kweefthief
Active member
What is up guys. Does anyone else have their skin start like dissolving or something after building... I suspect its bc of the flux but i dunno. Please help.
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Flux causing irritated/peeling skin??
- Thread starter kweefthief
- Start date
kweefthief
Active member
nope just me my components, solder, tip tinner, and pcb!
Cybercow
Well-known member
Most fluxes are skin irritants. I wash my hands immediately after soldering. If you're using extra flux to assist in soldering, read the label on it - there should a warning. I often use Oatey tinning flux to aid in some building. And even when I only use the flux incorporated in my solder, I still wash my hands afterwards because that flux can still be an irritant. And never touch your eyes when in a soldering session - unless you stop and wash your hands thoroughly.
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Locrian99
Well-known member
I never have used this flux stuff. I’ve used the tip tinner stuff that comes in a little puck. Is there that much benefit to using this stuff?
RetiredUnit1
Well-known member
If you're having skin problems it could be due to getting older. I'm 66 and my skin gets *nasty* like sand paper as the winter months come. If could also be a fungal or bacterial infection that got in on a paper cut, or a small cut you didn't notice.
Clotrimazole cream 1% is a very effective, and inexpensive anti-fungal that also helps heal bacterial infections due to fungal damage. So if it's either of those, this will take care of it in a day or two.
If it's just dry skin try some skin moisturizer. Cetaphil is a great moisturizer for damaged skin.
I use Kester .031 flux core solder, works ***great***. I also have a PC case fan I salvaged that I put right next to the soldering area to keep the smoke away. Suction side facing the soldering.
Clotrimazole cream 1% is a very effective, and inexpensive anti-fungal that also helps heal bacterial infections due to fungal damage. So if it's either of those, this will take care of it in a day or two.
If it's just dry skin try some skin moisturizer. Cetaphil is a great moisturizer for damaged skin.
I use Kester .031 flux core solder, works ***great***. I also have a PC case fan I salvaged that I put right next to the soldering area to keep the smoke away. Suction side facing the soldering.
Laundryroom David
Keyboard Cowboy 🤠
Depends on the build. I use it when building point to point to help the solder move on in where it needs to be just a little more easily. Flux paste and really good heat sinks are helpful for me. I rarely use extra flux when populating boards.
Locrian99
Well-known member
Ah. Yea all I’ve built is pcb and strip boards.
Laundryroom David
Keyboard Cowboy 🤠
Never had that happen, but you should probably get that checked out by a professional. I had a colleague 20 years ago who had that happen (peeling of skin on his f’n palms) after stripping furniture while wearing inadequate gloves. No clue what the doc did for him, but it worked and he stopped sloughing off skin all over the workplace.
I hope you get some good advice and heal up quickly. Good luck.
Cybercow
Well-known member
Tip tinner is flux. Flux cleans and promotes solder flow when hot enough.
I use flux (tip tinner) all the time to keep the tip clean. The solder I use has flux in it, and is usually enough to solder with. Sometimes when de-soldering, I'll use additional flux (tip tinner) to allow the solder to flow more readily.
If washing your hands often does not clear up the skin peeling/dissolving, I'd seek a medical professional.
Robert
Reverse Engineer
I have dry skin (but not peeling or anything like that) that seems to be worse on random days, and not particularly in sync with dry weather.
I blame my obsessive hand washing, but now I'm going to have to start paying attention to see if there's any relation to my long soldering days.
I've been meaning to get some nitrile gloves for the days when I'll be soldering for hours on end, I see folks wearing them in certain build videos and it seems like a great idea.
I blame my obsessive hand washing, but now I'm going to have to start paying attention to see if there's any relation to my long soldering days.
I've been meaning to get some nitrile gloves for the days when I'll be soldering for hours on end, I see folks wearing them in certain build videos and it seems like a great idea.
Locrian99
Well-known member
Alright that makes sense, I use the tip tinner and the wire thing to keep my tip clean. Ussuallt when desoldering I just hit my iron with a drop of solder. Which I realized had flux in it but never understood when people refer to fluxing their board and that image above of the container of it.
peccary
Well-known member
I've done this a couple of times but the gloves end up filling with a bucket of sweat after not too long. Maybe I just sweat too much but it's so uncomfortable and then my hands get all peeley from being drenched and wrapped up.
mdc
Well-known member
I'm not sure exactly what the recipe is for the flux in flux-core solder wire, but suffice to say it is at best pretty toxic and at worst super duper toxic. Boric acid (aka borax) is a very common one for low-temp silver brazing, short term side effects are pretty common ('foundry flu' or 'flux head'), and long term exposure can lead to a bunch of environmental sensitivities.
I imagine soldering wire uses rosin-based fluxes, which are gnarly in their own right and can lead to occupational asthma, upper respiratory irritation, and a bunch of other shit. Not to mention the lead, which is problematic in its own right.
Stick your hand in a bucket of oxy-clean and see what happens. It's not too far off from getting flux on your hands.
I imagine soldering wire uses rosin-based fluxes, which are gnarly in their own right and can lead to occupational asthma, upper respiratory irritation, and a bunch of other shit. Not to mention the lead, which is problematic in its own right.
Stick your hand in a bucket of oxy-clean and see what happens. It's not too far off from getting flux on your hands.
Feral Feline
Well-known member
I see the makings of a great tongue-twister in your post...
Clotrimazole anti-fungal cream fights fungus infections but Cetaphil feels finer for fighting Kester-flux-core-solder-sapping moisture from salvageable skin.
I mean, "clotrimazole" on its own, ten times really fast, is tough enough...
Seriously though, Kweefthief, some good advice already posted re get it looked at and sorted. Guitar friend of mine worked at a Chome-Plating shop and developed a serious allergy to nickel — meant a lot of guitars (frets & other hardware not to mention string choices) became limited (and watch straps/watch-casings etc). Don't wind up like my friend.
Last year I got myself one of those fan filter things which suck the air away from where you're soldering so that the fumes don't go straight up your nose. You have to place it very close to your work but it helps avoid getting lead and flux fumes into your lungs. It's not connected to an exhaust system or anything but after a while the foam filters get covered in a white powdery looking stuff which I assume is lead and flux. With the amount that I solder stuff these days it can't hurt. Sometimes I feel like I should have a fume hood like they use in labs.
RetiredUnit1
Well-known member
If you 'catch a buzz' when you solder you're being exposed to excessive amounts of lead oxide. After reading this I'm thinking maybe time to put a filter on my home made smoke diverter. Or, maybe even find something a bit stronger....
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RetiredUnit1
Well-known member
Johnathan Winters used to say Toy Boats three times in about 2 seconds. It's almost impossible..... Took me a year of trying, lol. I think I was about 9 at the time......
My friend got what looked like cancer on the backs of his hands, he ended up taking time off of work (for the school system) and it started to heal. He got tested and he was allergic to the SCENT in the soap they used at the school. They switched to an unscented soap and he's back to normal now. So, by all mean, if this condition continues to worsen, do go to the doctor and get a refferal to see a skin specialist Kweefthief!!! You could be allergic to your soap.......
Feral Feline
Well-known member
My wife makes our soap for that very reason — allergies to harsh commercial grade soap.
