Ventilation system for rented apartment

Jewelry Discussion
1

<edit - Message split>

  1. Does anyone have specific plans for setting up a spot ventilation
    system for a soldering station, without drilling a hole in the
    wall? I will be doing this in a rented college apartment in South
    Bend, IN, where snow will gladly visit my living room if I leave the
    window open at the right time, but I’m thinking that might be
    necessary. Where can I find a squirrel cage fan? Is it safe to attach
    the ducting to the fan and hood with just duct tape? And as for
    replacement air- if I have the window open while the fan is turned
    on, will it matter that the air’s coming and going from the same
    area?
2 
Where can I find a squirrel cage fan? Is it safe to attach

Same places I mentioned before, try http://www.sciplus.com

Okay, getting this out of the way: we all know that a fan in a window
is not an ideal ventilation system. But if you’re going to do it that
way, what you need to make sure of is that the air is not being blown
right across your face on it’s way out the window, so position
everything just so.

Try the archives, ventilation comes up a lot. If you can’t find it
using the ganoksin search engine, just use google.

Try ventilation ganoksin

Also, since you are near Chicago,

check out

http://www.ChicagoMetalArtsGuild.org

and

http://www.lillstreet.com

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com ™
Hard to Find Tools for Metal Clay

3

I use 2 axial fans in a window for ventilation.

Axial fans are the type used in computers and other electronic
equipment for cooling. I bought 2, 6" ones from a surplus electronic
supplier (make sure they are 110 or 115 Volts!) and wired them
together to a plug which I plug into a “router speed control” bought
from Harbor Freight. I cut a piece of plywood just wide enough to
cut holes and mount the fans, but still fit within my window. I
slide open the window about 10 inches, place the piece of plywood in
place, snug the window up, and crank the fans. With the speed
control I can run them at variable speeds, from barely turning up to
gale force. The fans were about $30 each and the speed control about
$10. You really could get by with only one fan, depending on the
size, they can move a lot of air. If you’re not lucky enough to have
a local place to buy one, they’re all over bay. Obviously, you’ll be
able to take the setup with you when you move so it’s not a bad
investment. Contact me off list if you’d like and I can sen d you
some pics.

For intake air, open a window on the opposite side of your
apartment, otherwise you just sucking the fumes back in.

Harry

4

Hi Monica,

You can find fans through:

or Home Depot, grainger.com, etc. inline fans are easier to set-up
then squirrel cage.

I work with glass as well as metal. For soldering I use a 300cfm
inline fan attached to a range hood over my soldering area. For glass
(flameworking w/6 torches) I use a 3500cfm fan at top speed.

You do not want your replacement air coming from the same source
that you exhaust out - why bother with the exhaust fan? You can also
use - which might work best for your situation - a fume extractor.

Richard Hoyt’s system:
http://www.glasscraftinc.com/product/product_detail.cfm?part_id=7159

I have also seen small table top fume extractors for under $60
through contenti.com

http://www.contenti.com/products/soldering/425-100.html

Hope this info helps!
Ciao,
Tosca Teran
http://www.nanopod.tv

5

Hi, the ventilating system is similar to what I have in my
studio…we used 1/4 inch type plexiglas to mount the fans into. Very
effective…I have dryer vent hoses attached to the two fans…one is
over the pickle pot and the other is over the solder bricks, etc.

Have fun in your venture.
RMChristison