Hi everyone.
For anyone who is aware of my situation (my project), i'm doing well for the amount of time i have. I've soldered up the boards and ready to see if they work.
Any how, I wanted to discuss where do people solder? I'm really depressed when i solder in my garage because, it's cold, uncomfortable, not a lot of lighting, only one door, and no vents at all (just the door open), a window, and a huge garage door leading to outside. I feel really down when I go into my garage to solder, and I want to know where do people regularly solder for hobbies and stuff like that.
I just usually solder at the kitchen table. I put a folded cardboard box down to protect the table.
dmjlambert:
I just usually solder at the kitchen table. I put a folded cardboard box down to protect the table.
I want to solder in my work place (usually for studying), right next to my bedroom, bathroom, but not my kitchen or living room (we have a three leveled house). Is that ok? there's a lot of ventilation the more up you go. A window is right next to my desk, and I have fans to blow smoke away.
Sounds good to me. You shouldn't be making that much smoke anyway. If you do, you burning things or using too much flux. Usually the flux in your rosin core solder is enough for most projects, and if you need to add flux you can use it sparingly. Make a plan, get things all ready, connected, and lined up, then plug in your soldering iron and go for it. Move from one joint to the next and work quickly. Then unplug. That's what I do. If your parents or siblings are fussy about the smell, you'll be kicked back out to the garage! So the fans and window may save you from that fate!
dmjlambert:
Sounds good to me. You shouldn't be making that much smoke anyway. If you do, you burning things or using too much flux. Usually the flux in your rosin core solder is enough for most projects, and if you need to add flux you can use it sparingly. Make a plan, get things all ready, connected, and lined up, then plug in your soldering iron and go for it. Move from one joint to the next and work quickly. Then unplug. That's what I do. If your parents or siblings are fussy about the smell, you'll be kicked back out to the garage! So the fans and window may save you from that fate!
Sounds great! Also, how do you keep from having those little solder pellets around your desk and keep the work place clean? I have a solder-proof mat that resists solder, but these little pellets keep forming and I keep making piles of these.
Well I just make a mess and then clean up afterwards.
dmjlambert:
Well I just make a mess and then clean up afterwards.
What do you clean it with?
brokenAvocado:
Sounds great! Also, how do you keep from having those little solder pellets around your desk and keep the work place clean? I have a solder-proof mat that resists solder, but these little pellets keep forming and I keep making piles of these.
For the little solder balls - I collect mine when I clean up. Since I use leaded solder, I collect them up, and put them in a pill bottle. When the bottle is full, I can melt them down - or take them to hazardous waste disposal or such.
What I don't do is "throw them away" (I also don't throw away any electronics scrap - it is all "hazardous waste" and treated accordingly).
Now - if you are using lead-free solder - you can probably just wipe up (or vacuum them up, or brush them into a dustpan) and dump them in the trash.
Would it be a problem if I was soldering near my bedroom? Even though I have windows open, a fan blowing the smoke away, but i'm still worried about solder getting into the vents and spreading all over the house.
Solder, the actual tin/lead metal, won't get anywhere unless you carry it there. You're not heating it enough to vaporize it into a gas that can drift around.
A little bit of smoke from the rosin flux won't hurt anything. We solder in a small upstairs room that we use as a workshop, next to the other bedrooms.