Anyone have issue breathing the fumes of soldering?

[big_teee]

I like this, but it has rosin core, but I like rosin core.
Kester 24-6337-0027 44 Activated Rosin Cored Wire Sn63/Pb37, 66 Core, 031"dia
I've used a ton of this 60/40 in .050".
http://gokimco.com/44-rosin-core-sol...40-050-66.html

[ric]

I am going to buy the bench filter. I have one of the 3M respirator very similar to this.3M Tekk Paint Project Respirator, Medium, P95 - Papr Safety Respirators - Amazon.com. I use it in construction projects, is this good enough?

I am planning to use both the respirator and the bench filter. I don't like the rosin free, I hate cold solder!!!

If anyone have suggestion of respirator, I am interested in one.

Hey, Alan-

MSC Industrial Supply will be able to set you up with the correct respirator and cartridges. When I wanted to know what was correct for my exposures they conference called to an expert at the respirator manufacturer. I would suggest calling during regular business hours for that service, though MSC takes orders 24/7. They have it at my door the next day if I order by 8:00 pm. They are not a discount house, but service and selection are excellent.

(800)645-7270 mscdirect.com

[Alan0354]

I just bought this one:Amazon.com : SMOKE / FUME ABSORBER WITH ADJUSTABLE TABLE CLAMP : Wall Porch Lights : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Now I just need to confirm my respirator is good enough.

[g1]

That respirator is made for spray painting so I think it should be sufficient. The key with the extractor as well as the respirator is keeping up with proper filter replacement.

[Alan0354]

then I am good to go!!!. My respirator is almost new, but I am going to get more filter pads. The fume filter is ordered from Amazon prime, so I should be getting it by Friday, then I'll be in business again.

It almost seems like I am getting more and more allergic to the smell as time goes on, I can hardly take a breath of those smoke without bordering me for the rest of the day.

Edit:

I tried the respirator, it seems to work really well. I did some light soldering, I didn't smell the solder.

[Alan0354]

I like this, but it has rosin core, but I like rosin core.
Kester 24-6337-0027 44 Activated Rosin Cored Wire Sn63/Pb37, 66 Core, 031"dia
I've used a ton of this 60/40 in .050".
http://gokimco.com/44-rosin-core-sol...40-050-66.html

Call me ignorant, what's the difference between 60/40 and 63/37?

What melting temperature should I choose?

Are those no clean solder any good?

[big_teee]

From Wiki!

Lead solder
Sn60Pb40 solder

Tin/lead solders, also called soft solders, are commercially available with tin concentrations between 5% and 70% by weight. The greater the tin concentration, the greater the solder’s tensile and shear strengths. Alloys commonly used for electrical soldering are 60/40 Tin/lead (Sn/Pb) which melts at 188 °C (370 °F) and 63/37 Sn/Pb used principally in electrical/electronic work. The 63/37 is a eutectic alloy, which:

has the lowest melting point (183 °C or 361 °F) of all the tin/lead alloys; and
the melting point is truly a point — not a range.

In plumbing, a higher proportion of lead was used, commonly 50/50. This had the advantage of making the alloy solidify more slowly, so that it could be wiped over the joint to ensure watertightness, the pipes being physically fitted together before soldering. Although lead water pipes were displaced by copper when the significance of lead poisoning began to be fully appreciated, lead solder was still used until the 1980s because it was thought that the amount of lead that could leach into water from the solder was negligible from a properly soldered joint. The electrochemical couple of copper and lead promotes corrosion of the lead and tin, however tin is protected by insoluble oxide. Since even small amounts of lead have been found detrimental to health,[6] lead in plumbing solder was replaced by silver (food grade applications) or antimony, with copper often added, and the proportion of tin was increased (see Lead-free solder.)

The addition of tin—more expensive than lead—improves wetting properties of the alloy; lead itself has poor wetting characteristics. High-tin tin-lead alloys have limited use as the workability range can be provided by a cheaper high-lead alloy.[7]

In electronics, components on printed circuit boards (PCBs) are connected to the printed circuit, and hence to other components, by soldered joints. For miniaturized PCB joints with surface mount components, solder paste has largely replaced solid solder.

Lead-tin solders readily dissolve gold plating and form brittle intermetallics.[8]

Sn60Pb40 solder oxidizes on the surface, forming a complex 4-layer structure: tin(IV) oxide on the surface, below it a layer of tin(II) oxide with finely dispersed lead, followed by a layer of tin(II) oxide with finely dispersed tin and lead, and the solder alloy itself underneath.[9]

Lead, and to some degree tin, as used in solder contains small but significant amounts of radioisotope impurities. Radioisotopes undergoing alpha decay are a concern due to their tendency to cause soft errors. Polonium-210 is especially problematic; lead-210 beta decays to bismuth-210 which then beta decays to polonium-210, an intense emitter of alpha particles. Uranium-238 and thorium-232 are other significant contaminants of alloys of lead.

