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Solder Fumes


Codyhtml

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Hello When i solder i have a herd time keeping away from the fumes and i don't have an effective ventlated space also what do you guys (and girls ) do to keep fumes away besides using a special fume sucker because i can't aford a thing like that i have tryed a fan blowing the fumes away towards the general direction of an ionic breese small bathroom filter and that works better that nothing but it dosent work well and i still get a head ache  :'( >:( >:(

sorry for bad gramar and spelling but i got to do some homework and i have to hurry so i don't have time to check and improve my gramar before i post  :P

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Hi Cody,
My soldering iron is temperature controlled and doesn't turn the rosin in the solder to smoke, just pleasant smelling steam. The steam rises in front of me, not into my face. I also seem to hold my breath when soldering, so my hands are steadier. I huff and puff a bit beween joints (solder joints, not the other kind of smoking).  ;D
Reminds me of when I snuck some good stuff into the brownies my wifey cooked for her Tupperware party. You should have seen the smiles and those ladies dancing around! He, he.  ;D ;D

Try a different brand of solder. I like the smell of English - Ersin but hate American - Kester.

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Hi Cody,
My soldering iron is temperature controlled and doesn't turn the rosin in the solder to smoke, just pleasant smelling steam. The steam rises in front of me, not into my face. I also seem to hold my breath when soldering, so my hands are steadier. I huff and puff a bit beween joints (solder joints, not the other kind of smoking).  ;D
Reminds me of when I snuck some good stuff into the brownies my wifey cooked for her Tupperware party. You should have seen the smiles and those ladies dancing around! He, he.  ;D ;D

Try a different brand of solder. I like the smell of English - Ersin but hate American - Kester.


I do approx. the same as Audioguru...... hold my breath while soldering.... and I will not apply paste unless it is necessary.....

More is...... I will blow away the fumes..... when it comes up......
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No, because the conductors must be heated first so they melt the solder and activate its flux. The solder shouldn't even touch the soldering iron when soldering, except when it flows around the joint.
Carrying the solder on the soldering iron would vapourise its flux before it gets to the conductors to be soldered. Without the conductors being heated first and the lack of flux, it would result in a "cold" or "dry" soldering joint.

But, he,he we have all done a joint or two like that!  ;D

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ok i'll try to hold my breath but i can't afford a temp controlled iron :(


Just get an adjustable one they are maybe 20-40$..

Or you can use a light dimmer to reduce the power going into your soldering iron.


I set a fan next to where Im working, if I dont the fumes rise straight into my mouth and eyes.

Open any windows and doors in the room as well.
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the conductors must be heated first so they melt the solder and activate its flux. The solder shouldn't even touch the soldering iron when soldering, except when it flows around the joint.

Hi Prateek,
That is how I solder a wire on a pcb. I hold the cleaned tip (wiped on a damp grooved sponge) of the soldering iron against one side of the joint for about 1/2 second. Then I touch the rosin flux cored solder to the other side of the joint and it flows around the joint in another 1/2 second. Done, and on to the next one.  ;D
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:)i use a fine piont low tempiture soldering iron and fine soldering wire to go , unlike  that thick old soldering wire in the seventies full of that yellow smelly flux which is awfull to smell , these days it dosent smell to bad  and i solder at  a distance where any smells are no problems

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I use a solder iron which is digitally controlled to the temperature you dial in. A temperature controlled solder iron does not keep you from having smoke. The smoke is caused by the flux burning. If you are using too little flux to keep away from the fumes, you are taking a chance on having a bad solder joint. There are water based flux, but I do not know very many companies that have good luck with them. Most have rework strictly because of the water based flux. I always use the rosin core flux. In many cases, I use a pretty good amount. Alcohol cleans it up very nicely.
When soldering wires to circuit boards or to anything else, I always tin the wire first. I have a small solder pot which sits on my bench. I dip the wire in flux, then in the solder pot. This puts a nice clean layer of solder on the wire. It also keeps stranded wire from trying to come unwound when you put it in the hole in the board. Tinning also makes soldering the wire a fast process so that you do not discolor the wire or melt the insulation.
When soldering, I keep the fumes away with a small device that pulls the smoke away from the work space and sends it through a filter. These are the safest. Even though the smoke does not smell very bad, it is harmful to your body. The solder smoke removal tools are expensive to buy, but you can make one with a few parts to keep yourself safe.

MP

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  • 11 years later...

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