4 ms·

Soldering sucks. It was easy with the old leaded solder, but with the new unleaded it's harder. Sure, you can use sodler flux, but eh. It's no for kids and ther

Soldering sucks. It was easy with the old leaded solder, but with the new unleaded it's harder. Sure, you can use sodler flux, but eh. It's no for kids and there is too much that can go wrong. Also, what do you really about hardare by soldering?

semi-extrinsic 9y ago
Why do you use unleaded solder? Don't eat the lead based solder and you'll be perfectly safe. Skin contact is safe. Wash your hands and clean under your fingernails after soldering if you want to be super sure you're not going to be ingesting any lead afterwards.
- jaytaylor 9y ago
  Soldering fumes are dangerous and toxic. Wear respiratory protection and ensure the area is well-ventilated! All solder fumes can cause occupational asthma and other health problems (leaded and lead-free) if used for long periods at a time. The best solder wire contains something called Rosin that helps the solder flow when hot. This causes asthma if you are over exposed and is irreversible. [0] Context / background: A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting the creator of the Choo Choo Barn in Strasberg, Pennsylvania [1]. He'd ended up with severe lung cancer do to all the soldering fume inhalation over the years. [0] "Are solder fumes bad for me?" - https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/are-solder-fumes-bad-for-me https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/are-sol... [1] https://www.choochoobarn.com/ https://www.choochoobarn.com/
  - semi-extrinsic 9y ago
    I most definitely agree! But as you say, lead vs. lead-free makes no difference, the fumes are all rosin burning.
  - cr0sh 9y ago
    I think "respiratory protection" is a little over the top. A simple small fan blowing the fumes away is usually more than enough; if you want something better, a charcoal filter vacuum fan setup nearby works well, too. The rosin in solder is nothing more pine resin; it's identical to the resin used by violinists. In fact, it is easy and cheap to make your own "liquid rosin" for soldering (usually SMT drag soldering); you can make enough for a lifetime of use for what you would pay for a single MG Chemicals pen. Good to breath in? Nope. But hardly something that'll kill you, except in cases of chronic exposure (that is, if you breath it constantly every day for weeks on end - most hobbyists won't ever end up doing such). Now - acid core solder (not something you use on electronics, mind you - but generally for metalwork) is not something you want to breath in period. Whereas rosin core, while smelly, might just make you cough a bit (unless you are more sensitive than others), acid core will make you choke almost - and it burns your throat. Not only that, it can make your eyes sting (so - regardless of what solder you are using, eye protection goggles are definitely something to wear). Adequate ventilation for acid-core solder is a must; without such, you might actually find it worthwhile to wear a mask of some sort to prevent excess fume exposure.
- leggomylibro 9y ago
  You should use a fume remover when you're soldering, even if it's just a fan blowing the smoke out a window or doorway. Even the lead-free kind isn't great, and they often contain rosin, flux, and/or additives like antimony or bismuth. Hey, side question if anyone knows; would P100 filters on a dusk mask help?
  - semi-extrinsic 9y ago
    I didn't mention fume removal, but I should have. My thought was that it goes for any type of solder. Importantly, fumes do not contain lead. Lead oxide fumes only start occuring above 450°C, well above normal soldering temperatures (320-370°C). The P100 filter catches airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns. Solder fumes are partly particles down to 0.1 microns, but also gases produced from vaporization of rosin; e.g. toluene, formaldehyde, styrene. Those are molecules a lot smaller than 0.3 microns. So the answer is no, just a P100 filter does not solve everything. If you need to use a mask, I would suggest a 3M 7500 half-mask with the organic vapor/acid gas/P100 combo filter. I use one for glue work etc. and it's got a very tight seal and is pretty comfy (relatively speaking). Will cost you about $40-$50. Does require a relatively clean shave and proper fitting (sniff test) to be effective. Or you could get a benchtop soldering fume extractor with an activated carbon and HEPA filter, which is a lot more comfortable. Also more expensive though. Cheapest solution is doing like a friend of mine, using his shop vacuum with HEPA filter.
    - leggomylibro 9y ago
      Ah, nice - I do have a half-mask for stuff like spray-painting and worrying about the fit on my cheap laser cutter's exhaust, but wasn't sure how effective it might be. You learn something new every day, thanks!
    - cr0sh 9y ago
      > Cheapest solution is doing like a friend of mine, using his shop vacuum with HEPA filter. Actually, the most bare-bones cheapest solution would be to solder outside with a slight breeze. Only works in certain climates and times of year, tho...
- turbinerneiter 9y ago
  You can't do that with kids. There's laws and such. (You sure can at home, so let me clarify: can't to that at school, or at kids labs, like the place I was working in)
nalllar 9y ago
If it's for DIY purposes you can still use leaded solder if you prefer it. Otherwise, not all lead-free solder is the same. Try Senju M705 or a similar SnAgCu alloy, you may be pleasantly surprised. M705 datasheet: https://www.opendatasheets.com/datasheet/m705-senju-metal-industry-41405482.html https://www.opendatasheets.com/datasheet/m705-senju-metal-in...
- turbinerneiter 9y ago
  Not with kids. Thanks for the tip!

