iron attached fume extraction

[M. András]

i plan to rig something up for my weller irons as i cant stand the fumes in my face. the "original weller attachments" are goddam expensive for what they are.
basic idea for this i plan to build small 5-6mm od metal tube mounted to  the iron via formed plastic or wood holder, maybe i give a try that sugru goo but cant decide on the tubing i dont know what type is used for the weller attachments so if anyone have 1 could comment on the material, im looking at air system tubings which are mostly pu or pa, i dont know how flexible they are, or it should be better to use silicone tubing? but i cant find locally black silicone tubing for a fair price.

for filtering i plan to use activated carbon sheet around 6-8mm thick, and/or coconut activated carbon as it has higher area per gramm according to the suppliers. after this h13 or h14 hepa filter.

[KJDS]

I've got a few spare, a stainless steel tube with a length of what looks to be silicon rubber tubing attached. both tubes are about 5mm diameter.

[M. András]

those are wellers right? goddam expensive for what they are. if you have the mounting base for them can you make a picture from the thing?

[zapta]

Great idea.

Alternatively you can place the fan on a hat or glasses necklace to push the fume away from your nose. Whenever I solder the fumes go directly to my nose, must be the inhaling.

[M. András]

fans are bulky and those i have currently cant push trough filter material enough air. small metal tube close to the tip and all of the fumes gets collected

[con-f-use]

I hate this kind of fume extractor mounted directly on the iron handle. It always gets in the way when soldering and you'll have the weight of an extra cable making the iron clumsy. Trust me, even a big fan is less annoying. You don't need to run the air trough a filter as long as you have an open window and don't solder 24/7. The concentration of flux fumes will always stay way below the recommended max this way.

If you don't like the fan on your bench, build an air guide and mount it to your bench. I drilled a few small angled holes in my bench, pointing away from me. On the bottom side I glued the airguide with a fan. Now the air gets pushed through the holes away from me. When I'm not soldering I keep the holes covered with my ESD mat. When I'm soldering I turn on the fan and solder above those holes. Works reasonably well and doesn't get in the way.

[Psi]

I hate this kind of fume extractor mounted directly on the iron handle. It always gets in the way when soldering and you'll have the weight of an extra cable making the iron clumsy.

+1

My Aoyue hot air rework station also has a soldering iron as part of it and the iron had a fume extractor tube.
It was excellent at removing fumes right at the iron tip. The fumes just shot straight up the tube in any orientation but it made the iron absolutely terrible to hold.

The fume inlet did get in the way sometimes but i found the oddly shaped iron handle (to accommodate the tube) is what killed it for me.
So i cut off the clips which held the tube and removed it. I'm using the Aoyua stations suction function for a vacuum SMD pick-up tool instead.

I think the idea is good but the vacuum tube must be run inside the iron handle and the fume inlet kept close so it doesn't get in the way.

[con-f-use]

It was excellent at removing fumes right at the iron tip. The fumes just shot straight up the tube in any orientation but it made the iron absolutely terrible to hold.

Yes it works well in most stations as long as the suction nozzle is right above the iron tip. But it tends to loosen a bit after a while. And then it becomes annoying.

The fume inlet did get in the way sometimes but i found the oddly shaped iron handle (to accommodate the tube) is what killed it for me.

Agreed. Also it breaks the symmetry when working with conical tips.

I'm using the Aoyua stations suction function for a vacuum SMD pick-up tool instead.

Me too. Even added an electronic valve powered from the stations internal regulator and switched with a food pedal.

I think the idea is good but the vacuum tube must be run inside the iron handle and the fume inlet kept close so it doesn't get in the way.

And the vacuum hose should be integrated into the cable.
Maybe the nozzle at the tip could be a coaxial tube around the base of the tip. That way you could rotate the iron in your hand without getting the nozzel in the way.

