Solder Fans

[kirshman]

You use one or not?  Got one you like?  That flux smell gives me a headache if I make a night of it.

[Kinski]

I use the Edsyn FXF-11. Works very well. Not too big and super quiet. Even has a place for your solder.

[Silver Blues]

Nope. I work in a relatively open area so it's not that big a deal.

[rocket88]

In all honesty it's good to use a fan or something to get the fumes away so you don't breath them in, especially if you use 60/40 lead solder, or have an open/well ventilated space. I've heard good things mentioned about the edsyn fan, and would be a good choice.

[Andy Miller]

I have a Hakko FA-400.    It's well-made, I wouldn't worry about it breaking if I bumped it and knocked it off the bench or something.  It works very well when you position your work right in front of it.  Any of the compact benchtop exhaust fans are going to be like that - proximity will be important.  If you want something that is less dependent on proximity to work well, then you're talking about a bigger, more powerful fan.

[Hozy31]

I use this one from Maplin UK - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201280677161?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
It works really well. I suffer from cold sores on my cornea which can be triggered by the irritation from the flux, so having the activated carbon filters helps a lot.

[texasfuzz]

Assuming you solder in the vicinity of your computer...

This is not professional grade by any means, but if you just need to keep the fumes from going right up your nostrils you can use a simple 5v DC fan (cost $3 - $4 typically) and connect it to an old cut USB cable you have hanging around and let your PC to run it.

Basically the outside pins of the USB port it is plugged into run it.  Pin 1 should be 5v and pin 4 should be ground.  The fan will probably be something like 0.20A, which should easily be pushed by a USB 1.0 or 2.0 port which I think deliver 0.50A.  Throw a SPST switch in the power wire and you don't have to plug and unplug it all the time.

It's quick and dirty, but it's cheap and keeps the fumes out of your nostrils.  It can easily be double side taped, clipped to helping hands, etc., anywhere you need it.

NOTE:  I bought a 5v fan and have an old USB cable, but I haven't actually made this yet.  It's currently just based on a a thought I had while looking at PC fans recently.  I'll give it a try in the next day or two to see how / if it works and let you know.