Trash to treasure? Making my own solder-fume extractor! The perfect weld
Creator’s own settings as stated in the video (timestamps link to the moment). Not official values — test on scrap first.
Bill of materials
Welder, accessories, consumables and parts used in this build; quantities and specs are editable Download BOMDescription
Dapao Meimei in 24 seconds: strips the motor from dad's vacuum, a ¥2 air-conditioner drain hose heat-gunned onto it for a solder-fume extractor, a ¥6 Li-ion cell with internal resistance 18, AWithZ UF20B plug-in spot welder 'the perfect spot weld', a red wire to start it — hold it a bit further away and it can't pull the fumes at all, worse than a little fan
Solder fumes are bad for your health, so just build an extractor: strip dad's vacuum cleaner for the big motor; buy an air-conditioner drain hose for two yuan, heat the end evenly with a heat gun and gently slide it over the motor's intake; the newly bought six-yuan Li-ion cell has internal resistance 18, not bad; a burst of gibberish welding, very dashing — AWithZ UF20B plug-in spot welder, the perfect spot weld (screen shows a W318000 reading); finally run a red wire between the cell and the motor, the perfect weld; fire it up and test, looks fine, hold it a bit further away and it can't pull the fumes at all, worse than my little fan. 311 comments: 'for the perfect weld skip straight to 17 seconds if you're in a hurry' (pinned); dad: well thank you very much (he's working late and not home yet); a violent fan pulls fumes so fast (where can you strip a violent fan from); switch lanes (you recommend one and I'll follow); first time seeing a girl into this.
Outcome
| Goal | DIY solder-fume extractor |
| Build | Vacuum motor + drain hose + ¥6 Li-ion cell |
| Result | Runs but suction is too weak, worse than a little fan · verified on camera: Start-up test at 18–24s, 'hold it further away and it can't pull at all' |
Steps3 steps · click a frame to jump
1. Strip the vacuum motor, heat-gun the drain hose over the intakeSolder fumes are harmful so build an extractor; strip dad's vacuum for the big motor; ¥2 air-conditioner drain hose; heat the hose end with a heat gun and slide it over the intake.
00:00 – 00:09
2. ¥6 Li-ion cell, resistance 18; UF20B perfect spot weldNewly bought six-yuan Li-ion cell, internal resistance 18, not bad; a burst of gibberish welding, very dashing; AWithZ UF20B plug-in spot welder, the perfect spot weld.
00:09 – 00:14
3. Red wire, start it up: not enough suctionRun a red wire between the cell and the motor, the perfect weld; fire it up, looks fine; hold it further away and it can't pull at all, worse than a little fan.
00:14 – 00:24
Bill of materials
| Vacuum motor (stripped from dad's) ×1 | Fan |
| Air-conditioner drain hose ×1 | ¥2 · Air duct |
| Li-ion cell ×1 | ¥6, internal resistance 18 · Power |
| AWithZ UF20B plug-in spot welder ×1 | Spot welding |
| Heat gun ×1 | Fitting the hose |
Measured on camera
| Cell internal resistance | 18 mΩ 00:10 |
Creator’s tips
- Heating a plastic hose end with a heat gun lets you shrink-fit it over a motor intake 00:00
Pitfalls
- A vacuum motor makes a weak fume extractor; comments suggest a violent fan / server fan 00:14
Li-ion safety
- Solder fumes are bad for your health 00:00
Quotes
Cost & time
| Drain hose | ¥2 |
| Li-ion cell | ¥6 |
| Total | ¥8 |
