video thumbnail 11:25
Why does smoke from a soldering iron ALWAYS go towards your face???

2020-05-28

[public] 350K views, 25.5K likes, dislikes audio only

channel thumbAlphaPhoenix

Today I've finally answered a question that's bothered me for a long time - if you've ever used a soldering iron, it FEELS like the smoke is ALWAYS blowing directly towards your face, but for years I wrote it off as confirmation bias. It's not. There's a real physical reason the smoke is funneled annoyingly towards your eyeballs, and in this video, aided by a plane laser and a smoke machine, I figure it out!

CORRECTIONS:

1: Safety! Turns out mineral oil smoke CAN be toxic and produce Lipoid Pneumonia, thanks to Cheetah Spottycat below for pointing this out. I chose it initially because the internet told me it wouldn't leave residue all over my garage, but I cannot endorse it as a try-this-at-home technique!

USEFUL DISCUSSIONS:

https://www.reddit.com/r/electronics/comments/gsfayl/its_not_just_confirmation_bias_solder_smoke/

https://hackaday.com/2020/06/01/why-does-solder-smoke-always-find-your-face/

GIFS:

https://gfycat.com/querulousunsightlybrownbear

https://gfycat.com/easyindelibledegus

https://gfycat.com/helpfuleachcat

Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:

https://www.facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChannel/

https://twitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix

#Science #Lasers #Soldering

Music in this video:

I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626

Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326

Artist: http://incompetech.com/


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AlphaPhoenix I'm Brian Haidet - PhD in Materials Science, but I'd also describe myself as artist, maker, and Hawaiian shirt enthusiast. On this channel, You'll find my side projects and favorite physics demos - I hope you enjoy!
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