[Test-Equipment] Unsoldering

[J. Forster]

I have refrained from posting this before, for reasons that will become obvious.

If you are interested in only recovering the parts on a board, and the board
itself is garbage, this procedure works quite well. You will need a small solder
pot or a lab hot plate and a little steel or aluminum pan, about 1" to 2" OD.
Get a large metal baking dish, big enough to hold the hot plate or solder pot,
and to contain any spills. A Teflon lining is NOT a good idea.

Put several layers of towel or a piece of wood on your work table (to protect it
in case of a spill) then the pan and hot plate. Then put your little dish on the
hot plate and let it heat up until you can easily melt solder in it. Don't
overheat. Fill the little dish with molten solder until there is a meniscus on
top.

Take a look at the components you want to remove. If the leads are bent over,
use an iron or Pace sucker to straighten them or the components will not come
out easily. When you've done that, flux the bottom side of the board well using
a rosin (not acid) based flux.

You will need a metal IC puller and needle nose pliers handy. Gently place the
fluxed board onto the lake of molten solder and when you see the solder on top
melt, lift out the parts you want. Work quickly as most parts do NOT like
soldering temp for more than 5 seconds. When you are done with an area, move to
the next one. The board WILL get hot, BTW.

WARNINGS:

Wear protective eye wear for solder splashes.
Do it in a well vented area. The process WILL stink and the stink stays around
for hours.
Consider wearing gloves for splatters.

This is NOT hazard free !!   Be warned.