Minor Break - Fume Extractors Recommendations (w/ Dang I'm Gettin' Older on the side)

pricklyrobot said:
The weather is decent enough here (Austin, TX) that I can do most of my soldering outside on the porch.

If I had to stick to indoors only, I’d probably combine a stand-up fan strategically pointed at the general area (to waft stuff away from me) with a small exhaust fan on the work surface.
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I could possibly do that where I live too but the wind would blow all the tiny pieces away! It's quite windy here.

I use a surgical mask when I sand my Vero boards. Actually I use a mask and earmuffs because my belt sander is LOUD.

And @falco_femoralis , I may smell but deep down I'm a good person!
 
If I were to vent to outside, I'd have to contend with blocking off the vent/window in the winter, but more importantly where the exhaust would exit the house is where my wife's herb garden is as well as the doggo doin' her perimeter checks in the back yard.

My solder station is next to the furnace, so it's not great having fumes circulated throughout the house, either.


The FumeClear looks good, I need to look into that.
 
Feral Feline said:
If I were to vent to outside, I'd have to contend with blocking off the vent/window in the winter, but more importantly where the exhaust would exit the house is where my wife's herb garden is as well as the doggo doin' her perimeter checks in the back yard.

My solder station is next to the furnace, so it's not great having fumes circulated throughout the house, either.


The FumeClear looks good, I need to look into that.
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As I posted on the workbench, it's a lot louder than I like. I have to figure out how to keep the noise level from being a constant annoyance.
 
Does it move a decent amount of air?

How close does the hose have to be to the iron to attract the fumes?
 
Robert said:
Does it move a decent amount of air?

How close does the hose have to be to the iron to attract the fumes?
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I wouldn't say it moves air like a vacuum or fan.

I just checked, and I would say it needs to be 6" or less from the workspace. If I put it much higher than that, the room air currents will push the smoke trail outside of it's effect range of suction.

This definitely is more hobbyist grade than a professional extractor. Because the hose isn't self-supporting, I placed it on the back side of my board-clamp where it was supported. That location (back of my small silicone mat, maybe just 6-8 inches above the surface) worked well, both with the PCBs in the clamp (where it was 3-4 inches away) or on the mat in front of the clamp (similar horizontal difference but 6 inches down.
 
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Robert said:
Tonight I finally figured out how to make the Hakko actually work properly.

View attachment 111929
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I’ve got a knock off one of those. Not sure if the real one has any more oomph, but the air velocity on mine is too low to catch much in stand up mode. It does a little better face down sucking through the ports but even then only if you’re working pretty close.
 
Erik S said:
I’ve got a knock off one of those. Not sure if the real one has any more oomph, but the air velocity on mine is too low to catch much in stand up mode. It does a little better face down sucking through the ports but even then only if you’re working pretty close.
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Nope, it's not much better. Using it as a downdraft table is working great. (I have the back end lifted up slightly to allow the air to flow out)

The charcoal filter still isn't catching everything, but no fumes are escaping. I can see them being pulled through the open through-holes in the board.

This is how I'll continue using it until I find a better option.
 
I saw these, and thought I would post them:

www.grizzly.com

Shop Fox W1734A - 15" x 25" Downdraft Table - Grizzly Industrial, Inc.

<h1>Shop Fox W1734A 15" x 25" Downdraft Table</h1> <h2>Capture the dust produced by your portable sanders right on your benchtop.</h2> <p>The W1734A 15" x 25" Downdraft Table has internal baffles for maximum efficiency, non-skid tops and feet and a 2-1/2" hose connection. <p>Store out of the...
www.grizzly.com www.grizzly.com
www.grizzly.com

Shop Fox W1733A - 40" x 20" Benchtop Downdraft Table - Grizzly Industrial, Inc.

<h1>W1733A Shop Fox 40" x 20" Benchtop Downdraft Table</h1><h2>Capture the dust produced by your portable sanders right on your benchtop.</h2><p>The W1733A Shop Fox Downdraft Tables have internal baffles for maximum efficiency, non-skid tops and feet and a 4" hose connection.</p><p>Store out of...
www.grizzly.com www.grizzly.com

These bench top downdraft tables don't include the fan or suction, but they could be tied to a small fan + vent line to the outside (and/or to a particulate filter w/ internal air re-circulation).

Or, you could build your own if you're handy.
 
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