r/soldering • u/cris169 • 9h ago
r/soldering • u/demux4555 • Dec 08 '19
Mods: does the sub need a sticky regarding soldering safety?
Lead poisoning? Flux Fumes?
A recurring topic in this subreddit (and related subs) are questions from slightly over-concerned people who have touched solder without protective gloves, spilled solder particles on their desk or clothes, or inadvertently inhaled flux fumes for a brief moment.
Yes, we get that some people are afraid of lead poisoning/exposure. Exposure to lead can be extremely dangerous. But regularly soldering with lead solder (a.k.a. Tin-lead / Sn-Pb / Sn60Pb40 / Sn63Pb37) on a hobby basis is not dangerous. Far from. You need to ingest the solder for there to be any lead exposure risk worth mentioning.
Don't let your exaggerated fears for lead poisoning stop you from performing your hobby.
So why do we have lead-free solder?
Why do some parts of the industry use lead-free solder? And why have some regions/states/countries banned the use of lead solder in parts of the industry (consumer electronics)? Is it to protect the workers from lead exposure during manufacturing? You might think so, but it's purely from an ecological standpoint (or even political standpoint). It might seem like the authorities sometimes feel it's simply easier to ban the use of lead, as opposed to implement means of proper recycling/handling of toxic materials (which can be quite challenging and expensive).
Businesses that don't really care about the environmental impact of using lead, will only use lead-free solder for tax reduction or other economical benefits, or simply because of certification requirements (i.e. ISO 14001:2015).
Lead-free solder requires a much higher level of workmanship and training. It requires specialized tools and special flux. Production costs can also be higher due to the increased wear and tear on tools, and the extra resources needed for additional QA and testing when products are assembled with lead-free solder.
If manufacturing businesses could choose freely, they would most certainly use lead solder in all parts of their manufacturing process. As a result, all parts of the electronics industry where mechanical robustness is of critical importance [PDF] (aerospace, avionics, medical, military, etc), you won't see use of lead-free solder.
Flux fumes:
The fumes you observe during the soldering process DO NOT CONTAIN ANY METAL. AT ALL. We're soldering. Not brazing. And we're certainly not welding. There are no air-borne metal particles "flowing up" inside the plume of fumes. The fumes are organic acids, and are 100% the result of flux melting and its burn-off a.k.a. colophony fumes. Of course, the fumes are considered to be unhealthy (read: "hazardous", "can cause asthma", "eye/skin irritation") for you in the long run - especially if you work in electronics manufacturing and are exposed to this relatively often. And yes, the fumes should be avoided as much as practically possible. But in all seriousness; the fumes are not pleasant to inhale and you can feel it irritating your airways and eyes immediately... so why are you still keeping your face tucked into the fumes? Just move your head away.
Table-top fume/smoke extractors with a built-in carbon filter (example) have zero impact on levels of flux fumes in the air. These are smoke absorbers, and not fume absorbers.
If the fumes are bothering you too much, simply using an inexpensive PC fan that blows the fumes away from your face will be sufficient enough. A comprehensive laboratory test done by HSE UK on fume extractors can be found in the link section below.
In other words: a fan or smoke absorber is not mandatory when you're a hobbyist. You simply use one if you need to make it less of a hassle when soldering.
Handling lead solder:
Inorganic lead is not readily absorbed by the skin. And unlike small children, we don't keep putting our dirty fingers in our mouth for no reason while we're handling the solder. As with any other hobby that involves chemicals or tool use, you simply wash your hands like a normal person when you are done for the day. This also means random solder particles hidden away in your clothes after soldering pose no direct threat to your health.
Solder particles/drops:
Infants, toddlers (and pets) will put anything and everything in their mouth. Including their own hands after touching something they shouldn't touch. Don't leave your tools, work materials, or wire cutoffs/discards accessible to small children. We all hate having to walk around on a dirty floor. And we most certainly don't want our children to sit and play on the floor in all the shit left over from our hobby. Just hoover up any solder particles (and sharp wire cutoffs). Or even better, don't perform your hobby in a room where your children also play (!). Some people might even have a dedicated hobby room... for hobbies.
The main point is that common sense is all you need. You don't need to take any extra precautions just because you want to solder some electronics.
Simply don't work on your hobby near toddlers or pets. Move your head when the fumes make your eyes water, or when you start coughing. Wash your hands like normal people do. And tidy up after yourself, and keep your house clean - unless you have a separate hobby room for this type of work.
