5 ms·

C245 clones seem to be the new current standard tip format, they're pretty nice. Not supported by any open third party firmware usually, but that's fine with m

C245 clones seem to be the new current standard tip format, they're pretty nice. Not supported by any open third party firmware usually, but that's fine with me. One thing to watch out for is tip grounding, some cheap irons leak a few volts at micro to milliamp level power, relative to ground, which could matter if you solder very sensitive things that are grounded, which you probably don't. DIY fume extractors are hard to do, you need powerful fans unless you have an arm to put the extractor right above the iron. Also remember that when it's just sitting in the stand, it will still smoke for a few seconds, so the extractor must cover that too. Those thin wispy activated carbon pads probably aren't doing much, you need actual particulate filtering like a HEPA or similar, but almost anything is better than having the smoke directly in your face with no fans.

butvacuum 14d ago
and breathing flux is a far larger concern than leaded solder. Physically getting them somewhere (eating while soldering, not washing hands, etc) is still a problem.
- nromiun 14d ago
  Both lead and lead free solder use the same chemical flux in their core. So you have the same problem with leaded flux cored solder. With the additional problem of lead.
- JohnFen 12d ago
  This. Just to expand on what you said a bit (since this is aimed at soldering newbies)... The fumes from leaded solder don't themselves contain lead. The iron isn't hot enough to vaporize the metal itself. The fumes are from the flux, and breathing those can be problematic. The immediate health risk in using leaded solder is all about touch and ingestion. Handling the solder gets lead on your fingers. That in and of itself is not a health risk unless you have a wound. But then if you touch food or mucous membranes (pick your nose, put your finger in your mouth, rub your eyes, etc.), you can get lead in your system. Not much, but once there, it doesn't leave, so accumulates over time. You can mitigate those risks by wearing gloves, washing your hands immediately after you're done, and being rigorous about not eating or drinking at the bench and not touching other parts of your body. Non of that helps with the environmental problems of using lead, of course.

butvacuum 14d ago

and breathing flux is a far larger concern than leaded solder. Physically getting them somewhere (eating while soldering, not washing hands, etc) is still a problem.

nromiun 14d ago
Both lead and lead free solder use the same chemical flux in their core. So you have the same problem with leaded flux cored solder. With the additional problem of lead.
JohnFen 12d ago
This. Just to expand on what you said a bit (since this is aimed at soldering newbies)... The fumes from leaded solder don't themselves contain lead. The iron isn't hot enough to vaporize the metal itself. The fumes are from the flux, and breathing those can be problematic. The immediate health risk in using leaded solder is all about touch and ingestion. Handling the solder gets lead on your fingers. That in and of itself is not a health risk unless you have a wound. But then if you touch food or mucous membranes (pick your nose, put your finger in your mouth, rub your eyes, etc.), you can get lead in your system. Not much, but once there, it doesn't leave, so accumulates over time. You can mitigate those risks by wearing gloves, washing your hands immediately after you're done, and being rigorous about not eating or drinking at the bench and not touching other parts of your body. Non of that helps with the environmental problems of using lead, of course.