Hot Topics:
See All Topics

Make: Projects

Soldering Fume Extractor

Build your own fume extractor for about $20.

  • By Jim Spencer
  • Category: Electronics, Tools
  • Time Required: 2-3 Hours
  • Difficulty: Moderate
Soldering Fume Extractor

I do a lot of electronics projects and have recently taken an interest in stained glass. I love to solder, but the fumes from flux and rosin aren’t very good for you. I decided to build my own fume extractor to solve this problem.

  • hand-held electric drill
  • Hole saw set
  • Razor blade
  • Sanding drum
  • Soldering iron
  • Standard drill bits

Steps

Step #1:

NextSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume Extractor
  • I got tired of having to work in the garage and set up fans for ventilation so I decided to build my own fume extractor. I spent about $20 on parts which includes 3 extra filters, but I bought a lot of things new that you might just have sitting around for free.

Step #2:

NextSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume Extractor
  • First, I did some shopping. I purchased 4 PC fans that were on clearance. I also purchased an activated carbon air filter (a universal "cut to size" type).
  • Then I looked around for an enclosure to house the fans and air filter in. I ended up choosing a tupperware container originally intended for storing cereal. Obviously you could repurpose some fans from old computers and house everything in a cardboard box, but I decided to spend a few dollars to make everything look nice and clean.
  • I decided to use this enclosure upside-down because it was wider at the top and it will be more stable this way. The third picture in this series is my "concept" layout.

Step #3:

NextSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume Extractor
  • After obtaining all of the required parts, I decided how to lay them out. I like to trace patterns like this on grid paper; it is easy to center and align, plus you can tape it directly to whatever you're working on to accurately locate your cuts.
  • I pre-drilled all of the holes with a small drill bit using the patterns that I made.
  • After removing the paper patterns, I used hole saws to cut out the larger circles. On thin plastic like this, I flip the guide bit around so that it doesn't start to mill sideways and make your round hole turn into an oval.

Step #4:

NextSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume Extractor
  • After cutting plastic with a hole saw like this, you'll have some rough edges. (especially if your blade is dull or you are impatient while cutting). I used a rotary sanding drum in my drill to refine the shapes of the cutouts and a razor blade to trim away the flash that was left over. This makes a big difference that you can see in the "before" and "after" pictures.

Step #5:

NextSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume Extractor
  • After the enclosure has been cut and cleaned up, it's time to mount your fans. I made a trip to the hardware store to get some small machine screws and tiny nuts to match.
  • When you mount the fans, make sure to orient them so that the wires end up where you intend for them to.
  • This step was a little tedious because it was hard to start the little nuts. If I were to build this project again, I'd find screws that threaded directly into the plastic of the fans and not worry about using little nuts.

Step #6:

NextSoldering Fume Extractor
  • Next I installed a connector for power. I happened to have a panel-mount XLR (microphone) jack sitting around, so that's what I used. These fans run on 12vdc (48vdc is commonly used with these connectors), so I didn't have any concerns about the suitability of this type of connector even though it is not normally used only for DC power.
  • It is not pictured, but I also found an old laptop power supply that output 12vdc like the fans run on. I soldered a matching female XLR cable connector onto this power supply.
  • Be sure to match the voltage of the power supply to the circuit that you're powering, take note of the fans' polarity, and connect the cable connector and panel jack using the same pins. If you're not familiar with basic electronics, google what happens to voltages when you put devices in series and parallel so that you don't send your fans the wrong voltage or overburden your power supply. Ohm's law is important :)
  • Obviously you can use whatever type of connector you like as long as it is rated for the voltage and current that you are using. Also, use a female connector on the side that the power is coming from so that the power supply can't short out on anything.

Step #7:

NextSoldering Fume Extractor
  • Now that the enclosure is made and the fans are wired to a power connector, there's nothing left to do but construct the filter.
  • The type of filter that I purchased required me to cut the element to size and then make it the meat of a sandwich between two (also cut-to-size) plastic lattices. Make the lattice small enough to fit inside the enclosure easily and cut the foam large enough that it seals itself against the sidewalls.
  • You can see a leftover piece of the plastic lattice in this picture.
  • There was enough filter media in the kit I bought to make 4 filters.

Step #8:

Soldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume ExtractorSoldering Fume Extractor
  • That's all, it's finished! Insert the filter into the housing so that it doesn't interfere with the fans and plug in the power.
  • I'll add some action shots in the near future!

Conclusion

I am well pleased with the fume extractor that I built. It works well and I can solder inside the house without bothering anyone or being exposed to the fumes. I will be experimenting with using more than one filter medium at a time and retrofitting a speed control/power switch. If I were to do it all over again, I think I would buy more powerful fans, but I may retrofit those as well.

