Your recommended techniques for de-soldering?

Word. This is what I'm talking about.

When you get proficient with the single-handed one, you don't even need to break out the full-size DS017 that often.

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You mentioned one handed operation a few times. But the original DS-017 was designed to be operated one handed. You cock it against the bottom side of your workbench! (*)

That's why there's no guard around the plunger. If you're just doing a few joints at a time it's kind of a wash. But if you're in a production rework line for 8 hours a day, then your hand and thumb will start to cramp using the smaller ones that require thumb activation.

The real advantage of the smaller one is the smaller/sharper tip. It gets into smaller spaces more easily.

(*) Pro Tip!
 
You mentioned one handed operation a few times. But the original DS-017 was designed to be operated one handed. You cock it against the bottom side of your workbench! (*)


Ha. I actually used to use my chest! (Or even my head on occasion, if I was hunched over something.) :)


But if you're in a production rework line for 8 hours a day, then your hand and thumb will start to cramp using the smaller ones that require thumb activation.


Yes, of course. But that isn't 99.5% of hobbyists here, which was my original point.

Fancy or expensive tools are not necessary for this hobby. Most of the expensive hot air stations and other stuff you can spend boatloads of money on are really meant more for production environments, because they increase speed and/or productivity, which is what justifies the cost. (Or if you're doing stuff like BGA work, where hot air is needed.) But that's not applicable to the home gamer who just wants to fix a couple of through-hole boards. The stuff we do is exceptionally UNsophisticated, in terms of the overall world of soldering.

One of my favorite youtube channels for soldering inspiration is this guy. I've posted this before, but he does amazing surface-mount work, with just an iron, and flux (because surface-mount is where you actually need separate flux). It really opened my eyes to how far you can go with technique. He has a whole playlist of great vids here, but here's one, where he starts with a resistor and works his way up to a full QFP chip:

 
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I've always cut the legs of the chip first using a dremel and then remove each leg individually. A regular iron and solder sucker works fine.

A Dremel?? Holy shit.

A dremel?? Holy shit! I'll keep that one in my back pocket, that's hardcore.

 
Hakko desoldering gun would be your best choice. If you are only going to desolder every once in a while, you can get a knock off version on amazon. They work fine for small jobs here and there. If you plan to desolder alot, then hakko all the way. I prefer the older 808 model myself, but the one in the post above is great and readily available.

Some do use a heat type gun/ solder rework station with hot air. You have to be beyond careful you don't burn the pcb and it can make a mess blowing the solder out.
A somebody with a knock off, i have had good luck with this one

https://a.co/d/4aeE7Er
 
I might be the only one who does this apparently but when clearing out stubborn holes sometimes ill add solder then heat it with the iron from solder side then use a safety pin from the parts side and once its through keep working the safety pin back and forth. Usually I only do this on newer boards though like intel motherboards and video cards for IT games things like that and it works great, never messed a pad up doing it. But i also use same techniques a lot use here other than I dont use a desolder gun. Things like monitor chassis the desolder gun is only going to slow you down.
 
The only issue with knockoff tools is to make sure you are able to get parts for them. Because they do break, and they will. Otherwise that 50% off price don't really save you that much, when you have to buy the same tool twice when it breaks.

You're better off getting the name-brand tool, because the company will more likely still be around when you eventually need parts.

I've kept my Hakko 808 going for 10 years or so now, only because I can replace every part of it.
 
The only issue with knockoff tools is to make sure you are able to get parts for them. Because they do break, and they will. Otherwise that 50% off price don't really save you that much, when you have to buy the same tool twice when it breaks.

You're better off getting the name-brand tool, because the company will more likely still be around when you eventually need parts.

I've kept my Hakko 808 going for 10 years or so now, only because I can replace every part of it.
For my knock off you can get parts, but I get your point in general.
 
For my knock off you can get parts, but I get your point in general.


That's good to know, which is why I worded it that way.

Some of these knockoff brands are not parts-friendly, and will almost certainly not be around in ten years. Some are compatible with name-brand parts (like tips for soldering irons, etc.)

The key is to do the research before you buy.
 
There is technique involved with using (as well as cleaning and maintaining) these guns. Otherwise they will not work as expected.

One thing that took me a long time to learn (by making a lot of mistakes, and realizing I was the problem) is that if you are having problems soldering or desoldering, *regardless of the tools you're using*, the issue is almost always a matter of technique. As long as you have functional tools and quality solder (which is key, do not use cheap Chinese crap), everything else is technique.

