Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Just want to say:

Please don't breathe solder fumes.

That picture of everyone hunched over their PCB boards while soldering makes me cringe.

Use some form of protection via a fume extractor or face mask and when possible solder in a well-ventilated area.

I've met people who've completely destroyed their lungs and ended up with nasty lung cancer after years of day-to-day solder fume exposure.



There's a useful device which is a muffin fan in a shroud, with a charcoal filter on the back. Put this next to your soldering station and it sucks up the fumes.

Lead-free solder is the way to go now. I know, it's a pain because of the higher melting point, but it's the future. Also, you can get the kind with a little silver in it to bring the melting point down. Unless you're running a large production shop, the slightly higher cost won't matter. The student electronics labs at Stanford now have a No Pb sign - no leaded solder allowed.


I'd be more worried about the smoke from rosin based flux than the presence of lead. Not that either one is some kind of health benefit...


Or hold your breath while soldering, you'll eventually need to, so you can tune your pulse.


It's just like snorkeling. You gotta blow the smoke away before you can take another breath.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: