Show us your solder fume extractors...

MCM Electronics had theirs last year on special for $20 with free shipping. At that price I couldn't pass it up. And it seems to do a decent job.

I try to avoid breathing the fumes because they tear up my lungs. Yeah, I know -- I'm a wuss but I don't like the shortness of breath that comes after breathing that shit for a while.
 
Here is mine :)


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All jokes aside, I too should probably buy one, the fumes are probably toxic no matter how much I like them.

Honestly, is there a need other than to get rid of the smell(which I personally like)? Or are they actually toxic?
 
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I keep a small fan right next to where I am working and it blows the fumes away. (some of them)


if you guys have a link to something better, I'm down.
let's see it

good thread
 
a leaned to the side head is my fume extractor...

although i will admit when im working on a mouse piss infested board, no matter how much you scrub it, when that solder starts flowing, i wish i had something..

id think even a old school range hood would work well. While you were at it mount it to a workbench, outfit the bench with all your soldering stuff, a magnification lamp, and even a 4 foot floursecent.

If you get the ods and ends off of craigslist or garage sales it wont cost much to put togther.
 
I don't use them. I don't believe in them. They are a waste of money.

I keep a small fan right next to where I am working and it blows the fumes away. (some of them)

yup, everything i've read says there's little to no danger from it. I have multiple ceiling fans and open the house as often as possible (no one likes stale air).
 
Danger or not, I don't breathe well after soldering sessions.

For a while I used a small fan to blow away the smoke and that helped. I like the fume extractor though -- no issues at all with breathing when I've used it.

Paint fumes tear me up too though so I'm just touchy that way I guess.

$20 well spent for me.
 
I don't use one either, just a little desktop fan/space heater that I run on low. Anything that moves the air a little bit will keep the fumes at bay, move too much air and you can start to affect the soldering process.
 
Fume Extractor?

Mine looks like this one.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 

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We have some of the $20 units at work, which look to be little more than a fan with a piece of foam in front. All they do is blow air towards the wall behind the workbench, which then 'bounces' back and makes the fumes go directly into your face. :rolleyes: I normally don't use anything, although I think a regular fan blowing very gently across the work area would be as good as anything.
 
Unless you want to put an exhaust hood over your workbench, a small desk fan works fine. I work for an electronic manufacturer and we have quite a few extractors on the floor. The ones with tiny fans only work well if they're RIGHT next to the work being performed, or if you turn them around so the "exhaust" blows the fumes away from you. I think you're better off spending $20 on a small desk fan than $60-100 on a bad fume extractor.

If all your soldering is done from a bench, you could probably find an used kitchen exhaust hood for less than $20 and hook that up above your bench. The desk fan is more portable, though.
 
for the record I think I spend $5 for my small fan from wal mart. only 1 speed though
 
Solder fumes contain chemicals that are known carcinogens. Does that mean you'll get a nasty case of nose, throat or lung cancer? Maybe not, but why take the chance when you can spend a few bucks to help prevent it.

I chipped in with a friend to buy our local tech guru a nice desktop extractor, works great and it wasn't that expensive. A fan works too. Just use something.
 
I have one of these: http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-7960 , though I rarely use it... since it's not very convenient (takes up desktop space that I don't have). I've actually been thinking about making a mount to attach it to my boom magnifying lamp, since that'd keep it out of the way, and be near where I'm soldering. Typically, I just take a deep breath and slowly and softly exhale, enough to cause the fumes to drift the other way. It doesn't take much to blow away the fumes, and of course you don't want to blow too hard on the solder joint or it'll make it harder to solder.

I've also seen stations like these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AOYUE-968A-...lectrical_Equipment_Tools&hash=item19c946bb43 , having a vacuum near the iron tip. That seems cool, assuming the tube doesn't get in the way... and that it sucks enough air to be useful, but again, doesn't cause too much air to blow across the solder joint.

DogP
 
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