Pace were the nicest I've used, but it wasn't a whole lot faster than using a Soldapullt DS017 (I timed myself changing a large number of caps). I tried a Weller unit, but it just didn't pull enough vacuum to be useful, and keeping the tip useable was a chore. If I could only chose one desoldering tool, it would be the Soldapullt.
Braid is my choice for cleaning up surface mount pads.
Braid is my choice for cleaning up surface mount pads.
Pace rework station is great. They cost about $7000 though.
Even when I had access to those I still used solder braid a lot.
Solder wick is the go for DIY. and a temperature controlled soldering iron, Not the weller magnastat, but the one with a temperature control knob.
If you do go for the magnastat iron use 700 degree tips. the 800 degree ones burn the flux out too quickly and also usually melt the glue that stick the copper tracks on. NEVER buy 800 degree tips. Our apprentice was completely terrible at soldering. Turns out, after several months, someone had given him an 800 degree tip for his iron, he was burning the flux off the solder
Use a BIGGER tip for bigger jobs, not a hotter one.
Use the right temperature, a touch of extra flux (a touch of multicore solder will do) and a GOOD quality solder braid.
If you have masses of extra solder on the pad those "blackhead remover" spring loaded pumps will get the bulk of it off. If you use one of these get a heavy one, or add some weight to the body of it, a latge bolt cable tied to the side or something, this reduces the recoil when you hit the button.
If the item is small enough add some extra solder so you have a nice big blob, then bang the board on the table while it is still molten. If you get this technique just right you often don't even need the wick.
Cheap solder doesnt even make good sinkers, buy the most expensive 60/40 solder you can find. Never, ever use that lead free crap. I wouldn't even fix the mother-in-law's dentures with it.
Even when I had access to those I still used solder braid a lot.
Solder wick is the go for DIY. and a temperature controlled soldering iron, Not the weller magnastat, but the one with a temperature control knob.
If you do go for the magnastat iron use 700 degree tips. the 800 degree ones burn the flux out too quickly and also usually melt the glue that stick the copper tracks on. NEVER buy 800 degree tips. Our apprentice was completely terrible at soldering. Turns out, after several months, someone had given him an 800 degree tip for his iron, he was burning the flux off the solder
Use a BIGGER tip for bigger jobs, not a hotter one.
Use the right temperature, a touch of extra flux (a touch of multicore solder will do) and a GOOD quality solder braid.
If you have masses of extra solder on the pad those "blackhead remover" spring loaded pumps will get the bulk of it off. If you use one of these get a heavy one, or add some weight to the body of it, a latge bolt cable tied to the side or something, this reduces the recoil when you hit the button.
If the item is small enough add some extra solder so you have a nice big blob, then bang the board on the table while it is still molten. If you get this technique just right you often don't even need the wick.
Cheap solder doesnt even make good sinkers, buy the most expensive 60/40 solder you can find. Never, ever use that lead free crap. I wouldn't even fix the mother-in-law's dentures with it.
First you need two irons and extra flux, don't waste your time otherwise.
Contaminating unleaded joints with leaded solder is sometimes essential,
you are going to be wicking it all clean soon anyhow...
Our most experience girl, Cricket, showed me the right way to clear a
plated through hole with desoldering wick. Yes WICK, the stuff nobody
else likes or seems able to make use of...
You cut braid to inch long strips don't ever use straight from the roll.
Flux the hell out of the strip. Use one iron (or both) to melt the hole,
then using one of the irons, push a braid segment at the junction.
This is far more effective than you can possibly image...
Using braid from the roll will only carry away the heat, and waste a
lot of braid that never sucks up its own volume of solder. Nor will it
leave the hole empty in one pass. You burn your fingers and melt
the spool. Cut off lots of contaminated braid trying to get a fresh
angle that pokes the tip onto the hole, tinned and fluxed, yet dry.
This is intuitive, but NOT EFFECTIVE. Exactly what I used to do...
Another technique that sometimes works is inertia. Flick the board,
and the heavy solder will be ejected. But you can damage and lose
parts this way too, so think carefully.
A heatgun can be used when there is heavy groundplane. But you
need to carefully mask off anything heat sensitive that could be
damaged. Use a heavy foil tape, but never remove the backing to
expose the adhesive. The adhesive and paper are essential, as foil
by itself conducts heat. The adhesive is ablative, but the adhesive
will boil to a sticky mess.
You have to fold the tape, such that folded metal edge is against
your board, and any edges where goo will leaks out are well away.
