I have a question that I’m hoping I can get a few opinions on. I am
a relative beginner at jewellery making (a few years as a hobby with
occasional sales). A few weeks (maybe months now) ago there was a
conversation on Orchid regarding workshop safety and the importance
of good air quality where some users shared their horror stories
regarding long term airborne contaminants. This conversation got me
to thinking about the importance of buying an air filter.
I have, therefore, been looking at what to get and the options are
somewhat daunting. I don’t want to buy more than I need, but I
certainly am willing to pay for a high quality filter to meet my
needs (I figure my lungs/life are worth a lot).
I have a separate soldering station/desk right beside my regular
bench. I am using oxygen / acetylene Smith Little Torch. So I’d like
something that would catch soldering fumes as well as the acetylene
soot and also dust from any polishing/sanding I do with the flex
shaft (my polishing machine has a built in filter).
I had been looking at a FumeFighter500 from Air Quality Engineering,
but am worried that it might be too much filter for me and too
loud–I think it’s designed for larger scale welding.
Then I realized that the jewellery suppliers might have filters and
found lots of options.
I am now considering the Quatro Velocity X2 Two Station from Otto
Frei. I am looking for either opinions on this unit &/OR
recommendations for other filters.
Thank you all for reading, and even more for any replies,
I use a Metcal BVX 200. It’s a powerhouse, but quiet. Lasts forever
and has anice remote that sits on your soldering bench.
Outside is preferable, but not always accessible. If you put in
expensive ductwork, it can cost thousands. I’ve carried this unit
with me to workshops and sold several. Sturdy system and solid
investment.
While I can vent it outside (it’s what I do now, though my fan isn’t
really strong enough), the temperature outside in the winter here can
be -40, which means that all the hot air I vent will need replaced
with fresh air from outside, which will need warmed up considerably.
I figured that avoiding the need to heat that much extra air
combined with a little metal recovery from grinding/sanding with the
flex shaft would eventually pay for a filter. Though perhaps just
venting it would be a better idea. Thanks for suggesting the
option/suggestion. I’ll consider it.
Can you vent to the outside? That's what I do. Just get it out of
the room.
Me too. If you can do it, it’s not terribly expensive. I prefer
inline fans because you can place them anywhere in the duct. They
are pretty quiet but still it’s nice to have them as far away from
you are possible. An advantage is you can have one fan vent multiple
stations. They are nice in your house too, for instance you can have
one fan in the attic that vents all of your bathrooms, etc. Running
the duct work is a little putsy but it’s cheap. The whole thing
isn’t much more expensive than a fume collector plus no filters to
mess with.
This is the type of fan, there are many manufactures and variations
to choose from.
Mark, I had sent my last reply before your post saying you don’t
want to vent outside made it to the forum. I will say that I too
live in the frozen north and I vent outside, but it’s a choice. I
have both a Fumex fume extractor (one of the smaller models hooked
up to a machine) and I also use a Quatro Velocity 4 port dust
collector for polishing dust. As you know they are not the same
thing, the Quatro wouldn’t help you with the fumes, although Quatro
does sell another unit that does (Solderpure I think they call it).
I think you are looking for two different machines, one for dust and
one with finer filters for fumes. I love the Quatro dust collector,
particularly in combination with the Clearview polishing hoods, that
is a fairly closed system and it really reduces the dust in the
shop/studio. It’s quieter than other models but it’s still pretty
loud, it’s hard to talk on the phone when it’s on. The fume
extractors really do work well, but they are fairly loud (even the
quiet ones) and the multiple filters are usually a couple hundred
bucks a year, although you have the spent onesrefined. I’d check out
the Solderpure and talk to Fumex (they were less expensive when I
was looking).