semi-extrinsic 9y ago

Why do you use unleaded solder? Don't eat the lead based solder and you'll be perfectly safe. Skin contact is safe. Wash your hands and clean under your fingernails after soldering if you want to be super sure you're not going to be ingesting any lead afterwards.

jaytaylor 9y ago
Soldering fumes are dangerous and toxic. Wear respiratory protection and ensure the area is well-ventilated! All solder fumes can cause occupational asthma and other health problems (leaded and lead-free) if used for long periods at a time. The best solder wire contains something called Rosin that helps the solder flow when hot. This causes asthma if you are over exposed and is irreversible. [0] Context / background: A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting the creator of the Choo Choo Barn in Strasberg, Pennsylvania [1]. He'd ended up with severe lung cancer do to all the soldering fume inhalation over the years. [0] "Are solder fumes bad for me?" - https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/are-solder-fumes-bad-for-me https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/are-sol... [1] https://www.choochoobarn.com/ https://www.choochoobarn.com/
- semi-extrinsic 9y ago
  I most definitely agree! But as you say, lead vs. lead-free makes no difference, the fumes are all rosin burning.
- cr0sh 9y ago
  I think "respiratory protection" is a little over the top. A simple small fan blowing the fumes away is usually more than enough; if you want something better, a charcoal filter vacuum fan setup nearby works well, too. The rosin in solder is nothing more pine resin; it's identical to the resin used by violinists. In fact, it is easy and cheap to make your own "liquid rosin" for soldering (usually SMT drag soldering); you can make enough for a lifetime of use for what you would pay for a single MG Chemicals pen. Good to breath in? Nope. But hardly something that'll kill you, except in cases of chronic exposure (that is, if you breath it constantly every day for weeks on end - most hobbyists won't ever end up doing such). Now - acid core solder (not something you use on electronics, mind you - but generally for metalwork) is not something you want to breath in period. Whereas rosin core, while smelly, might just make you cough a bit (unless you are more sensitive than others), acid core will make you choke almost - and it burns your throat. Not only that, it can make your eyes sting (so - regardless of what solder you are using, eye protection goggles are definitely something to wear). Adequate ventilation for acid-core solder is a must; without such, you might actually find it worthwhile to wear a mask of some sort to prevent excess fume exposure.
leggomylibro 9y ago
You should use a fume remover when you're soldering, even if it's just a fan blowing the smoke out a window or doorway. Even the lead-free kind isn't great, and they often contain rosin, flux, and/or additives like antimony or bismuth. Hey, side question if anyone knows; would P100 filters on a dusk mask help?
- semi-extrinsic 9y ago
  I didn't mention fume removal, but I should have. My thought was that it goes for any type of solder. Importantly, fumes do not contain lead. Lead oxide fumes only start occuring above 450°C, well above normal soldering temperatures (320-370°C). The P100 filter catches airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns. Solder fumes are partly particles down to 0.1 microns, but also gases produced from vaporization of rosin; e.g. toluene, formaldehyde, styrene. Those are molecules a lot smaller than 0.3 microns. So the answer is no, just a P100 filter does not solve everything. If you need to use a mask, I would suggest a 3M 7500 half-mask with the organic vapor/acid gas/P100 combo filter. I use one for glue work etc. and it's got a very tight seal and is pretty comfy (relatively speaking). Will cost you about $40-$50. Does require a relatively clean shave and proper fitting (sniff test) to be effective. Or you could get a benchtop soldering fume extractor with an activated carbon and HEPA filter, which is a lot more comfortable. Also more expensive though. Cheapest solution is doing like a friend of mine, using his shop vacuum with HEPA filter.
  - leggomylibro 9y ago
    Ah, nice - I do have a half-mask for stuff like spray-painting and worrying about the fit on my cheap laser cutter's exhaust, but wasn't sure how effective it might be. You learn something new every day, thanks!
  - cr0sh 9y ago
    > Cheapest solution is doing like a friend of mine, using his shop vacuum with HEPA filter. Actually, the most bare-bones cheapest solution would be to solder outside with a slight breeze. Only works in certain climates and times of year, tho...
turbinerneiter 9y ago
You can't do that with kids. There's laws and such. (You sure can at home, so let me clarify: can't to that at school, or at kids labs, like the place I was working in)

nalllar 9y ago

If it's for DIY purposes you can still use leaded solder if you prefer it. Otherwise, not all lead-free solder is the same. Try Senju M705 or a similar SnAgCu alloy, you may be pleasantly surprised. M705 datasheet: https://www.opendatasheets.com/datasheet/m705-senju-metal-industry-41405482.html https://www.opendatasheets.com/datasheet/m705-senju-metal-in...

turbinerneiter 9y ago
Not with kids. Thanks for the tip!