Soldering...

[PNG123]

 So i finally borrowed my brothers' soldering Iron,
It is an 'Antex' 25 Watt Iron witha massive tip 4mm wide at the tip!!
I also have the solder which is:
Kent Crown, Alloy (60 Sn, 40 Pb), Diam (1.0%), Flux 2.0%

Is the above equipment good?
(according to RG's article it should be fine ,but want to douuble check.)

Also,
I read somewhere the funes out of the solder flux may be harmful,
What are your opinions on prevention, cure if this gets into ones mouth , nose, eyes?

Thanks for your replies,
PNG

[smnm]

25W seems pretty standard, as is (or was) 60-40 solder. Can the tip on the soldering iron be changed? (If it's held on with a screw collar then tips are interchangeable) If so I'd look into getting a finer tip from Radio Shack or somewhere online. A big tip like that is ok for guitar wiring etc but a finer tip is better for smaller things - makes a bif difference.

[PNG123]

Unfortunately the tip is not intergangeble 
I am going to try this one out,
If i eventully buy my own i will buy it with a finer tip.

What do you think about my second question regarding solder fumes? 

[Izzy]

I use 40 watt soldering iron from Radio shack. Its pretty hot while soldering.
And I use rosin flux (60/40) which is also from radio shack.
I dont know whether that is good or bad.

[JimRayden]

What do you think about my second question regarding solder fumes? 

Mouth, nose - it's not too bad until you build periodically and it's your day job. But just in case, I like to keep at least the door open, so the fumes can't pile up in my small workshop.

Eyes - try to avoid it, it hurts pretty bad. But as with inhaling - no worries if it happens once though. Just hurts.

All in all, fumes are the things to keep away from your face.


Now wait until someones starts scaring you with some chemical reaction talk.

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Jimbo

[PNG123]

Hehe,
good to hear that,
What would you suggest as a precaution?

[mdh]

Jimbo got to it before me... but here's my 2 cents anyway.

What do you think about my second question regarding solder fumes? 

In my experience, fumes from the flux can cause some respiratory irritation, but that has mostly been a problem for me when I've done a marathon session that includes a lot of desoldering to salvage components, or reusing components that have been soldered and desoldered many times (hence, lots of flux residue around). For soldering new components to a clean pcb or perf, I wouldn't worry too much. That said, if you notice any irritation, it's probably best to take a break for awhile, and try to change your habits so that you don't inhale the fumes so much.

Matt

[PNG123]

Thanks to all of you fro your answer,
any further opinions suggestions will be appreciated

[JimRayden]

---------
Jimbo

[petemoore]

  I'm convinced something about the fumes, or 'spritzes' [fine particles of hot goo] can eat through my fingertip skin, and seems to irritate my nose.
  buncha different types of hazardous fumages tend to get going, so I made a soldering station and method. Nothing beats my hands for holding the board, and the iron tip stays put real good in the brick-hole when I put it in there for board work, offboard work I sometimes remove it.
  When the iron is in the brick, it is also in a cardboard box [lighted w/quarts and other] which has a 4'' vent-tube sticking in it, right over the soldering area, the 4'' fan I copped off a computer pulls the fumes...[I wish outside but...]into the adjacent storage room. Hafta say I can work boards up quick with the ability to handle and angle-position the board to >the tip of the iron...as opposed to what everyone else does...which is reposition and re-secure the board [using third hand or some type of clamp] and bring the tip to the joint to be soldered.
  The 'pro' way, [although I heard of this only once, and have never seen a 'market product' like it advertised] from what I heard a guy that solders with other solderers...is a metal tube that is mounted on the iron, extending along so the opening is right near the tip, this effectively sucks all fumes away, the flex-tube and tip-tube for this system are a little more cumbersome, and it requires and 'induction' fan...something that pulls hard enough....the little fans I tried to rig up didn't pull hard enough at all.
  They smell kinda sweet or something, I don't like 'em, them fumes get to me.
  There was discussion all about this, and how best to injest/assimilate lead...the effects of lead poisoning etc.

[PNG123]

wow, sound really advanced , Could we see some pictures?

