matrigs Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 not meaning burning yourself accidently with the torch or getting burn by tin dripping on your legs (yes yes i'm one of those soldering in my underwear :D)!!i'm asking about the tin itself - is it in any way harmful for the human body?last week i finally got all parts together to make a midibox and i closed myself for like two days in my room soldering about 10 hours daily. i have to say that the third day when i woke up - i felt really light headed! that scared me quite much so i made a two day break and now solder about only two hours daily...or was it inappropriate ventilation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLP Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 ventilation is always useful.tin-fumes or chemical-fumes (etching, etc.) can cause harm.You can either buy a special lead-fume-filter, which is usually quite expensive or buy it youself. The only difference is, that the DIY-thing won't filter the aur, but transport the air outside the house. just take a old PC-fan, an funnel and a (flexible)(plastic-)pipe: (toxic air)>fan>funnel>pipe>outsideor you can use lead-free-tin. I don't know if the fumes are less dangerous, but at least there are no more Pb-fumes.matthias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewMartens Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 I used to do my soldering on the kitchen stove with the hood fan on. That worked okay, but required hauling all my parts, equipment, etc. downstairs, and was very inconvenient. Other times I used the bathroom counter, but the fan was too far away to do much good.Lately I've just been soldering up on my desk (where I have an anti-static mat as well) with the window open (for some fresh air), and have been careful where and when I breathe. Just before I apply the iron to the solder, I typically hold my breath and breathe out slowly. When I need to breathe, I finish exhaling - which blows all the solder smoke away from me - and then turn my head to the side and inhale. No problems to report here.That said, I haven't soldered for 10 hours a day (!!), usually just a few hours at a go in the evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLP Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 with the window open (for some fresh air), and have been careful where and when I breathe. Just before I apply the iron to the solder, I typically hold my breath and breathe out slowly. When I need to breathe, I finish exhaling - which blows all the solder smoke away from me - and then turn my head to the side and inhale. That's exactly what i'm doing when soldering!...and i thought I would be exaggerating.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wisefire Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 i have soldered in my studio where there is no ventilation.. not even a window.. no harm as of yet.. allthough the blue bunnies started to appear more frequently..but seriously.. i never had any effects from it.. however.. it IS bad practice.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moogah Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 Hmph. I would strongly reccomend getting some ventilation where you solder. A couple times when working on various projects which required days of soldering to complete I would end up with *really* sensitive gums and an ulcer inside my mouth. Led fumes are not the type of thing to take lightly, same goes for rosin flux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 Ouch :oAhh guys you're missing the most important thing about lead... It's a cumulative poison. This means that when you take it in, it stays there and builds up over time. Now, what you breathed in while soldering today may not leave you with any ill-effect whatsoever, and you might think that you're fine... But after doing that so many times, you will reach a dangerous level of lead in your body, and can have some really serious effects like coma, brain damage, reduced IQ, infertility, cancer, etc.If you're feeling ANY effect of breathing in solder, like tingly lips etc, chances are that you also just breathed in a stack of lead. Seriously, if you're soldering in an unventilated room without a fan sucking the fumes through a carbon filter I reckon you're completely nuts. No offense intended, I'm probably talking to 90% of the forum :)Don't be cheap, go buy a soldering fan ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBanner Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 what's the point of using a carbon filter in an extraction role?you'll get no benefit personally, reduce the airflow and spend extra cash.The only benefit I can see is not releasing certain chemical into the outside enviroment and given the tiny amounts when soldering on a non-industrial scale I just can't see the point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 Oh no I don't use the filter for extraction, that's a scrubber, I have a big 20" fan blowing the air outside through the laundry adjacent to the lab. The active carbon is just about pulling as much of the lead out of the smoke as possible, cause it's cumulative, and the birds and bugs outside are cool :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBanner Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 anyone worried about lead or other metal poisioning should maybe check out chelation therapy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashtv Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 Hi guys.The fumes are mostly from the rosin, and it can be nasty enough to cause you some health problems not related to lead.....But the big issue is surface transfer. Touch the solder, then a tool, and the next time you handle that tool you get a little contact exposure. This is why smoking or eating while soldering is about the worst thing, touch solder, take a drag/inhale cig, you just transfered lead to your mouth via the cig.A good practice is to keep hands off everything except "leaded" tools, doorknobs between your bench and hand wash sink, etc. and scrub up like a surgeon when done.I was told the term "mad hatter" comes from the guys who hand formed lead shape inserts when shaping a hat in the old days.....apparently it was common for them to show signs of massive lead poisoning before anyone knew the dangers of lead.Note to self: put a box of latex gloves next to the Weller. ;)lbestSmash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewMartens Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 But the big issue is surface transfer. Touch the solder, then a tool, and the next time you handle that tool you get a little contact exposure.Well, I certainly didn't think of that! Perhaps I shouldn't be soldering on my main computer desk in the middle of my "studio", then... I was told the term "mad hatter" comes from the guys who hand formed lead shape inserts when shaping a hat in the old days.....apparently it was common for them to show signs of massive lead poisoning before anyone knew the dangers of lead.Heh, I had heard that back then they were using mercury for softening the fur pelts, or something like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Note to self: put a box of latex gloves next to the Weller. ;)lBingo, that's what I've done. You can get the medical ones in mega big boxes for mega cheap. Unfortunately, mine's only sitting next to a mere hakko clone. heheheI didn't get into contact transfer at all, I kinda assumed everyone knew about that, sorry!... But the flux fumes, I know nothing about whatsoever... What's the deal with flux anyway, isn't it mildly acidic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsten_the_dane Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Feeling sick...Are there no alternatives. I have been searching the net for alternatives, but only found our good friend mr. Epoxy :-\ - some alternative.Are there no kind of permanent fumble board, so that i could completely avoid soldering?/carsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Don't worry too much bro, driving on or even crossing the road is decidedly more dangerous, and we do it every day. The idea is to do these potentially dangerous things in a manner which reduces that potential - IE do it safely and you'll be fine. Look both ways before you cross, do the speed limit, and get some gloves and a fan and open a window, and you'll be fine :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsten_the_dane Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Still, it puzzles me that it seems like no alternative has been developed.I can see that some kind of epoxy-glue has been made, and also silver soldering. But both methods have backsides. Obviously epoxy is not very healthy. And silver has a to high melting point, which hightens the risk of burning components./carsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 What about soldering paste? Does that stuff give off nasty fumes when it melts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsten_the_dane Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Im not sure, but i think soldering paste is the product made on epoxy. ???Besides i have read elsewhere in the forum that people using it had problems with some components - perhaps because the "solder-spot" was very small. But again ???/Carsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moogah Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Case in point:I spent about 2 hours last night doing detail work on the 808 (hopefully burn the PIC tonight and see if we get some beats!) and by the time I finished I could feel 2 small ulcers: one on my cheek and the other on the tip of my tounge. I've been limiting the soldering to an hour at a time but I decided to take the chance... dah wellOne thing that helps is to syncronize your breathing so that you exhale while you solder each lead thereby blowing most of the fumes away from you. It makes a difference, but you still need a good ventilation setup if your going to solder regularly.isn't it mildly acidic?I've got the feeling that it's more than mildly acidic. The fumes anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wisefire Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 imho, its like fscking an ant (its a dutch saying, nm)sure if you are doing loads and loads of soldering then maybe its a good idea..ive melted lead in my day and really inhaled the fumes (by accident not on purpose)ive even had lead explode in my face (no scars.. luckily..)i think the tiny amount that i inhale by soldering wont do that much damage.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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