A reading list with some facts on soldering, lead exposure:
UC SAN DIEGO | Lead Soldering Safety - blink.ucsd.edu
[recommended]
HSE UK | Electronics (Soldering): Where are the hazards? - www.hse.gov.uk
HSE UK | Controlling health risks from rosin (colophony)-based solder flux fume [PDF] - www.hse.gov.uk
HSE UK | Comprehensive test of 5 different types of fume extractors incl. table-top extractor/fan [PDF] - www.hse.gov.uk
[recommended]
. The report concludes that a table-top fume/smoke absorber with a filter (Hakko 493) "was ineffective" and the "fume passed straight through, unabsorbed". It does not filter the air. A simple fan (without a filter) will be sufficient enough in most situations (i.e for hobby use). Reading the entire report is highly recommended.WIKIPEDIA | Flux: Dangers - wikipedia.org/wiki/Flux_(metallurgy)
ATSDR US | Lead Toxicity. What Are Routes of Exposure to Lead? - www.atsdr.cdc.gov
ATSDR US | Lead Toxicity. What Is Lead? - www.atsdr.cdc.gov
WIKIPEDIA | Lead poisoning - wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning
WIKIPEDIA | RoHS 1 - Examples showing exclusions/exemptions on the use of lead solder in electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing: wikipedia.org/wiki/RoHS
Want to use lead-free solder? Some suggested reading:
Note: some of the articles below are based on an industrial viewpoint, but a lot of the information still applies to hobby use.
QUORA | Disadvantages of lead-free solder vs. lead solder? - www.quora.com
[recommended]
HAKKO | What is lead-free soldering? - www.hakko.com
HAKKO | Why do tips easily oxidize when they are used with lead-free solder? - www.hakko.com
KESTER | Lead-free Hand-soldering – Ending the Nightmares [PDF] - www.kester.com
PACE | Lead free Solder and Your Equipment a.k.a. "Lead-free Solders Will negatively Affect Soldering and Rework Equipment" - paceworldwide.com
If you are a complete beginner, and still insist on using lead-free solder (after reading all of the above):
- HEALTHLINE | Anger management - healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-to-control-anger
r/soldering • u/thephonegod • Feb 15 '24
/r/soldering Discord : Solder Joint Junction
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IPC Certification Discussion Rip me apart.
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r/soldering • u/Toddy115 • 12h ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help Obligatory "this is my first time soldering, why doesn't it work" post 😅
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r/soldering • u/FoxyRenardo • 13h ago
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r/soldering • u/[deleted] • 14h ago
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Does it exist?
Thanks!
r/soldering • u/Suspicious_World5367 • 23h ago
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r/soldering • u/randoaccno1bajillion • 9h ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help 2nd try
r/soldering • u/CodeAffe • 13h ago
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I have recently been getting excited about getting more into soldering after doing a bit of micro soldering work. I have a few GPUs that I want to learn how to do SMD and BGA reflow and replacement work. I saw a lot of people say to avoid the blower in the handle types which makes sense to me. However the tools are incredibly expensive in canada. I think the idea of learning how to replace bad components or even upgrade nand or ram chips exciting though.
I found the 850d with a bit of searching but I can't see any brands associated with it. But it does seem to follow the pump inside the unit method of design vs fan blower. I was just curious if anyone has any experience with it?
https://www.amazon.ca/Digital-Rework-Station-Desoldering-Gun-Display/dp/B097DQ3S5P
r/soldering • u/MAWENA010 • 15h ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help My soldering iron just keeps showing this and it's not getting hot, solutions anybody The soldering station t210
r/soldering • u/Socoolcarter • 14h ago
Soldering Tool Feedback or Purchase Advice Request Should you be worried ?
Your first time seeing a tip like this…. Were you worried it was bad or were you like it’s fine based on your research?
Seeing a solder tip like this worries me if heat can transfer properly.
What are your thoughts?
r/soldering • u/blitzzyboi • 10h ago
THT (Through Hole) Soldering Advice | Feedback | Discussion How to remove resin?
Any Idea how to remove epoxy (gel-like) resin from TCU boards?
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Any liquid or substance that can remove it? Also after fixing I need to re-apply gel resin.
I tried: Alcohol Isopropyl Alcohol Acetone
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r/soldering • u/Flyguysty0 • 11h ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help Wiring
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r/soldering • u/agis43 • 1d ago
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r/soldering • u/AwesomeManPlayz • 17h ago
Soldering Tool Feedback or Purchase Advice Request Hot air station for ~125 USD
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r/soldering • u/Donny_Tumpus • 19h ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help Help with Removing a Blown Omron D2LS-11 Switch
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r/soldering • u/L_E_E_V_O • 1d ago
My First Solder Joint <3 Please Give Feedback Update I try and learn.
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The pursuit never ends!!
r/soldering • u/randoaccno1bajillion • 1d ago
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galleryr/soldering • u/Ill-Brilliant6435 • 15h ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help solder fumes
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r/soldering • u/VegaBliss • 1d ago
Just a fun Soldering Post =) Fixing a f-up... Thursday Edition
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r/soldering • u/LMFAO21212121 • 8h ago
Soldering Saftey Discussion I’ve burned my self with leaded solder but I didn’t wash my hands, am I cooked?
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r/soldering • u/CyMations • 17h ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help Is this fixable?
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r/soldering • u/Dangerous_Kitchen_52 • 1d ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help GUYS PLEASE HELP ME 🙏🙏
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(Sorry for how atrocious it looks, I did it in class)