There are various methods, maybe watch a few more videos and use the one that you get on best with. You could try solder wick, (the mesh you talked of) (have some flux and solder handy) a solder sucker, (get one with a smallish (2mm or so) hole in it’s nozzle). Heat guns (small tip) can also work well. Do some trials on scrap boards first. A reasonable size soldering iron (60Watts +) is a good idea too.
Play about a bit before you try on your real boards.
Play about a bit before you try on your real boards.
Yeah, it's the guy in the video below. Do you think he uses this method as a challenge? Surely a desoldering station would make life simpler for him?
You do not need to spend $$$ €€€ £££ on a fancy desoldering gun. A good solder sucker, learn some new skills (YouTube works), and patience is all you need. What will lead to success is good technique and patience. I have used solder sucker a lot and it works great. Usually takes 2-3 "sucks" and I'm on to the next. Usually takes about a minute or to to free the joint. The copper wick has not been super helpful for me, but others have had success with it using lots of flux. Whatever you do, please trim the component leads down before starting to desolder.
I have that Japanese Engineered sucker recommended above, which is built well, but small volume. I purchased a much larger volume sucker and found that helps tremendously. Theres 3-4x more "suck" with the added volume. As a bonus, it was also far less expensive (2 pack was $10). I modified one with a little slot for the soldering iron tip so the sucker seals up over the pad being desoldered while the iron is still in contact.
I have that Japanese Engineered sucker recommended above, which is built well, but small volume. I purchased a much larger volume sucker and found that helps tremendously. Theres 3-4x more "suck" with the added volume. As a bonus, it was also far less expensive (2 pack was $10). I modified one with a little slot for the soldering iron tip so the sucker seals up over the pad being desoldered while the iron is still in contact.
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If you are removing faulty parts, especially multi lead parts, clip the leads so you can desolder one lead at a time.
Parts are usually easier to replace than pcbs so avoid damage to the pcb.
If using wick, ensure you don't remove the iron first allowing the wick to stick to the board - a sure way to lift traces.
If a trace or pad lifts, gently place back in position before it breaks away.
Dipping wick in flux always works better for me - maybe the original flux dries out.
Parts are usually easier to replace than pcbs so avoid damage to the pcb.
If using wick, ensure you don't remove the iron first allowing the wick to stick to the board - a sure way to lift traces.
If a trace or pad lifts, gently place back in position before it breaks away.
Dipping wick in flux always works better for me - maybe the original flux dries out.
I'm going to be removing components to give me space to reinstall a component that broke free.
Yeah, then you are good if already trimmed.
If you populated your own board, you'd trim the leads down anyway as well. I mentioned it because some folks may not trim before desoldering which makes it 10x harder to remove when there's an inch of lead acting as a heat sink/fin that has to also pull through the hole. Seems like common sense not to do that, but I mention it to save the few folks who read this someday who may not think about it.
If you don't need to save the part you're removing then it's often easier to clip the leads to remove the part. Then you can remove the solder and the remaining lead from the board. Then of course you need to install the new part. If you have to save the old part to reuse it then that can be more difficult, depending on the number of leads, how much space you have etc.
I totally agree with @Captain B and @russc above.
Just to be clear, we are suggesting two different approaches to desoldering.
My suggestion is just making sure the installed component has the excess lead "trimmed" down before desoldering. Component being desoldered can be reinstalled later.
Capt. ane Russ are offering up a way to make desoldering the through hole even easier by clipping the component off the top of the board first (less material for heat to flow into) before desoldering the rest of the trimmed lead still soldered in the hole. This is solid advice if you're populating with new components. Due to cutting the component first, it's not likely you'll be able to reuse as the leads will now be too short.
Again, this is common sense to most, but being explicitly stated above for folks totally new to soldering/desoldering.
Just to be clear, we are suggesting two different approaches to desoldering.
My suggestion is just making sure the installed component has the excess lead "trimmed" down before desoldering. Component being desoldered can be reinstalled later.
Capt. ane Russ are offering up a way to make desoldering the through hole even easier by clipping the component off the top of the board first (less material for heat to flow into) before desoldering the rest of the trimmed lead still soldered in the hole. This is solid advice if you're populating with new components. Due to cutting the component first, it's not likely you'll be able to reuse as the leads will now be too short.
Again, this is common sense to most, but being explicitly stated above for folks totally new to soldering/desoldering.
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Lots of good advice in this thread. In the end, a lot of desoldering jobs are not that difficult. Just practice on some scrap, as suggested earlier, before working on your real board. Think through what you're going to do and have a dry run with your soldering iron cold, so you can plan how to get your tools into the right place without hitting other components. There is often more than one way to approach the problem and you'll figure out what works best for you after a while. If things aren't working then stop, take a break and come back to it later. My biggest mistakes happen when things are not working as planned and frustration kicks in.
On the solder, personally I find leaded to be easier to work with. Do you know what was used originally on the board you're working on?
Oh, and additional tools you'll need are a pair of good tweezers (don't have to be expensive) and something to hold the board in a stable position.
On the solder, personally I find leaded to be easier to work with. Do you know what was used originally on the board you're working on?
Oh, and additional tools you'll need are a pair of good tweezers (don't have to be expensive) and something to hold the board in a stable position.
Desoldering isn't my favorite passtime but following some of the advice given above has been very helpful. A dab of fresh solder on the tip and a flux pen for the braid have made it more tolerable and knowing that from the start gives you a leg up.
Using the iron and sucker on opposite sides of the board is sometimes tricky but works great when possible. Good luck
Using the iron and sucker on opposite sides of the board is sometimes tricky but works great when possible. Good luck
63/37 is eutectic and has the lowest melting point of all the ratios.
https://fctsolder.com/eutectic-solder/#:~:text=The words eutectic solder describe,327 °C (lead).