[Elecraft] Unsoldering

[Don Wilhelm]

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?
>