When pads get ripped, the cause is either not getting enough heat far enough into the joint, and/or putting too much pressure on the pad. This is why when using guns you want to desolder with the board held *vertically*. The tip of the gun shouldn't press on the pad at all. You hover it above the joint, only making contact with the fresh solder ball (which you added first), and the pin itself.

When people lay boards flat on the bench and start grinding the gun into the board, that's when you get damage.

Another area where people have problems (which I see regularly on boards) is not getting heat far enough INTO a joint. If a joint has a power or ground plane on the parts side (or even just a thick trace), that metal will suck heat away from the joint on the parts side, even if the solder side is liquified. This results in not getting a clean pull, because the solder is melted all the way through the hole. You can tell when this happens because if you look into the hole you'll see a silver 'cup' of solder remaining, instead of a clean hole.

So people crank up the temperature on the gun, thinking that will fix the problem. But it doesn't. It just adds more heat to the SOLDER SIDE, which melts the adhesive and results in ripped pads and traces, even though the parts side can still be solid. The key is to get more heat into the parts side.

It's small stuff like this, but it makes all the difference between making things easy, and tearing up a board. But ultimately if you are causing damage, it's YOU that's the problem, not the tool.
This is the best advice I've read here on the subject. Technique (and practice) is everything.
 
Let's see.
Have used solder sucker? Check that was when areo space was a thing in Southern California.

Solder wick? Have used the cheap crap and the chemtronics stuff that works wonders even after a few decades sitting on a box.

I still have the wells desoldering tool. It sits on my bench a reminder of never going to use that thing again.

The weller soldering iron sit next to it Also never to be used again. The several wells i have still have a slow thermal responses. I got better iron now that keeps the temp up a heck of a lot better. They don't last as long buy they are cheap and i keep several around like popcorn..

Have a hart machine that uses hot air from the top and bottom and don't forget the ungard that more of a table top version.

Had a wave solder machine. Once upon a time but the cost of running considering the cost of soldering a through hole by employee. The employee is cheaper even tho he was slower.

Now for the desoldering tool I use currently. A pace desoldering tool. It is old and a used one cost 300 bucks once upon a time. It served me for 20 years with the heat coil dieing about 3 times..

If I am going back into through hole repairs, I would use a pace sx-100 it has tech to prevent solder clogs and the new head has more thermal mass but 1000 to 3000 it a bit expensive but it would be dream to work on these dried out fiber glass pcbs.

if you have experince, it is amazing what crappy old stuff you can make work.

Say the guy who is an expert at desoldering a pcb with a certain brand hot air gun. Shield the stuff you want to keep. Warm up the pcb. Get the solder to melt. Pull the 40 chip out and dip the new 40 chip in flux. Let the 40 pin chip slide back into the solder cover holes. Let cool. Thown repair board on the nail bed test and qc. Sign off and pick up the next pcb only another couple of thousand to go.
At 60 buck a repair that allowed me to fly to see the cubbies play baseball.
 
Between this thread and the thread about Williams 'sound board capacitors shitting the bed, I've decided to buy the 301 for the sound board job. The issue I'm finding is what nozzle(s) to get with the 301. They're kind of pricy, so I don't want more nozzles than I need for 80s games repair. Any recommendations?


Oddly enough, they don't seem to offer much in nozzles for soldering, only desoldering.
 
Between this thread and the thread about Williams 'sound board capacitors shitting the bed, I've decided to buy the 301 for the sound board job. The issue I'm finding is what nozzle(s) to get with the 301. They're kind of pricy, so I don't want more nozzles than I need for 80s games repair. Any recommendations?


Oddly enough, they don't seem to offer much in nozzles for soldering, only desoldering.
I use the .8 mostly. I have used the 1.0. You'll want get some extra filters.
 
That thread on Williams sound board capacitor replacement suggested not using a desoldering gun because it was likely to cause traces to lift with the boards.
 
I like this advice.

> - (Optional) A bottle of acetone or Goof Off and some Qtips, for cleaning off the flux after.

Every thread I read has different advice here. Some say it's optional, some say it's required. I used your hated Kester brand (thin) solder and really like it, but I haven't been cleaning the flux off from the solder because I'd read that it wasn't required.
@andrewb, so with Kester 63/37 solder, cleaning the flux off is optional?
 
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