Desoldering

[patroclus]

Hello,
I have a sucker, but it is quite difficult to remove solder from certain components, like conectors with many pins, as solder gets solid too quickly.
I'm thinking of getting a desoldering iron. It seems much easier with this. Is it worth it?? Is it really better for desoldering??

Thank you.

 

[zevon8]

Desoldering irons are OK, but I find I use either a soldapult ( solder sucker ) or braid most of the time. Experience will dictate which to use where and when.

The biggest problem I have using the desoldering iron is the maintanance costs in the special tips, cleaning it, and generally having to mess around with it. It always seems to take longer than braid or the soldapult.

With practice, you get really fast with the braid, I can do a 40 pin micro in a few minutes, no trace damage. Good quality braid is worth the money.

 

[patroclus]

I thought desoldering iron was more confortable because you don't need to take it appart from the joint while "sucking". With a sucker you must remove the iron from the joint and solder dries very quickcly.
So, desoldering iron is not better than sucker?

 

[samcheetah]

i also use a desoldering pump and desoldering braid (wick). most of the time i use the desoldering pump but i hate the mess it makes. when i have to desolder lots of pins at once i first use the pump and then remove the solder thats left with the braid.

patroclus i dont think that removing the iron is necessary. you can desolder with a pump while the iron is still on the joint. i know that the nozzle of a desoldering pump is made of plastic but i have been doing this for a long time and the plastic doesnt melt away. the reason is that when you touch the iron on a joint, heat transfers from the iron to the joint and the temperature of the iron tip drops. you can even press on the joint with the pump while the iron is also heating the joint.

i hope that helps

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

i know that the nozzle of a desoldering pump is made of plastic but i have been doing this for a long time and the plastic doesnt melt away.

The nozzle is made of Teflon (pardon the spelling! - Poly Tetra Flouro Ethylene), the same non-stick material used in pans, so it's slippery and fairly heat proof.

 

[samcheetah]

i know that the nozzle of a desoldering pump is made of plastic but i have been doing this for a long time and the plastic doesnt melt away.

The nozzle is made of Teflon (pardon the spelling! - Poly Tetra Flouro Ethylene), the same non-stick material used in pans, so it's slippery and fairly heat proof.

oh okay. i remember studying about teflon in my material sciences course. its basically poly ethylene but with all the hydrogen atoms replaced with fluorine atoms.

 

[audioguru]

This topic is a good exercise for the sucking censor! :lol:

EDIT: Yes, I wrote the entire word that describes what a sucker does. :lol:

 

[samcheetah]

This topic is a good exercise for the [bleep] censor! :lol:

EDIT: Yes, I wrote the entire word that describes what a sucker does. :lol:

:lol:

and i thought that patroclus wrote the [bleep] himself :lol:

 

[azaz742]

I use heatgun to remove connectors or any components that had many pins

I think this a good idea for this option

 

[patroclus]

Cool, I will try with my desoldering pump again.
I really thought desoldering iron was easier to use.
Anyway, I need to buy a 30W iron (I have a 14W), and for 12 euros (15 dollars) more I can buy a tip for making it a desoldering iron. Is it worth it??

 

[Laplink]

Greetings Patroclus,
Is it just a hollow tip with a rubber bulb attached? When the joint is melted you release the bulb and it displaces the molten solder? We had one of these in tradeschool but I never used it, maybe it was said that a soldersucker and iron was just as good. When the component is removed, you wait until it is cool, replace the soldering bit then wait for it to reheat before soldering the new component in.
Next there are vacuum desoldering tools, they have a benchtop vacuum pump and a weird looking tool with many filters. These typically cost well over $1000 and you will spend more time disassembling, cleaning or replacing the filters to keep the suction working, than using them.
Then there are plunger type desoldering tools, you heat the joint and when molten press the switch and an electromagnet pulls the plunger up displacing the solder. Some of these do not have replacable filters, just a chamber for collecting the molten solder. You just remove the lid, invert the tool over a bin, and the waste solder falls out! Well if you leave it too long between cleans the solder blob grows too big and you have to break it up with some small cutters or pointy nose pliers. As with any iron, after doing several joints the tip temperature drops and you have to wait for it to reheat before continuing. They are good for the larger joints but can damage tracks on small IC's. I think these are one of the fastest options as your iron can be ready to solder the replacement. These cost around $400 upwards
Lastly there is desoldering braid. I tried this when I was a school hobbiest, it got hot, burnt my fingers, would not flow much solder away from the joint and was green in colour. I had never used it since and is why I have spent so much in discovering the ultimate desoldering method. I bought it from a certain mail order company in Perth.
Recently I needed a better way to desolder IC's and have bought some desoldering braid from a reputable industry supplier and looking back can now see that my first roll was corroded or tarnished. This stuff is magic! Although it may seem expensive first, I believe it is the best way to go. You can get different widths for different sized joints. Don't use braid that is too small.
Samcheetah has the right idea for removing lots of solder, if you have access to a desoldering tool remove the solder with this, then finish off with braid. There are still a few people in the electronics industry that still use a soldersucker like you have. Back to your tip, you still have the problem of changing tips between soldering and desoldering unless you have a second iron. Is it worth the expence? Only you can decide, maybe you could try it, then you can tell us how good it is.
I do not know what Zevon8's soldapult is.

I hope this is of some help.

 

[audioguru]

A Soldapulit is a spring-operated plunger desoldering tool. New ones are big and made of plastic, but I have used a similar but smaller aluminum one for many years and it works very well. :lol:

 

[zevon8]

I still like my soldapulit for bigger jobs, then use braid to clean up if needed, or just braid for small stuff.

Here is a soldapulit: ( mine is about 15 years old and has only needed o-rings and new tips ) I think Weller carries them now, mine was the original maker. They come in anti-static models too, but I have never had that problem, most parts I am removing are destined for the bin anyways, lol

(edit) by the time I found a picture to post, audioguru beat me to it. Yes, I also like the small alluminum jobs too, great for one hand use, or when you can't reset one on the edge of the bench. fixed spelling thanks audioguru

 

[audioguru]

I find that if there is a bit of solder left behind after bleeping it with my solder bleeper (darn censor), the solder is a weak cold joint and is broken easily with a poke from my fingernail and sometimes a wiggle with pliers. Therefore I don't need braid. :lol:

 

[Eclipsed]

Check out the Hakko 808.Its a desoldering gun with pump built it.They average in price from $159-$199 USD.This is one of the greatest tools I've ever purchased, it desolders completely, everytime, zero problems.I desolder on a daily basis, and can't believe I ever did it any other way.

 

[patroclus]

Thanks for your help