While unsoldering is not something you purposely wish to do, it
sometimes is inevitable.
When you are faced with that necessity, remember that the most valuable
part is the board - avoid damage to the board at all costs.
Elecraft boards are constructed with thru-plated holes, so be careful
that the solder pad on both sides of the board is preserved - DO NOT
drill out the holes. Those thru-plated holes are often used not only to
solder the component lead, but also to continue the circuit from one
side of the board to the other, so preserving the thru-plated hole and
solder pads is important.
If you do not have de-soldering tools to accomplish the task, or you
have tried what you have and it was not successful, forget about
salvaging the part. New parts are inexpensive compared with the
investment in the board and the other mounted parts. *Sacrifice* the part.
For two (and sometimes 3) lead components, you can heat each lead
alternately while slowly working the part out of the holes in the board.
For multi-legged critters, use flush cutters and clip the lead as close
to the body as possible, then heat each of the remaining leads and
remove them one at a time. For relays and other parts that cover the
leads on the component side, use pliers or whatever tool works and crush
the body of the component so you can remove the leads one at a time.
Once you have removed the leads, clean up the remaining solder with
solder wick. If additional solder remains in the hole, use a wooden
toothpick (or a stainless steel needle), heat the solder pad and push
the remaining solder out of the hole - task accomplished.
Even though I have a Hakko 808 which is usually successful for removing
the solder and the part intact, there are times I resort the destroying
the part and cleaning up the holes with a stainless steel probe that I
keep handy.
73,
Don W3FPR
On 2/20/2016 10:11 AM, Mark Petrovic wrote:
I'm assembling an Elecraft K1, and get the distinct feeling that
unsoldering really is the last thing you want to be involved in. I
have solder wick that has embedded flux, and I have a solder sucker
that seems huge compared to the size of the features I'm dealing with.
The wick works ok at getting some of the solder out, but not all of
it. And a little bit of residual solder is still a major physical
blocker to correcting a misplaced component or bad joint.
I feel like I'm a pretty good solder-er, but I have not had good luck
with unsoldering. Is it just me or does everyone have this problem?
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