This will help corral heat to only the area where it is needed.
Very little heat will get through foil/glue/paper/paper/glue/foil
to the other side, but sometimes double shielding makes sense...
And you can use braid with a heatgun too. This is a great way to
make a pad perfectly dry with no residual solder bump. An iron
always leaves a small bump where it last touched, but none with
braid and heatgun.
Contaminating unleaded joints with leaded solder is sometimes essential,
you are going to be wicking it all clean soon anyhow...
Our most experience girl, Cricket, showed me the right way to clear a
plated through hole with desoldering wick. Yes WICK, the stuff nobody
else likes or seems able to make use of...
You cut braid to inch long strips don't ever use straight from the roll.
Flux the hell out of the strip. Use one iron (or both) to melt the hole,
then using one of the irons, push a braid segment at the junction.
This is far more effective than you can possibly image...
Using braid from the roll will only carry away the heat, and waste a
lot of braid that never sucks up its own volume of solder. Nor will it
leave the hole empty in one pass. You burn your fingers and melt
the spool. Cut off lots of contaminated braid trying to get a fresh
angle that pokes the tip onto the hole, tinned and fluxed, yet dry.
This is intuitive, but NOT EFFECTIVE. Exactly what I used to do...
Another technique that sometimes works is inertia. Flick the board,
and the heavy solder will be ejected. But you can damage and lose
parts this way too, so think carefully.
A heatgun can be used when there is heavy groundplane. But you
need to carefully mask off anything heat sensitive that could be
damaged. Use a heavy foil tape, but never remove the backing to
expose the adhesive. The adhesive and paper are essential, as foil
by itself conducts heat. The adhesive is ablative, but the adhesive
will boil to a sticky mess.
You have to fold the tape, such that folded metal edge is against
your board, and any edges where goo will leaks out are well away.
This will help corral heat to only the area where it is needed.
Very little heat will get through foil/glue/paper/paper/glue/foil
to the other side, but sometimes double shielding makes sense...
And you can use braid with a heatgun too. This is a great way to
make a pad perfectly dry with no residual solder bump. An iron
always leaves a small bump where it last touched, but none with
braid and heatgun.
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And if I wasn't self evident: The other reason never to use braid direct
from the roll, is that it wastes one of your hands to hold and control it.
A hand that could be better used to hold a second heat source instead...
By the same reasoning, a soldapult would qualify as handwasteful too.
Braid cut to strips is a free extra hand, the most versatile tool of all.
from the roll, is that it wastes one of your hands to hold and control it.
A hand that could be better used to hold a second heat source instead...
By the same reasoning, a soldapult would qualify as handwasteful too.
Braid cut to strips is a free extra hand, the most versatile tool of all.
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And soldering tweezers, another tool I see used wrong all the time...
You simply melt the pads with it, never try to pick up parts with it.
Use regular unheated tweezers for placing and removing the part.
I suppose you could remove with heated tweezer, if you don't care
the part will stick to the iron and burn, else you flick it away quick
and risk losing it... When I don't care to recover the part, I just use
two regular irons, one in each hand. Better heat than tweezers...
The right thing is hold the heated tweezers apart and let the molten
solder pads float the part to the center. Don't touch the component,
don't grab the component, avoid temptation to bump the component
to move it into place. Use the solder's surface tension instead. if the
component ends up sticking to the iron, it defeats the whole purpose.
Heated tweezers free up your other hand to hold regular tweezers....
You simply melt the pads with it, never try to pick up parts with it.
Use regular unheated tweezers for placing and removing the part.
I suppose you could remove with heated tweezer, if you don't care
the part will stick to the iron and burn, else you flick it away quick
and risk losing it... When I don't care to recover the part, I just use
two regular irons, one in each hand. Better heat than tweezers...
The right thing is hold the heated tweezers apart and let the molten
solder pads float the part to the center. Don't touch the component,
don't grab the component, avoid temptation to bump the component
to move it into place. Use the solder's surface tension instead. if the
component ends up sticking to the iron, it defeats the whole purpose.
Heated tweezers free up your other hand to hold regular tweezers....
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In small-scale non-industrial work, is there any disadvantage to using Sn/Pb solder on circuitry manufactured with lead-free? It seems to be not uncommon in reworking even to use a bismuth alloy with very low melting temperature. I would not call using Sn/Pb on lead-free as contamination so much as alloying, changing the composition of the alloy. But maybe there's something I don't know.
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