[M. András]

i only use chisel type tips atm i have 1 conical which came with the wsp 80 iron. quickly replaced it as i cant use it for general soldering. for smd stuffs i have a really small chisel tip for the wrmp or a chinese hot air station. the stannol solder i have has small amount of fumes but when tinnind wire etc it gives out much more due to more solder being used up and sometimes the smell of the cheap plastic insulation. i dont find so bulky the attachments however when i get time to buy 1 tube from a metal dealer i will post some pictures the way i hold the irons usually the tube wont disturb my comfort feeling.

for larger scale extraction i will buy a 100mm tube fan and attach the exhaust into an unused chimney in the wall . in winter i dont really open the windows cos of the cold and polluted air but on summer its open all day but i still dont like the smell of the fumes from that solder or the liquid flux i use if i have to both irritates my eye even if i blow them away just being in the air

if any of you used phenumatic tubings could you comment on the flexibility of the pu tubings? compared to the iron's cord

[GreyWoolfe]

Here is an eBay link to what I use.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Benchtop-Solder-Smoke-Absorber-Remover-Fume-Extractor-/230942169688?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c539da58

This works great and doesn't get in the way.  The charcoal filters are cheap on the internet.  I can't picture using an iron mounted fume extractor.  I agree with the other posters that the setup would be too cumbersome and awkward to use.  My Hakko 936 has a thicker handle and, as much as I like it, I am thinking of saving up for a used Metcal or a JBC with the thin pencil handle.  Trying to add a fume extractor to that would be working backwards not moving forward with better, more ergonomic equipment.  Just my 2 cents.

Tom, NW0LF

[M. András]

its a wp 80 iron i dont think its get in the way but their official attachments cost 30+ euros here for a metal tube and a hose
http://img.directindustry.com/pdf/repository_di/112639/fume-extraction-solutions-352637_18b.jpg

[SLJ]

+1  I also hate this kind of fume extractor mounted directly on the soldering iron handle. The tube gets in the way and can be quite the pain at times.

I have been thinking about making some kind of goose neck attachment for one of my fume extractors.  Maybe just a 10 inch piece of PVC that attaches to the front of one of these and adding weight to the base.



I took both my Weller WSA-350 and my Edsyn FXF11 Fume Extractors and measured the distance they would still pull all the fumes away. 
I measured to the furthest point each pulled all of the solder fumes horizontally so none of the visible fumes rose up to where your face would be.

The Weller WSA-350 pulled all the fumes I could see from up to 11 inches (~28 cm) away.  The Edsyn FXF11 pulled all visible fumes from up to 8 inches (~20 cm) away. 

I think I still prefer the Edsyn as the Weller is about twice the size of the Edsyn and twice as noisy.  Even though the Edsyn only pulled from 8 inches the stand can be angled and in some cases I think due to it's smaller size and the angle it can get closer to the work without really being in the way.

[nanofrog]

I have been thinking about making some kind of goose neck attachment for one of my fume extractors.  Maybe just a 10 inch piece of PVC that attaches to the front of one of these and adding weight to the base.

You might want to take a look at segmented flexible coolant line used in the CNC/machining industry. Brands would be Loc-Line (USA) or Jet-On (Taiwan).

Example of a 3/4" kit (3/4" = inner diameter). Both companies even make 2.5" diameter, which is good for an intake for fume extraction (what I've been looking into & DIY one out of a HEPA filtration system I have sitting unused).

Simple NPT flange plate mounted to the base should do you, and not break the bank in the process.

[M. András]

I have been thinking about making some kind of goose neck attachment for one of my fume extractors.  Maybe just a 10 inch piece of PVC that attaches to the front of one of these and adding weight to the base.

You might want to take a look at segmented flexible coolant line used in the CNC/machining industry. Brands would be Loc-Line (USA) or Jet-On (Taiwan).

Example of a 3/4" kit (3/4" = inner diameter). Both companies even make 2.5" diameter, which is good for an intake for fume extraction (what I've been looking into & DIY one out of a HEPA filtration system I have sitting unused).

