Hello all, I am thinking about making a home made fume extractor for soldering and I have some questions

1) Is it a worthwhile investment
2) Is it too dangerous to trust myself with building it
3) Is it as simple as pushing air through an active carbon filter
4) Any other tips?

Thanks

 

Hi,
I made one as shown in the photo. I put a light inside too. Just cut a hole through my wall to the outside and added a computer fan on the outside of the house. I used metal dryer vent hose. It works well with not a lot of air moving but I don't really do very much so its good for me. If I was going to do more circuits I would build a bigger one. Its a lot better then smelling the fumes. When its not in use I just hang it up out of the way. It has been there for several years and still works fine.
Chazmon3

 

A "fume" extractor is really nothing more than a fan to move the smoke from here to there..with a hefty price tag. You can add carbon/hepa filters to remove any dust, etc...

Its FAR more important to always keep your work surface clean of lead residue/wash your hands/keep food (open containers,etc..) away.

The flux smoke is really only a mild irritant and as lead does not vaporize at the temps required for soldering there is no lead content in the "solder fumes" its all burnt flux,etc....