V computer cooling fan with a wall wart hook up for power.
It is mounted in a wooden box so that it draws air/fumes to the back of the box and through a flexible aluminum dryer vent pipe which is hanging out the window. The pipe is fed through a piece of 1" wood cut to fit in the window opening so I can leave it setup without letting in rain, bugs and fume backdraft. I also put a handle and metal stops on the sides of the wood to make it easy to setup and takedown. An $.85 fan guard screwed to the outside of the fan's box completes the project. Total cost: under $15.
I usually solder very close to the fan and it takes all the fumes out.
I have a Xytronix fume extractor around also in case things get extra smoky. (49.95 at Electronix Express)

There probably is a mask that could filter the fumes but it might not be very fun to wear for hours at a time.
The one I have used when removing asbestos is also used by mine workers and industrial painters. It has to fit tight and it gets very hot and uncomfortable. It's a bit like a gas mask. You can't wait to get the thing off. -Probably ruin the fun of FX building.
The lighter masks which are made for filtering dust might not work too well. I have to wear one of those most of the time at my job and while it is fairly comfortable I think it might let in fumes.
P.S.
Check out this place://www.airgas.com I just looked in their catalog looks like they might have something suitable. -Many light weight masks made for welders that will keep out fumes.

[markr04]

What is replacing lead-based solder? I'd prefer to use it myself, if it works well!

[Regan]

Hi,
My place isn't very well lit, so I do my soldering in the kitchen where its bright. One day I was getting a headache from fumes so I had a brainstorm-why not solder on top of the stove with the fan going?
Works perfect, is at a pretty good height, has a bright light right there, and sucks the fumes out right away. Perfect.
Regan

[bobbletrox]

This thread has inspired me to give up lead and tin.

I just realised I bought some solder thinking it was human-safe, but it turns out to be 95% tin...and tin isn't that good for you either, right?  Where can I get silver solder in Australia?

The workplace health and safety requirements here in Australia give these fume ratings for solders:

Solders
Silver solder (cadmium based) - Cadmium hazard - Fume Rating: 50
Silver solder (cadmium free) - Silver hazard - Fume Rating: 10
Tin-lead soft solder - Lead hazard - Fume Rating: 20

Ventilation per Fume rating:
2-9 = Natural ventilation
10-20 = Mechanical dilution ventilation
21-53 = At source extraction
53+ = At source extraction & respiratory protection

Working indoors with cross-ventilation and keeping your head out of the plume also adds 12 Fume rating points to the hazard, which makes at source extraction a necessity for all solder types if you work with them every day.

[Toney]

Hi Brian,
There are two kinds of common face masks that can do the trick.
They both work with activated charcoal to absorb the fumes.
First type is a lightweight diposable welder's mask which is pretty cheap
and generally available from hardware stores for around $5 must be rated for appropriate fumes-not the dust /asbestos type.
Other style is a rubber 3/4 mask with insertable cartridges.
Very effective but you end up looking kinda like a spazmo Darth Vader.
The lead issue really goes against the fun spirit of DIY electronics.
Could just set up a card table outside with a gentle breeze to your back....

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I think the flux fumes are more damaging than the lead:
http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/pagebin/pg000077.htm
(search google for   asthma solder  for lots on this).
Filling the world up with lead isn't a good thing, but purely from the perspective of a DIYer, I think the flux fumes are more damaging than the lead. Of course, if you have small children, you don't want lead around.
For the ingenious, I suppose it would not be hard to make one of those little metal pipes mounted on the iron that suck the fumes away from the tip. (look at eg the Farnell catalog to get an idea.)

[ErikMiller]

I use a computer fan with a 12V wall wart, and have the fan mounted on my soldering station power supply.

This keeps the funes moving, which I think is all I really need. It's when there's a cloud of concentrated flux smoke just hanging there that it's nasty.

I used to have a fan and a ventilation duct sucking the stuff away, but the bare fan actually works better and is less clumsy.

Just get the air moving.

[birt]

after reading this thread i got a little worried.

so i took a little 20V fan , added a 27ohm resistor to it so i could use it with a 24V wallwart i had (result is 19,5V when it's on) and attached that to the tube of an old vacuum cleaner wich i poked trough the ceiling to the addic.
so now teh fume gets sucked away

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
   Hhhhmmmm.....yeah, I guess some of those masks might make it a bit hard to solder a project.
Thanks to everybody!
Brian.

[nirvanas silence]

Looks like I'm stocking up on Cadium Free Silver Solder.

[KORGULL]

If any one is interested, Home Depot has lead free solder in small quantities for a few dollars if you want to try some.
I have not tried the Home Depot stuff yet but I bought some lead-free from Digi-Key. It requires approx. 60-70 degrees F more heat to melt than lead-tin. So it is a bit trickier to work with.

Just remember as Paul Perry mentioned, when it comes to fumes it is mainly the flux that gets you. The lead-free still contains flux. But you at least avoid the danger of lead building up in your system through improper handling, eg: putting it in your mouth or eating or smoking after soldering without washing up first. Plus if you look at the big picture it is better for the environment.

[markusw]

Tobacco causes a totally different range of effects. Tobacco may get the bulk of it's activity from 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone which causes cancer, and from nicotine which blocks apoptosis (programmed cell death) thus promoting cancer and a wide range of heath problems that arise from damaged tissue that the body does not replace with good tissue.

Interesting. Did'nt know that nicotine blocks apoptosis. I also did not expect that somebody in this forum would mention apoptosis. Any idea about the mechanism?

