Portable Spray Booth (for painting mintures) as a fume extractor? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: madrabbit
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 09:12:19 am
content: I've slowly accruing equipment to get started in electronics as a new hobby, including a new Hakko FX-888D soldering station and silicone mat. I plan on soldering in an upstairs 3x3m study that has a high and small 0.5x2m window.I am somewhat concerned about my health in relation to exposure to fumes, but I do understand that at my current beginner/hobbyist level, this may be a minor concern i.e. most articles I've read have just stated that a small fan and an open window is sufficient. Regardless, I'd like to have pre-planned for any expansion of this new hobby and assoc. fumes, especially given the limited ventilation in this room.My second concern is fume smell and I would like to be considerate of my partner. In this regard, a ducted solution (to the small window) would be ideal, but ducted fume extractors seem to be a lot more costly and of 'industrial' grade.I'm also a scientist by trade, so I am familiar (at least from a biological containment perspective) with HEPA and activated charcoal filters.=====(1)I do like Hakko products and have been looking at the Hakko FA-400 as a possible solution:http://www.hakko.com/english/products/hakko_fa400_set.html#productNavHowever, I am wary of the ability of charcoal filters to remove smell + toxins, in addition to the lack of associated ducting. I am also skeptical of the extraction fan strength and would ideally like t\o purchase the assoc. reticulated arm (Hakko part # C1568) at the same time, but it cost as much as the extractor itself, which seems exorbitant.Indeed something like this seems just as good and comes with the arm:https://www.circuitspecialists.com/zd-153a.htmlI have also made myself aware of fakes from eBay with the following very useful post i.e. I nearly purchased the $50 unit warned against in this post:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/spotting-a-fake-hakko-fa-400-and-getting-your-money-back!/Sadly I have not seen many reviews on this product within these forums or otherwise.=====(2)The study also doubles as a computer gaming/hobby/man cave room. I am also interested in getting into model painting and whilst researching equipment for this other hobby, I came across the following portable paint fume extractor (2 similar variants linked below):https://www.hobbytools.com.au/airbrush-spray-booth-led-lights-and-bonus-exhaust-kit/http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Spray-Booth-LED-Air-Brush-Extractor-Hose-Turntable-Filter-Exhaust-Fan-Portable-/190486972581?epid=1079292259&hash=item2c59e888a5:g:YnsAAOSwrfVZTHVyThis seems like it would serve a dual purpose for both hobbies i.e. soldering or paint fume extraction. It also comes with LED lighting and ducting which seems ideal given what I've described above. My only concern would be the lack of activated charcoal filtering, but I wonder if I would replace the supplied filters with activated charcoal filters to serve this purpose. The silicone mat I purchased for soldering may also fit inside as well. I also wonder about upgrading the fan at a later stage as my soldering/electronics knowledge grows.=====Thus I would appreciate any advice on the following:(1) The Hakko FA-400 fume extractor.(2) Using the above linked paint fume extractor as a soldering fume extractor.Thanks!

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 12:55:56 pm
content: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/smoke-fumes-extractor/msg1073323/#msg1073323Check out the video by notthedan. When I can scrape up enough coin of the realm, I plan to build this. The small extractors are so-so. I have a Weller WSA 350, which is along the same lines as the FR-400. It has to be right on top of what I am soldering on, which is a bit of an inconvenience. There is very little activated carbon in the filter, so it will have to be changed constantly, depending on the amount of soldering you do. When I got mine, I also bought a big pack of filters. They are cheap, but they don't last long at all.

author: madrabbit
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 02:40:49 pm
content: Thanks for the reply. However don't think I'm at the stage of trying to build my own and dislike the idea of 'needing a project (custom fume extractor) to get started on my planned projects.I'm also interested in whether or not anyone thinks the paint fume extractor I linked above would be suitable for soldering, as it can serve a dual purpose and thus save me money and desk space. However I don't have enough experience with soldering to know if there are requirement missing from this "paint" fume extractor (aside from the lack of charcoal filters I noted above) to make that judgement.

author: MosherIV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 09:10:13 pm
content: QuoteHi, I am no expert in solder fumes.My preference is just somethung to blow/suck the smoke away from my eyes.I have no idea about the health implecatiin of the smoke.Not sure if filters are any good or not.The spray booth sounds like a good idea. The filter might be overkill, the fiiter is for organic solvents from paints. You will use up the filter when soldering even though there are no solvents to absorb. Ie it will cost you more because you will have to replace the filter more often.If you want a ducted extractor, have you thought about just repurposing bathroom fan kits?https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bathroom+vent+kitGet one of the kits with the flexible pipe and shove it out of your window or fit it to a hole in the wall.