phaeton said:
In the opinion or study of this ng, how much of a concern is lead-based
solder to the health of the hobbyist in normal use and care?
Is lead-free solder more difficult to work with, or otherwise inferior
in the end-result?
Are lead-free solders expensive and/or hard to acquire? Just as toxic
(but in different ways?)
Has anyone set up any sort of a "fume hood" or other "fume removal
system" at their soldering station? (I plan on doing this with some
computer case fans, some dryer hose and maybe some PVC, but am i just
nuts?)
Thanks for the discussion.
If I could add a few more opinions:
Lead free solder is definitely more expensive than standard solder, and
typically harder to obtain. I've found its wetting ability to be
somewhat inferior to Sn-Pb, so it generally requires a somewhat more
aggressive flux. From a hobbyist perspective, more attention must be
paid to prepping the surface to be soldered. Properly wetted, formed
and cooled solder joints with either solder will be perfectly OK.
If you have kids or pets, be sure to solder in an area where they don't
go, or if that's not possible, make sure to keep all loose flecks of
solder contained where you can clean them up. Kids are always putting
everything in their mouth, which is exactly where you don't want solder
to go. Lead has insidious long-term effects on kids, and the
substitute metals are even more toxic.
Some people are hyper-sensitive to flux fumes, and I've heard of people
who've developed allergies after continued exposure to concentrated
fumes. From a hobbyist perspective, mounting a medium-sized (4") line
voltage fan behind your work space and having it blow away from you
should be sufficient to keep from inhaling concentrated flux fumes.
But you also don't want too much air cooling of solder joints. Too much
breeze will result in uneven cooling. It's kind of a balance between
too little airflow and too much. Putting a ventilation fan right on a
cooling solder joint is almost as bad as blowing on solder joints to
cool them (an ugly newbie mistake).
Unless you have respiratory problems, are working at this full time in
an enclosed space, or are using a particularly nasty flux, it shouldn't
be necessary for most fluxes to vent the fan exhaust to the outside.
Try just using the fan by itself and see what happens. But first go
online to read the MSDS on the flux you use. Material Safety Data
Sheets can be a PITA to keep track of, but they are pretty
straightforward about hazards and problems, and are made to be read by
intelligent people. You can download them from the manufacturers'
websites.
(On a personal note, when I solder at home, I usually use Kester "44"
63-37 eutectic tin-lead with a 4" 120VAC fan about 8" or so behind by
workspace, and no venting to the outside. Works fine for me.)
Good luck
Chris