Related Projects

M23_Switches_3904
Mystery Electronic Switches

By: Jeff Tregre

M32_PrinterSalvage
Computer Printer Salvage

By: Thomas Arey N2EI

M32_Proj-AwsmBtn-3
The Awesome Button

By: Matt Richardson

LED Yo-Yo Side Caps
LED Yo-Yo Side Caps

By: Eric Chu

Mini Fume Extractor
Mini Fume Extractor

By: Mark de Vinck

Beetlebots
Beetlebots

By: Jerome Demers

Solar Joule Bracelet
Solar Joule Bracelet

By: Edwin Wise

Vibrobots
Vibrobots

By: Mark Frauenfelder

In the Maker Shed

BrushBots

BrushBots

Brooklyn Aerodrome Flying Wing Kit

Brooklyn Aerodrome Flying Wing Kit

Getting Started with Arduino Kit v3.0

Getting Started with Arduino Kit v3.0

Getting Started with Arduino Kit v3.0

MAKE Rovera 4WD Arduino Robot Kit

One Response to Soldering Fume Extractor

  1. news feed on said:

    Hmm is anyone else having problems with the pictures on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any responses would be greatly appreciated

    Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

Join the MAKE Forum
Makershedad_DOTW_%20Makershields

// What's Trending

Raspberry Pi Design Contest
Raspberry Pi Design Contest
  • By: Nick Normal
  • Hits: 23343
Lost PLA Casting from 3D Prints
Lost PLA Casting from 3D Prints
  • By: Eric Weinhoffer
  • Hits: 4431
Seventeen Sneaky Secret Hides
Seventeen Sneaky Secret Hides
  • By: Sean Michael Ragan
  • Hits: 4322
Ten Tips for Adhesive Tape
Ten Tips for Adhesive Tape
  • By: Michael Colombo
  • Hits: 3472
10 Things to Connect to Your Raspberry Pi
10 Things to Connect to Your Raspberry Pi
  • By: Alasdair Allan
  • Hits: 2998
Is it a Hackerspace, Makerspace, TechShop, or FabLab?
Is it a Hackerspace, Makerspace, TechShop, or FabLab?
  • By: Gui Cavalcanti
  • Hits: 2571
I Have a (Puzzling) Dream
I Have a (Puzzling) Dream
  • By: Gareth Branwyn
  • Hits: 2416
Teardrop Camper Trailer
Teardrop Camper Trailer
  • By: Werner
  • Hits: 1989

// What's Shared

A better way to slice a pumpkin
A better way to slice a pumpkin
  • By: Sean Michael Ragan
  • Shares: 42287
DIY Nerf Darts
DIY Nerf Darts
  • By: Adam Flaherty
  • Shares: 27096
100 Dollar Store Organization Ideas for Craft Rooms and Beyond
100 Dollar Store Organization Ideas for Craft Rooms and Beyond
  • By: Haley Pierson-Cox
  • Shares: 22909
In the Maker Shed: Minty Boost USB Charger
In the Maker Shed: Minty Boost USB Charger
  • By: Maker Shed
  • Shares: 22058
Mad’s Mouse House
Mad’s Mouse House
  • By: Meg Allan Cole
  • Shares: 13867
Lace Princess Crowns
Lace Princess Crowns
  • By: Meg Allan Cole
  • Shares: 13103
I Have a (Puzzling) Dream
I Have a (Puzzling) Dream
  • By: Gareth Branwyn
  • Shares: 10516
Play the Rings of a Tree Trunk Like a Record
Play the Rings of a Tree Trunk Like a Record
  • By: Matt Richardson
  • Shares: 10252

// Most Commented

Jason Poel Smith Picture
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Get Emergency Power from a Phone Line
  • By: Jason Poel Smith
  • Comments: 37
sample parts
Resin Casting: Going from CAD to Engineering-Grade Plastic Parts
  • By: Michal Zalewski
  • Comments: 35
Don't get me wrong, they're cheap and often get the job done, but they were made to not drive well. They were designed specifically in the early 20th century to cam out when too much force was applied. Now that we have torque-limiting drills this isn't a problem anymore, yet somehow we still use them.
Ten Tips for Screws and Screwdrivers
  • By: Michael Colombo
  • Comments: 27
BrainMachineWorkshop
Is it a Hackerspace, Makerspace, TechShop, or FabLab?
  • By: Gui Cavalcanti
  • Comments: 19
We use the phrase "two by four" in common parlance, but did you know it's actually 3.5 inches wide? Don't make assumptions on size; always measure first.
Ten Tips for Better Measurement
  • By: Michael Colombo
  • Comments: 19
E59A0674
Makers on TV: Big Brain Theory
  • By: Sabrina Merlo
  • Comments: 12
Arduino Yun
Arduino Announces New Wireless Linux Board
  • By: Andrew Terranova
  • Comments: 12
Screen shot 2013-05-08 at 12.56.44 PM
Grow: A Portable CNC Router System
  • By: John Baichtal
  • Comments: 11
MAKE
Trending Topics
About Maker Media

Make on Twitter Make on YouTube Make on Pintrest Make on Flickr Make on Facebook Stumble Make Magazine MAKE on Instagram MAKE on Google+

%d bloggers like this: