John Betmanis wrote:
> At 02:52 PM 12/20/06 -0500, Bingham, Wayne wrote:
>
>> The other method is a product
>> called Solder Wick, which is essentially braided copper wire that is
>> used to "wick" or lift the molten solder off the desired parts.
> These are things that a serious electronics tech or hobbyist might have
> around, but I've always resorted to cruder methods myself. For this
> application I'd use a propane torch to melt the solder and then smartly rap
> the rim on the edge of the bench or something. Be careful withthe flame
> because it doesn't take a lot to melt the solder. This may have to be
> repeated a couple of times before enough solder is gone to snip and peel
> back the wire. A puff of compressed air also works to blow away the solder.
> If you use a soldering iron instead of a torch, some flux on the joint and
> fresh solder on the iron helps.
FWIW, a solder wick doesn't need to be copper; steel works just as well. Try an old piece of brake cable as a wick -- works fine for me.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA