Soldering Station
Had a person ask about my torches and soldering station. I use Smith torches with Oxygen and Propane. I have a Little Smith torch and a Versa torch. I love and use them both daily. There are all kinds of different torches and gas options and you just get use to whatever you are using.
The black melted square box in the picture is a soldering fume charcoal extractor and I have an air purifier next to that which cannot be seen in the photo. I also wear a mask when I solder and actually usually don’t take my mask off all day. I do consider my ventilation inadequate so if you can have a better set up than this. In the summer I can at least open all the windows.
Sorry my soldering station is a mess. My friend who is also a metalsmith has a perfect station, you know who you are…… Sometimes I clean it and it is messy again in 5 minutes. I usually work on at least 5 different pieces at one time in various stages of progression. This works for me but not for everyone. I also solder on charcoal which many people do not use either. I just like it. The thing underneath the charcoal blocks is a piece of granite countertop that you can junk pick from your local granite countertop company. Small pieces are in their dumpster. Just go in and ask for a small piece. My husband cut this piece to fit my bench with a german saw. The countertop place would probably cut it for you too for a small cost. I just like it because I can wipe it off so easily and it is 
fire-proof.
Sorry so lengthy and hope this helps but there are all kinds of different ways to do things so good luck with your set up.
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Just wondering why you can’t solder right on the granite rather than use charcoal blocks that must be replaced. I have granite and need to know if it will work for a soldering surface as well as a charcoal block works. Do you know by chance?
I have the granite top just for flame resistance and heat resistance. I can set an annealed piece of silver at 1500 degrees and set it on the granite. The granite as a surface to solder on would probably not work. It would be such a huge heat sink that nothing would ever get hot. The charcoal block or a solderite pad reflects the heat back at the silver and actually makes it easier/faster to solder pieces… Hope this helps as an explanation.
My soldering station is messier than yours, haha! Thanks for the tip on using a piece of granite countertop. I’ve been looking for something inexpensive to put under my set up, and this looks just the perfect thing.
I would love more info about the “soldering fume charcoal extractor” if you have the time…
The charcoal fume extractor can be bought at ‘Glass Masters’ or ‘Glass Crafters’ – can’t remember but it will come up right away in a goggle search. It is a soldering fume extractor and was around 40-50$. It has a small charcoal filter and a fan behind it – that’s it. Pretty simple construction. I do find that when using my bigger torch I have to be careful not to melt it but it takes a lot of heat in general and keeps the fumes outta your face 🙂