This is my first post ever, so please don't flame me! I had a dream the other day about a homemade fume hood. In my dream, this is what I did:
Got a 25 gallon aquarium from a transmission shop (don't ask) for free... got a 25cm bathroom exhaust fan from a home salvage store ($5)... a length of dryer hose (long enough to go from my "work-station" to outside) ($10)... some RTV sealant from my garage (made of silicon, about $5 at a auto parts store)... roll of duct tape ($2)
Ok, I used glass cutters to cut a hole in the bottom of the aquarium. The hole was cut to the mounting dimensions of the exhaust fan (Cutting glass is VERY tricky...take your time!)I mounted the fan using the RTV sealant.... be sure of a good seal... don't want any leaks. I then duct taped the hose to the back of the exhast fan, and ran the other end of the hose to outside. I suspended the aquarium from the ceiling using hooks that I screwed in. All you have to do now is wire up the fan (Actually wire it BEFORE you hang the setup). If you don't know how to wire something into a circuit, please ask a knowledgable friend to help you! I know it's a crude setup, but it seems to work ok. I'm not sure if there will be any problems with corrosion of my fan, hose, etc... I plan to check that after every use. If something needs replacing, it will bee cheap. Always bee safe. If this hood ends up not working well in my next dream, I'll bee sure to re-post. If anyone sees any kind of problem with this design, please let me know (I don't want to die from some stupid mistake I didn't think about). Peace