[Elecraft] Unsoldering

[Reuben Popp]

I too was overly careful when I built my K2 back around 2006 or so.  That's
not to say I didn't make mistakes :D.   I did, however, take some advice to
heart when assembling it (I believe it came from the website or the
manual), in that for a section, I would add all the components, bending
their leads to stay in place and then come back to solder after checking
things again.  As to whether this helped prevent mistakes, I can't really
say for certain, but I will say I was lucky enough to not experience many
issues with my build.  Anyway, I digress...

I was lucky enough at the time to inherit a Pace desoldering unit (a
MBT-100 in fact) that came from the old circuits course at the local
college.  For through-hole type projects, those things are a godsend.  I
still have it too, having just replaced the handset along with acquiring a
handful of new tips.  If you have it in the budget (and plan on doing more
kits), I highly recommend keeping an eye out for one.  They're discontinued
now from Pace, but there's still plenty out there with lots of life left in
them and parts are available if you look.

That said, I think I used that thing more than not as my "skill" with wick
has only really come to fruition in recent times.

Good luck
Reuben

On Sat, Feb 20, 2016 at 9:11 AM, Mark Petrovic <mspetrovic at gmail.com> 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?
>
> Thanks.
> Mark
> AE6RT
>
> --
> Mark
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