AFAIK, rosin flux fumes are not toxic, they are simply an irritant that can cause problems for folks with asthma or continuous prolonged inhalation. Other flux blends may be a different story, such as some of the "no clean" fluxes. I have some no-clean flux that I use when I do lead-free SMD work, and the stuff is nasty to smell compared to rosin. Rosin works well with lead-free, too, but the specific no-clean flux that I use with lead-free stuff works a little better.
I don't always bother with ventilation, and when I don't I just make sure the flux fumes aren't coming up into my face. When I do, I have a pair of 8000 rpm 80mm fans out of a server which are rated for full speed at 12v. I connect these to my variable 1A leg of my bench power supply, and set the speed where it works best, usually drawing air away from the work. They're zip tied together in a rectangular brick that works rather well on the long end, or can be stood up stable on the narrow end provided you don't give it too much thrust. This combo will push itself across the bench, if it's on a low-friction surface. Even an old beat up fan that doesn't work right in a PC any more will work fine, just pop the sticker off the bearing cover and spritz a little WD40 or put some light oil in it, and even a worn out sleeve bearing will spin full blast for a long while.
Echoing the sentiment of the others, lead solder isn't a problem for hobby use, you're not signing any RoHS compliance documents for what you're building. Lead-free solder does take a touch more heat to flow, and when it does flow it's not as smooth. You'll never get a glassy-smooth solder joint with lead-free solder, and it may "slump" more than lead solder.
Even still, you're talking about something that is typically 60% tin and 40% lead (or even less lead) that is replaced by an alloy of about 96% tin and 4% copper (or less). Most of what you're working with is tin anyhow.
As for desoldering, wick(braid) and pumps work very well, but as someone else pointed out, they're used in different ways. There are even different types of pumps. Some are a simple rubber bulb with a plastic tip, some are spring-driven piston pump "one-shots", some are a combination of the bulb and a soldering iron, and then there are full-blown vacuum desoldering stations ($$). If you're on a budget, the bulb and some wick will do you fine. If you can spend a bit more, the cheap one-shot pumps and the cheaper bulb-on-an-iron pumps are usually within the same price range. For beginners who can afford it, I typically recommend the bulb-iron device.
This picture I just found on the web shows the difference between a one-shot pump, a bulb-iron desolderer, and a roll of wick:
The great thing about the bulb-iron is that it's about as close as you can come to a vacuum desoldering station without a vacuum pump. You use the device itself (with the bulb squeezed) to flow the joint until it wiggles, and the release the bulb. Also, if you come across a small, cheap surplus vacuum pump, it can be converted.
The bulb irons usually go for between $10 and $100 depending on how much you care about a brand name.
Other than that, I'd say buy some cheap elenco kits (especially their learn to solder kits) and go to town. The documentation is brilliantly written (practically lifted from 60's/70's heathkit docs, by the looks of them) and will tell you how to do it right, and how to tell if you've done it right.
Hope this helps!
