[Elecraft] Re: Desoldering the xtals

[Tom Hammond NØSS]

Hi randy:

long time no see, pal...

>I'm about to do the xtal mods.  What kind of desoldering tool do you 
>recommend for this?  I've managed to do a half-dozen or so mods with 
>nothing but solder wick, but I can never get the holes clean.  I want to 
>do the xtal mod better.  Can you point me to the right tool set?

PERSONAL OPINION FOLLOWS...

If you feel that you need a really great desoldering tool, and are willing 
to invest in one (and it IS in 'investment', but worth it), I'd certainly 
recommend the Hakko 808:

  http://www.tequipment.net/Hakko808.html

This device is very easy to use... works like a champ(!), and with it I 
(literally) have been able to desolder all pins of an IC (or a K2 relay) 
and have the device FALL out onto the desk once the last pin was desoldered!

This device sells for about $180 from the source shown above, The best 
price (by at least $10) I've found so far.

There may be yet another contender though... I've not personally tried it 
(of even seen it, for that matter), but it looks promising:

https://www.jameco.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=91&prrfnbr=3352&cgrfnbr=501&ctgys=

If you can't get this link to work correctly, go to:

www.jameco.com

and do a Jameco # search for:  129066

This is the XYTRONICS desoldering gun. It sells for $100 from Jameco.

Jameco offers a 4-page PDF of docs on this device:

https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdDS/129066.pdf

but note that the real FIRST page of the document actually appears as the 
4th page in the set.

This looks like it might work decently well... maybe as well as the Hakko 
808... difficult to tell, having not used one. Maybe there's a K23 
reflector reader who would care to comment here???

One thing to ask about though is whether Jameco can supply replacement 
parts (e.g. filters and nozzles). I saw no mention of them being available 
from Jameco in their ads. I once tried to look up XYTRONICS on the web, to 
see what they offered, and couldn't find usable info much at all. Hakko 
replacement parts are available from many sources.

There's also the Weller SCD1000 desoldering gun. It appears to be in the 
same basic price range (c. $185) as the Hakko 808. See it at:

http://www.elexp.com/sdr_d100.htm

Tequipment.net also has the best prices on the Hakko 936-12 (ESD, $89) and 
936-9 (non-ESD, $79) T/C soldering stations that I've found so far, too:

http://www.tequipment.net/Hakko936.html

I have NO interest in ANY of the companies mentioned here.

There was a very good article on DEsoldering in the October 2000, issue of 
QST, page 54. It should be a 'must read' for all of us. Gives some very 
good info on HOW to use desoldering wick. I learned a lot from that part of 
the article alone. And the technique he recommends DOES work much better 
than the methods I'd previously used. If you can't find that issue of QST, 
I have scanned the article and committed it to a PDF. But the file is about 
4.4Mb in size, and I don't want to be sending it out a bunch of times. 
That, and the fact that is IS copyrighted material. I guess I'd risk it 
once, but only ONCE. So if you  (or others) want a copy, drop me a note and 
I'll send it out on Monday, Nov 18th, about 1500Z, to all who have 
requested it.

Regarding other tools. I might suggest the following:

A 'soldering aide'. This is a plastic-handled tool with metal ends which 
offer several options for tugging on and bending of component leads while 
you're soldering OR DEsoldering.

SEVERAL widths of solder wick. There's not one width that works for all cases.

A bulb-type solder sucker. Not that these devices are terribly goos, BUT 
there have been times where I found it much easier (and safer to the PCB) 
to remove the component lead first, place the tip of the bulb on the 
COMPONENT side of the joint, heat the joint, and the SQUEEZE the bulb to 
BLOW the melted solder out, rather than suck it in. this sometimes works 
better than sucking the solder out... READ WARNING BELOW...!

   WARNING - DO NOT PERFORM THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED TASK
   WITHOUT ADEQUATE EYE PROTECTION!!! The very LAST
   thing I'd want to happen is for you to risk
   damaging your eyes. It CAN happen... just ask me!

A plunger-type desoldering tool. Edsyn probably makes the BEST! These can 
be very handy.

A very long/thin/pointed tip for your iron. I have one which is about 1" 
long and goes down to almost nothing (.008" / 0.2mm) at the tip. This is 
sometimes great for helping to clean out a really difficult-to-clean PCB 
hole... esp. if I don't have my desoldering gun handy.

A pair of medical hemostats. Long/slender nose, and a fairly 'light' 
closure pressure. Some close and lock much too hard, and can be rough on 
components and leads.

And most of all... develop a good desoldering 'technique'. This may be most 
important of all, esp. if you don't have a desoldering gun. All too 
frequently we damage a PC board because we use excessive heat, or excessive 
force, when attempting to remove a component or clean out a hole.

Learn how much heat to use and how long to apply it. If you apply heat for 
what you think is an adequate length of time, and you haven't gotten the 
result you expected. STOP and figure out why. Sometimes it's nothing more 
than the fact that you didn't clean (and re-tin) the tip of your iron 
before you started. Proper soldering AND desoldering boils down to several 
basic steps. The MOST important of which is effective application of heat. 
A clean iron tip is important. But even MORE important is a clean TINNED 
tip. One with just a small bit of solder on it, to make better thermal 
contact and thus a much quicker and more efficient transfer of heat to the 
joint.

Learn to get in (and back out) with a minimum of component (and PC board) 
heating.

Hope this helps a bit.

73,

Tom Hammond   N0SS