Simple NPT flange plate mounted to the base should do you, and not break the bank in the process.

looked at them a while ago. i have a linear piston air pump sitting on te floow which i plan to use. but i dont have the filtration material at hand and a suitable housing for it. so i cant really test how much of that 65l/min air capacity for 35 watts handles the suction trough various materials. the thing is silent compared to a compressor etc  or on last resort ive looked at the same type of vacuum pumps they claim have a maximum vacuum of -39kpa and 10l/min max airflow http://www.aimspump.com/datasheets/ap1024.pdf or i have looked at venturi valve type vacuum generators, its damn noisy as the compressor almost needs to run constantly, second option those type of venturi valves which uses water and the filtration would be solved too with this

[SLJ]

I have been thinking about making some kind of goose neck attachment for one of my fume extractors.  Maybe just a 10 inch piece of PVC that attaches to the front of one of these and adding weight to the base.

You might want to take a look at segmented flexible coolant line used in the CNC/machining industry. Brands would be Loc-Line (USA) or Jet-On (Taiwan).

Both companies even make 2.5" diameter, which is good for an intake for fume extraction (what I've been looking into & DIY one out of a HEPA filtration system I have sitting unused).

Simple NPT flange plate mounted to the base should do you, and not break the bank in the process.

Those look like they would work find.  I could actually permanently mount the fume extractor under or behind the bench out of the way if that stuff holds its position.

[nanofrog]

Those look like they would work find.  I could actually permanently mount the fume extractor under or behind the bench out of the way if that stuff holds its position.

It would depend on the weight, but I suspect 3/4" could hold something in the 6 - 8lb range without breaking free and moving. FWIW,1/4" & 1/2" is suitable for making helping hands, if that gives you an idea, and it gets a bit stiffer the larger the diameter.

[SLJ]

Actually I was thinking the 3 inch as that's closer to the diameter of the fan housing. The wide attachment on the end would mean it would only have to be close and probably not have to be moved/adjusted much.

[nanofrog]

Actually I was thinking the 3 inch as that's closer to the diameter of the fan housing. The wide attachment on the end would mean it would only have to be close and probably not have to be moved/adjusted much.

Is that ~3" the base mount on the Edsyn or the diameter of the intake opening? I was under the impression that would be in the 6 - 8" range, based on the photo you posted. 

The 2.5" is a lot harder to find based on my searches (seen it on zorotools.com in the past, but a recent check didn't show it). So I'm not sure where to get it, if it's not part of a vacuum hose kit (hose + intake shroud/nozzle kit that's sold for ~$50 w/ ~3ft of hose). Multiple bases to attach to the other end, including one that ties to PVC plumbing pipe (may just be Jet-On that offers this one).

Another alternative, might be a suitable diameter of aluminum flex duct attached to the intake side, and leave the fan's location fixed. Not sure if it can pull enough vacuum to make this work though (assuming it wouldn't based on what I've seen of the square types).

Perhaps even a squirrel fan & duct (pulls enough vacuum to get the fan off of the bench), similar to one of the considerably more expensive fume extractor systems (box + squirrel fan + filtration material; duct comes off of the intake side). But it's not making use of what you already have (existing fume extractors), and is increasing costs. 

[SLJ]

The Edsyn is about 3 3/4" so I'll only have to drop it down a little over an inch to get to the 2.5".  Did a quick try with a shop vac hose and that works so a shorter section of 2.5" Loc-Line should be no problem.

http://www.modularhose.com/Loc-Line-25-ID-System

[nanofrog]

The Edsyn is about 3 3/4" so I'll only have to drop it down a little over an inch to get to the 2.5".  Did a quick try with a shop vac hose and that works so a shorter section of 2.5" Loc-Line should be no problem.

http://www.modularhose.com/Loc-Line-25-ID-System

Didn't realize the intake opening was that small on the Edsyn. Working out that well is very nice indeed. 

Forgot about that site, so thanks for the reminder.