Jam Needs Advice, SERIOUS ON THIS ONE.

[jambutty]

Tell Yer Wot, I'm woried and this aint one of Jam's wind ups either!

OK yer may all know that I do repairs (self taught and been doing for about 9 months) I like havin a do at repairing stbs and been quite succsesful.

Issue here is that on Krypt Boxes (main boards), they use Lead free solder (some Eurovoxes do has well) and you need a very good soldering irion to melt this solder, I think it's 300 degrees, OK my iron can only hit 200 degrees and it takes ages to de solder bad components from these boards, so I decided to buy a solder station that can reach 450 degrees and will get these components out of main board.

BUT I'm a bit scared to use this solder station: CSI Station 2A Solder Iron.
I bought from ebay that arrived Monday

It' has a nice led display and it's made in China.
I got it from ebay www.circuitspecialists.eu
But what's worried me was the sticker on the front of the box:

WARNING: This product, when used for soldering and similar applications, produces chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm Precautions should be taken!

Can any of you guys Help me on this scary lable on the front of this box.
I would assume that anything unsafe would not be allowed to be sold in the UK.
So I'm not going to try this iron out til I'm certain it's safe to use.

Kindest regards
Jam

[reddiesel]

Originally Posted by jambutty

Tell Yer Wot, I'm woried and this aint one of Jam's wind ups either!

OK yer may all know that I do repairs (self taught and been doing for about 9 months) I like havin a do at repairing stbs and been quite succsesful.

Issue here is that on Krypt Boxes (main boards), they use Lead free solder (some Eurovoxes do has well) and you need a very good soldering irion to melt this solder, I think it's 300 degrees, OK my iron can only hit 200 degrees and it takes ages to de solder bad components from these boards, so I decided to buy a solder station that can reach 450 degrees and will get these components out of main board.

BUT I'm a bit scared to use this solder station: CSI Station 2A Solder Iron.
I bought from ebay that arrived Monday

It' has a nice led display and it's made in China.
I got it from ebay www.circuitspecialists.eu
But what's worried me was the sticker on the front of the box:

WARNING: This product, when used for soldering and similar applications, produces chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm Precautions should be taken!

Can any of you guys Help me on this scary lable on the front of this box.
I would assume that anything unsafe would not be allowed to be sold in the UK.
So I'm not going to try this iron out til I'm certain it's safe to use.

Kindest regards
Jam

Its a legal warning like COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health) we have in uk, as long as the room is well ventilated , dont breath in the fumes, and wash hands after especially using flux, you are only doing a small amount of soldering compared to someone doing it full time, so i wouldnt worry too much.

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by reddiesel

Its a legal warning like COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health) we have in uk, as long as the room is well ventilated , dont breath in the fumes, and wash hands after especially using flux, you are only doing a small amount of soldering compared to someone doing it full time, so i wouldnt worry too much.

Phhhheww Thanks Red,
This is a reply I was hoping for, cos it's a great solder station on lookin'n at it, cost me about £40 with p&p, and I bought this for reasons explained on my post.
Yeah more confident to plug it in now afta yer reply Red, so I'll open all me windows and I'll buy some a them throw a way mask that paint srayers use for added confidence when I use it.
Jam

[jambutty]

Jam's more confident now afta this sticker that I told yer about that worried me a bit on this solder station I bought the other day..

I emailed the supplier and also a mate in Birmingham who's worked in Electronics for yonks and I got these emails back:
This was the email from who I bought it from.

Hi AJ,
Apologies for causing alarm. The warning does not pertain to the contents of the box, but the ap[plication for which the unit is intended, specifically the fumes that can be emitted by leaded solder. In the UK, there is no requirement for us to display such a message. It is considered common sense that solder containing lead will emit some lead fumes when heated.
The same is true in the EU and in most parts of the US. You may or may not be aware that we also distribute in the US. Of all the places in the US, only the State of California requires this warning to be displayed on the box. To avoid the scenario whereby a unit is dispatched to the State of California without the warning, we elected to have every box display the warning.The Californian law states that any machine that may possibly be used in conjunction with potentially harmful substances, such as solder containing lead, must carry a warning. Of course, if working with leaded solder, we would always advise using the machine in a well ventilated area with a small fume extractor, if required. You could also take the extra precaution of wearing a mask. Please be assured, however, that the unit you have purchased WILL NOT emit any harmful fumes.
It's simply the lead content in the solder that you will be using which is potentially harmful.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This was a email from a mate in Birmingham.

Hi Jam
Solder gives off nasty fumes, irrespective of what soldering
iron/station you use. The fumes contain chemicals that are particularly
bad for unborn babies. When I worked for an electronics company,
pregnant women were moved off soldering duties until after their baby
was born to avoid any problems caused by breathing in fumes 8 hours a
day. Ideally you would have some form of fume extraction system, but in
a domestic environment, that's hardly practical, and you are unlikely to
be soldering all day every day. Just try to avoid breathing in the fumes
directly and you'll come to no harm.

OK Jam's OK on this now and I feel safe to use it.

Thanks to Reddiesel, Brett Christian and Bob in Brum.

[waqasahmed]

if your really scared, then get a mask. Seriously if you do a lot of soldering, Id get one

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by waqasahmed

if your really scared, then get a mask. Seriously if you do a lot of soldering, Id get one

No Waq, sorted out now afta I posted this thred and a got some re-asuuring replies, it was just a leagal technicality that had to be printed on this item.

But to be certin, am gonna get some paint sprayers mask when am doin' solder jobs, a might even put an extention lead out a me window and do me solder jobs outside.
Jam

[Amazing1000]

Jam m8 you can get a fume extractor which are reasonably priced to save breathing in the lead fumes + other nasties.
To unsolder lead free joints use 400 degrees and braid, you will find that they come away easy.
Don't use 400 to solder though as it may spit and also cause dry joints, use 300.

[jambutty]

Tell Yer what!!!

Thanks to yer all who replied on this issue and re-asured me on this.

I plugged it in about 1-2 hours back and to be more confident I wrapped a scarf round me face.
anyhow I had a go on an old pcb that was no good to do a test at de-solderin some components out, and tell yer wot, I'm impressed with this solder station, it's really good, most components fell out on there own.

So thanks to yer all, just gonna un-pop a can a Fosters now to celebrate.
Jam

[jambutty]

Tell yer what, Ive just dropped a bollock:

I just went down to the old bag who lives underneath me (cos she's like me, a right bloody night owl, and
she don't hit the hay til 5-6 am) I thought I'd unzip a Fosters but I had no Blackcurrant (a can't drink
Lager on it's own, I like it witha smidgon of Blackcurrant) anyhow a forgot to take the sarf off me face
when a was using that solder station, and when she opened her door she nearly had an heart atack and slamed
her door shut in me face and she's just rang the boys in blue to say a burglar with a scarf ova hes face
just tried to rob her!!!
Eck, just looked out a me window and ther's about 3 cop cars and 5 cop vans and about 2 cops with dogs
lurking outside the flats.
What the bloody hell am a gonna tell em when they come knockin on me door!!!

[sparky52]

you were wearing it because of the swine flu(and holding a bag of pork scratchings),they will beleive it..really they will

sparky