For those who solder at home - how are you guys extracting your fumes? It's really never crossed my mind but with age, I'm becoming more of a hypochondriac. Do you need a filter or just a fan blowing out a window?

<p></p><p>Small fan so you don't directly breathe the fumes.&nbsp;http://www2.lbl.gov/ehs/ih/pdf/safeSolderingFinal.pdf</p><p>At work, we use small computer fans or exhaust ducts, again, to keep from directly breathing the rising plumes. For the little bit you are likely to be doing, I wouldn't be concerned about the window.&nbsp;</p>

Saturday morning in Manhattan.

Late summer. A cooling breeze blows.

People walk. Some run. A child laughs, a horn honks.

Street-cart shawarma and warm garbage co-mingle in the nose.

Life is good.

Hmmm. Timberland pros have been my go to for 10+ years (usually last 6 months) and I was actually just going to order a new pair this weekend. Maybe I will give these a try...

These are steel toe correct? As this is a must for us. Usually a few weeks into wearing them the forms start ripping apart the toes, exposing the steel. For some reason its more predominant on my left foot. Not even sure how it happens, but it happens to every pair. Without steel toes I surely wouldn't have much left for toes.

I always bought the soft-toe Timberland Titan, and the specific boots I linked to above are also soft-toe. My work is about 50% office, 50% climbing ladders / floor grids / etc. No forklifts or girders. So I have no need for a hardened toe, and I've never liked the feel of them. (Also makes it much harder to shift a motorcycle.)

Regardless, if you're used to Timberland, you need to check out Red Wing / Irish Setter. The quality difference is amazing, and the comfort is identical. The *ONLY* complaint I have about the Irish Setter boots is that, in size 14, my thighs are in constant contact with the steering wheel when driving a Miata. (The sole, and the heel in particular, is both longer and thicker than the Timberland, causing my legs to sit slightly higher in the car. This is probably not an issue for people with normal-sized feet.)

Welcome to the forum, Frankenstein.

i breathe out when i solder...

also:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1440875473

i breathe out when i solder...

also:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1440875473

i breathe out when i solder...

also:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1440875474

love this:

so prices do NOT included all charges to be paid...

<br />
<br /><br />
<br />Pick up your feet when you walk. Bet you drag your toes somehow.

Yeah, I think I'd know if I was dragging my feet when I walked. lol

This is from kicking the metal forms when setting them, letting them drop to my feet to help balance the weight, etc. Its definitely happening on the job site, because I have a separate pair of Timberlands that I only use for meetings and office days that still look brand new. Those fuckers are like 4 years old too.

This is the condition of the last pair I retired. I keep them in the office as a spare set for pouring floors.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1440877183

I don't think I could drag my toes if I tried. That's Ministry of Silly Walks stuff. I'd end up planting my face in the dirt.

I just watched a video of a carrier landing and takeoff of a C-130.

Again and again and again,

SamNavy, have you seen this shit?

The coolest (scariest) landings I ever saw in real life were CH53s landing chinese in a dense fog on an amphibious assault ship.

More cool C-130 stuff.
(Operation Honeybadger)
The C-130 on the blue angels is rigged with a version of these thrusters.

put an automatic engagement of the rockets so they are tied to the wheels and be done with it.

I just had some boots made custom to order back when Allen Edmonds did group made-to-orders for cheap. Too hot for summer though. Fall they will get a workout.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1440961596

Horween's Dublin leather. Made in Mur-cuh!

Are you guys using leaded solder or lead-free?

Leaded. 63/37.

Lead-free solder is massive compromise, forced upon the industry by the European RoHS directive, which aims to eliminate environmental pollution (landfills, water table, etc) by a large number of heavy metals and other toxins, of which lead is one.

There is extremely little risk of human toxicity from the use of lead solder at the workbench, unless you are literally eating the solder. Lead does not evaporate during the soldering process. Lead-free solder is all about what happens after you throw the device away, not what happens while the device is being constructed or used.

Lead-free solder is much more difficult to use than lead-bearing solder, not just for the hobbyist but for OEMs as well. Every manufacturer of circuit boards went through a huge learning curve, with lots of failures and massive cost, during the transition. And, at Harris, we continued to use 63/37 leaded solder at the service department (for repair / rework) long after the manufacturing process went lead-free. Lead-free solder has a higher working temperature, poorer wetting, poorer flow characteristics, is more prone to crystallization and cracking, lacks the instant phase-charge characteristic (from liquid directly to solid, without a plastic phase) of 63/37, and is generally just a pain in the ass to work with. It can be done well in a fully-automatic reflow oven, but sucks for hand-soldering.


This is my everyday, general-purpose solder: http://www.parts-express.com/kester-...spool--370-074

Lead-free solder also causes problems for spacecraft. It has a significantly greater potential for tin-whiskering compared to the leaded ones.