[MetalGod]

---------
Jimbo

+1, thats what I do too. 

I'd say a 25w iron is pretty big for wiring up PCBs though, I use an 18w Antex and it's perfect - have also used a 15w iron in the past that worked fine.

[PNG123]

Hey whilst we are on the subject,
I know what PCB and RTS boards are but what are the differences between
Perfboards, verfboards and breadboards?

(I am going to build the beginner project NPN booster, and this is on a breadboard, right?)

[JimRayden]

Perfboard: dot by dot.


Veroboard: line by line


Breadboard: line by line, no solder.


I appologize to anyone whose refusal to repost their picture I violated. Let me know and I'll take 'em down.

------------
Jimbo

[PNG123]

Thanks again, very helpfull

[petemoore]

  Breadboards are nice cause you can pre-build...to test circuits and changing a value is easy as using those plug in holes, no solder, just to set up "X" circuit for testing/tweeking. For mounting in a box any of the other permanent type boards are good.
  perf tends to lend itself to following the schematic and there is less 'going over here and then back via convoluted routing', I find them fairly easy to *debug and 'absorb' the circuit mentally...how it's laid out by your design *following schematic.
  Veroboard is cool because the layouts make it mosltly color by number, fewer solder joints need be made compared to perf because of the strips.
  PCB's...easiest for large projects, really color by number. and can be made however you want, especially nice if you make PCB's [I haven't] or get one.
  Then theres non copper board, like perf but just plain holes, this ain't too bad either, makes for no messy copper pads/no copper pads...probably not quite as solid as soldering components to fixed copper pads, can be re-used.
  When I started out I'd paste the schematic right to a piece of cardboard, then drill holes or insert copper posts where leads would connect [after the first one I dumped the posts idea], hanging garden [no board at all], is the least trustworthy, I think a board is needed.
  Lastly...long time ago, [BTW where's Ansil...] word of dowel usage as 'board'...drill holes through a dowel rod and work the circuit through them...lol.
  I have a Ross Comp and SS phaser on PCB's I ordered, the rest is all on perf.

[PNG123]

Reviving this topic from it's rest,

Today i had a bright idea (or atleast i thought/think so till someone shows me what i did wrong),
To buy some Lab glasses and a paper thingy to cover my mouth (like the ones they used when there was SARS),
This way the fumes won't come into my mouth or eyes ))

Haha, good idea or what?
Now i will just get a small fan and work on my window sill so all the fumes will go straight out too.

[343 Salty Beans]

  Breadboards are nice cause you can pre-build...to test circuits and changing a value is easy as using those plug in holes, no solder, just to set up "X" circuit for testing/tweeking. For mounting in a box any of the other permanent type boards are good.
  perf tends to lend itself to following the schematic and there is less 'going over here and then back via convoluted routing', I find them fairly easy to *debug and 'absorb' the circuit mentally...how it's laid out by your design *following schematic.
  Veroboard is cool because the layouts make it mosltly color by number, fewer solder joints need be made compared to perf because of the strips.
  PCB's...easiest for large projects, really color by number. and can be made however you want, especially nice if you make PCB's [I haven't] or get one.
  Then theres non copper board, like perf but just plain holes, this ain't too bad either, makes for no messy copper pads/no copper pads...probably not quite as solid as soldering components to fixed copper pads, can be re-used.
  When I started out I'd paste the schematic right to a piece of cardboard, then drill holes or insert copper posts where leads would connect [after the first one I dumped the posts idea], hanging garden [no board at all], is the least trustworthy, I think a board is needed.
  Lastly...long time ago, [BTW where's Ansil...] word of dowel usage as 'board'...drill holes through a dowel rod and work the circuit through them...lol.
  I have a Ross Comp and SS phaser on PCB's I ordered, the rest is all on perf.

You forgot about PCCB  :

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=50061.0

[petemoore]

This way the fumes won't come into my mouth or eyes
  Glasses don't seal fumes out but are a great idea anyway, and some of the fumes are chemical so a dust mask will only lessen your exposure..and rub 'fume and grits' into your cheeks and nose...your cheeks may not respond like mine do, not too bad if I remember to wash my face after a 'grit rub'.