Removing Lead Free Solder

Sectorseven

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I've got an LCD monitor that I need to recap and I just can't fully desolder the existing ones.

I have my iron at 750 and while I can get most of it off, there's a small amount still flush with the pcb hole that just won't heat up enough. I tried reflowing them, but with only traditional lead solder it doesn't help. I just end up removing the fresh solder and I'm back where I started.

I even tried using my Hakko 808 gun and it's not really helping.

There's a fairly small heat sink on one of the chips that might be absorbing some of the heat, but that thing looks tough to remove and honestly I don't think it's the cause of my misery.
 
Last time I was removing lead free solder, I kind of got into a rampage of frustration.

Used air compressor to remove the solder after heating ... crude, messy, but worked.
 
Tack flux and decent desoldering braid

JD
 
Lead free

Ok, lead free is a pain in the but.. Only use a braid for fine touches.. Use a solder sucker.. Ok how to melt the solder.. Go a head and put freash solder on each joint you want to desolder let it cool,now put your iron it... By putting the fresh solder it will increase the mass and the lead free will now melt.use the sucker to snatch it up. I use this method on a regular bassis...ALSO, BE SURE TO HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT OF SOLDER ON YOUR IRON TIP, THIS ALSO CREATES MORE MASS AND MORE HEAT TRANSFER
 
Through sheer will power I have gotten a few of them off.

Are the new Hakko soldering stations as good as they claim with regards to lead free?
 
I repair electronics for a living, and in dealing with various mixes of Lead Free solder over the years, came up with this.

If you can't get it with the iron, get a higher wattage one (I use a Weller 160w at work, the WD2, generally always set at 450C). Also, add leaded solder to the point you are trying to undo. The leaded solder will alloy with the lead-free mix and bring the overall melting temperature down.

If it's still stuck, break out the hot air tool, and be careful.
 
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