I have made a couple of solder fume extractors using Altoids tins. You can find instructions for these on the Internet. However, I always found that I had to get the extractor very close to the soldering, and this was not always easy to do.
The other day I was clearing out my workbench, and I found an old hair dryer saved from another project. It struck me that with this, I could make something that was much easier to position close to the source of the solder fumes.
It turned out to be very simple. I think the video explains it well. Here are the parts, materials and tools I used.
One old hair dryer with most of the guts ripped out
Ig, your jack is awesome but Ig, your jack is awesome but I have a question, can’t a similar setup be make using a computer fan and a tube? It also serves the purpose of removing toxic fumes (although it will be less effective).
Ig, your hack is awesome but Ig, your hack is awesome but I have a question, can’t a similar setup be make using a computer fan and a tube? It also serves the purpose of removing toxic fumes (although it will be less effective).
The fume extractors I’ve built in the past (see Tinman and Lemonhead) were based on the Altoids tin instructions by Kip Kay back when he did Weekend Project videos for MAKE Magazine.
The problem I found with these fume extractors is the same problem you’ll probably have with a computer fan and a tube. The air flow is not as strong as a commercial fume extractor. It is challenging to position the extractor close enough to the work to capture the fumes.
With this design, I can move the extractor where I want to; I can adjust the height of the input port by angling the head of the hair dryer.
Great idea, and a nicely done video too. I’ll have to make one of these if I can find all the parts. Just one question; couldn’t it be plugged into the mains supply instead of batteries? It could get to be a pain when you have to recharge it constantly.
deja vu thats what i did…
noodle box as tube, 12v 'puter van powered by 4 rechargeable AA’s and the obligatory fish tank foam as a filter
one thing i did notice tho… it lacks immediate suction so a more powerfull fan might be better (also making sure there are no side leaks is very important too - i used elastic bands across the foam to make sure there where no leaks)
dom
Just jank out all the heating coils and add a filter and a base to hold it standing. Make sure you leave in the diodes, since it is a DC motor and the diodes form a rectifier circuit to change the AC to DC.