[Alan0354]

So is there advantage of 63/37 that melt and solidify at one temperature point?

[Chuck H]

As a painting contractor with some experience (read "age") I want to chime in on the respirator issue. It was mentioned that the cartridges need to be in effective working order. Just so everyone knows, respirator cartridges come in a hermetically sealed foil pouch. Almost all of them stipulate that once the package is opened the cartridges have a thirty day life. IMHE they still do a good job on light duty after some months if they haven't been used hard, BUT... The point is that once the activated charcoal and silver nitride, etc. have become exposed to our free, contaminated air, they absorb and lose ability to do so by just hanging around. This makes the respirator route impractical for occasional soldering.

I agree that different flux/rosin products tend to irritate more than others. Unfortunately the ones that seem to "flow" best are the worst offenders. But the good news is that most, even the least effective for solder flow, actually work pretty well. If you solder on eyelet or turret boards you may not even notice the difference between the best flux and a mediocre flux.

DO use a fan and an open window for ventilation. I've used the standard Radio Shack solder for years with no irritation (and I have used other solders that DID irritate). I work on eyelet boards so it's comparable easy work (compared to replacing a SMD 32 pin IC, etc.). Anyway... Try the Rat Shack solder. They cater to the non industrial nerds like us and have, apparently, formulated their solder to be user friendly. If you had a massive shop making over a hundred units a day I could see taking a toxic hit for the purpose of efficiency. But if you're just making a few amps, use what works best on all fronts.

[Alan0354]

I did not know there is expiration date on those cartridges. The one I have been on for over two years. I though it's only a filter. I did a little solder and I could not smell anything.

[Chuck H]

Well... The makers are just covering their a$$e$. What I said is true. The expiration on opened cartridges is thirty days in most cases. Whether they become contaminated in that time is nothing I (or the manufacturers) have any control over. Certainly it's a fail safe for assured function, but I wouldn't ignore it.!.

[Chuck H]

P.S. g-one... Congrats on quitting. I still smoke but I have the utmost admiration for those that succeed in quitting!

Sponsor: So, you're holding up ok with the methadone?

Heroin addict: Yeah, I can do this. It's not like I'm trying to quit smoking.

[olddawg]

I remember my first day on the bench in a "real" shop. Here's your coffee cup and your ash tray kid. A pair for every tech. Minimal ventilation, ancient building, 20 technicians. I didn't smoke. More than the soldering fumes (which do seem to bother me more lately though), I think I have some health issues as a legacy from constant exposure to a soup of chemicals, many which are now illegal. Especially the stuff we used to clean different kinds of tape heads over the years, or various rubber restores, etc.

[Alan0354]

Quit smoking got to be the hardest thing in my life. I quit in 1985. I was very into Tai Kwan Do, we did a lot of sparring. Towards the end, it was more painful the try to kick and punch the opponent than just stood there and let the opponent punch and kick me. I was so into Tai Kwan Do that it gave me the will to quit. If I were still smoking, I would never quit again. I quit cold turkey, never slip and never take a drag.

For the first two years after I quit, whenever someone smoke, I tended to stand close by and breath it in. For almost 7 year, whenever stress level is high, I still thinking about a smoke. Till today, I occasionally dream about smoking. It is that bad. Whoever said smoking is not addictive is flat out lie.

The first two weeks when I quit smoking, my lungs hurt, it was physical, not just mental. I then coughed up mucus all day long for a good 3 weeks before the physical symptoms disappeared. Took like 15 years before I forgot about smoking......but still comes in the dream once so often.

BUT I am so glad I did. I am 61 and I still exercise a lot, My back stop me from doing serious martial arts anymore, but twice a week, I still do rounds on the heavy bags. 7 minutes, 1minute rest, 7 minutes again. 4 rounds one day and 3 rounds the second day. I am in better shape than when I was in the 30s. I don't think I can do that if I am smoking.

When we get older, health becomes more and more important. Being able to move around, being independent is the most important thing. Smoking is about the worst you can do for yourself.

[Dave H]

Reading that makes me glad I’ve never smoked. A lot of my relatives died of smoking related diseases and most of them were in denial until the end. “It wasn’t the smoke. It was the dust at the bakery.”