[guitarhacknoise]

I've been using a little fan to pull the fumes/ smoke away, but I've been thinking about one of those little table top "smoketeers" that you see at the walgreens or any old school five and dimes. has anyone tried this? Do they have enough suction?
-matthias

[runmikeyrun]

I’m not saying don’t smoke, but tobacco is one of the worst things you could choose to smoke.

I think marijuana is worse.  Granted it doesn't have the crap added to it that the tobacco companies add to theirs (unless you get the weed that's dusted... whoo! bad trip!) but remember you are smoking weed without a filter so you get a lot more tar, soot, and charcoal than with cigarettes.  I think i remember something about marijuana having 100 times more carcinogens than tobacco too?

Smoking from a bowl is worse than a joint because with a joint there is some material between you and the burning end to filter some of the particulates out, with a bowl you get it all.  I have heard that a bong has some sort of redeeming qualities, something about the water filtering some of the crap out.  This is the information I have gotten from playing with a lot of pot smoking musicians and from being in the medical field, and not as a user, so take it with a grain of salt.

Now, back to the topic at hand... i too use a computer fan hooked to a 9v wall wart.  That way it doesn't wind up too high and cool off my iron, but still has enough juice to blow away the fumes.  I would like to reverse it and hook up a hose to my window too because in my basement it gets cold in the winter and having a breeze blowing across my hands sucks, and i'd rather just get rid of the fumes all together.  But that's another project...

Also i'll reiterate what others have said about washing your hands after soldering, and especially before eating/drinking/smoking.  In the last 10-15 years there has been a dramatic increase in alzheimers cases and other nervous system disorders due to environmental and other causes (there is some evidence that some alzheimers cases are misdiagnosed mad-cow type prion related maladies, studies are underway) so why place yourself at any extra risk?  

This is no joke people.  We get exposed to enough crap in the air we breathe, food we eat, and water we drink.  You'd kick yourself someday if you ever had some sort of disease related to heavy metal toxicity so play it safe.  

Maybe post a little picture of the mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland at your workstation to remind you.    

[moogatroid2000]

I think i remember something about marijuana having 100 times more carcinogens than tobacco too?

I don't wish to get all political and take this thread too far from subject but I do belive that the above statement is incorrect.
Jack Herers "The Empire Wears No Clothes" is a great wealth of information, most of it derived from the many studies the goverment has performed, and then suppressed because the facts didn't line up with their agenda.
Plastic, rubber, fuel, energy, medicine, building materials all can made from Hemp. The world could begin to change in fundamental ways in one short season.
It was made illegal because of it's threat to companies like DuPont, not because of any health threat. It was at one time the most widely used medicine in the entire world. George Washinton grew hemp from seeds smuggled from the Chinese empire, columbus sailed to AMercia using hemp sails, clothes, maps, bibles. George Bush Sr. jumped out of an airplane in WWII made from hemp.
There is a lot of misinformation about the nature of this plant. Yeah on the one hand it can get you high but on the other it could also save the world!
End rant and please forgive me. If anyone really wants to debate this subject further I am sure we can do that via email or perhaps another venue.
BTW I agree that smoking anything is bad for you. Some things are worse than others.

[EdJ]

What Troubletom said.
Ed

[ragtime8922]

http://mcm.newark.com/NewarkWebCommerce/mcm/en_US/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=21-7960&N=4

The above link is the one for the $40 fume extract fan from MCM Electronics that someone mentioned earlier.

I always used the 4% silver solder just because it is so strong....and seems to be extra shiny...lol. I didn't know that there was solder with higher silver content and cadnium free! Any links would be great.

BTW, I presently use the hold the breath and exhale method which is probably as safe as the withdrawl method in another popular "sport".[/url]

[troubledtom]

What Troubletom said.
Ed

word
    cool,
        - tt

[Hal]

the thing with pot and cigarettes....if i understand correctly, they're pretty much equally bad for you, on different levels.  But the thing is, people smoke 1-2 packs of cigarattes a day, or even more, and the worse potheads i know smoke like...not more than a joint a day on average.  So...thats the point.

[Basonsubatomia]

George Bush Sr. jumped out of an airplane in WWII made from hemp.

Was the plane made of hemp, or was there a missing "parachute" in that sentence?

I think i remember something about marijuana having 100 times more carcinogens than tobacco too?

I'd doubt 100 times... I've heard many figures thrown around (one from grade 7 that springs to mind was a joint is as bad as a pack of smokes) so I don't really know what to trust. I'm sure it's not beneficial for your lungs - hell, I KNOW it's not beneficial for your lungs, but 100 times seems like a lot. Maybe it's correct? I should stop smoking it then!

Smoking from a bowl is worse than a joint because with a joint there is some material between you and the burning end to filter some of the particulates out, with a bowl you get it all. I have heard that a bong has some sort of redeeming qualities, something about the water filtering some of the crap out. This is the information I have gotten from playing with a lot of pot smoking musicians and from being in the medical field, and not as a user, so take it with a grain of salt.

Actually, when smoking through a joint (at least all the ones we roll up here in Victoria BC, Canada) the only thing to filter out particulates in the smoke is more pot, which you end up smoking anyhow... there's something to be said for the roach (becuase there's at least 7-10mm of pot that's left) if you don't smoke it, but most people around here would smoke the roach as well.

I've heard everything about bongs making it better, and I believe some of it - take a look at a bong that's been used and not cleaned for a while, or smell the water... I'd rather not have that extra little bit of stuff in my lungs. But I'd wager more stuff gets through to your lungs by far... IMO, bongs don't do a lot of filtering.