New Article: Solder Fume Extractor

[The Tone God]

Hello everyone.

I threw up a quick article on how to build your own solder fume extractor out of cheap and easy to get parts. The solder fume extractor can be built in less then ten minutes.

Enjoy.

Andrew

[greigoroth]

Fantastic! I have been looking for something like this! Had a look at a number of commercial fume extractors and there is no way I could afford anything like that! Thanks TTG!

[Dai H.]

is there a link?

[moro]

I've been meaning to do this for a while. I bought a commercial one a while back (I think the Weller) and it was so loud that I returned it the next day. I'd like to try a low noise PC case fan but I'm not sure if they pull enough air for this purpose.

[remmelt]

Let there be link: http://www.geocities.com/thetonegod/

[The Tone God]

Sorry, I guess I should have put a link up. I'll post a quick part list later today for things like the filters and various fans.

Andrew

[Dai H.]

see it now (thanks for the link!). It looks a lot like mine except I have bolts poking through the corner holes and two bolts are long making up sort of feet and it sits up in a slightly angled position. I also have a fan guard (should be cheap if you look around) and fiber washers between the filter and fan (I've found you need to have a very slight space or the fan blades hit the filter and make noise--the filter may have bent a bit and deformed over time also). The more powerful it is, the more noise, so would adjust (voltage) as needed. And if you happen to see a fan of the right size as cheap surplus, I would definitely grab one. I've found mine isn't totally effective, but works and is A LOT better than nothing.

[Valoosj]

Cool, but I always sit in a ventilated room. I only had a headache once after soldering, but that was due to myself. Soldering with all doors and windows closed 

[The Tone God]

I didn't need a fume extractor for a long time either as my previous workshops had enough ventilation. Now that I am in a smaller workshop with less ventilation I have noticed things health wise when soldering. I have also been using a lot of lead free solder and I find the fumes affect me more. This is what encouraged me to finally build an extractor. Being a DIYer I couldn't just hand money over for something so simple IMHO.

see it now (thanks for the link!). It looks a lot like mine except I have bolts poking through the corner holes and two bolts are long making up sort of feet and it sits up in a slightly angled position. I also have a fan guard (should be cheap if you look around) and fiber washers between the filter and fan (I've found you need to have a very slight space or the fan blades hit the filter and make noise--the filter may have bent a bit and deformed over time also). The more powerful it is, the more noise, so would adjust (voltage) as needed. And if you happen to see a fan of the right size as cheap surplus, I would definitely grab one. I've found mine isn't totally effective, but works and is A LOT better than nothing.

I almost did the same thing bolting the fan together with a guard. I also was going to make some legs using bolt together hardware but then I decided after all that work I could just bend a piece of scrape house wire.

When using the wire ties to hold the filter the pressure put on the filter by the tightening of the wire ties puts a natural arc into the filter helping the filter clear the fan. You can see the arcs in Figure 8. This eliminated the need for a fan guard.

I think I might add a section on how to build a simple speed controller for a DC fan. I really find having speed control handy. I can tune in how much fan I need to draw the fumes and keep noise down.

Everything but the filters themselves I had on hand so the total cost to me was just the filters. I just happen to be lucky and had a suitable fan in my stores. I also had a AC fan but I wanted the speed control without having to build a line AC speed controller. Besides I decided to use the AC fan in a large cardboard box with a few other bits to make a cheap disposable spray booth.

Andrew

[kurtlives]

What's wrong with solder fumes?

[Dai H.]

I almost did the same thing bolting the fan together with a guard. I also was going to make some legs using bolt together hardware but then I decided after all that work I could just bend a piece of scrape house wire.

hey if it works...  I also made use of what I had (the bolts) and power from a Boss power supply or AC adaptor.

When using the wire ties to hold the filter the pressure put on the filter by the tightening of the wire ties puts a natural arc into the filter helping the filter clear the fan. You can see the arcs in Figure 8. This eliminated the need for a fan guard.

I see, makes sense. Clever since you can do without the guard in that case and wires ties are something a DIY'er may already have on hand. Dental floss? 

I think I might add a section on how to build a simple speed controller for a DC fan. I really find having speed control handy. I can tune in how much fan I need to draw the fumes and keep noise down.

Sounds like a good idea. The fan noise can be annoying in general and more so say if you're trying to listen to the radio, music, etc.

[The Tone God]

Here some Digikey part numbers that people can use to search for parts.

110V/120V AC fans that maybe suitable are:

CR408-ND
259-1389-ND

12VDC fans include:

CR042-ND
CR043-ND

Wire wraps (Great for wrapping cables as well):

RP731-ND (100 min. Cost is about $9 for 100)

Filters:

WSA350F-ND (3 pack)

Andrew

[Valoosj]

What's wrong with solder fumes?

It kills you slowly 

For a speed control pot, wouldn't a normal pot between battery and fan do the trick?

[Plinky]

I use my homemade paint fume fan I made for when I use my air brushes. I used a bathroom vent fan and some dryer vent tubing from Home Depot. A little noisy, but it gets the job done.

[ejbasses]

cool!

i work infront of an open window but i think im going to have to build one ASAP, i was working on a dirtbox for a about a few hours last night, when i woke up i had singed nostrils 

[DougH]

I threw up a [...]

Ewww!! Gross!!!

I have also been using a lot of lead free solder and I find the fumes affect me more.

Well at least your lungs will be ROHS-compliant...

[Valoosj]

I have also been using a lot of lead free solder and I find the fumes affect me more.

Well at least your lungs will be ROHS-compliant...