[Test-Equipment] Deadly solder su!ckers?

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Actually, I wouldn't worry too much about it with tube based gear.  ESD 
didn't become a buzz word until CMOS came on the scene.  Of course, Houston seldom 
has humidity low enough for ESD to be a problem with anything, but I've been 
using the blue Soldapult spring-driven desoldering unit for years and never had 
any problems in this regard.  Probably a good idea to keep the piston O-ring 
lubricated, but that needs to be done anyway.  The Soldapult has Teflon tips 
of course, but the piston is also Teflon or something close.  Palladin makes or 
used to make a metal bodied unit but it is about half the size of the 
Soldapult and its volume per stroke isn't really quite large enough for most non-PC 
board solder joints.

In a message dated 12/28/2004 1:00:47 PM Central Standard Time, 
glennmaillist at bellsouth.net writes: 
> It is VERY true!  When you subject some plastics to frictional motion, 
> static electricity is generated. (remember rubbing a plastic comb with wool 
> ant attracting bits of paper to it in grade school science class?) Certain 
> plastics generate more static electricity than others. The ones that do not 
> generate static electricity are marked as ESD safe. I would be very careful 
> with using the desoldering tools that are not marked ESD safe.

Robert Downs - Houston
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