clearing solder tubes

[ratdude747]

Re: clearing solder tubes

Get an exacto knife handle with a metal chuck collet and the aluminum handle.
[Not the cheapie plastic collet.]
- Dunno about where you are in the Great White North but down here in the Land of Scorpions and Cactus our Home Depot has the handles [individually, not in a kit] with the metal collet for not too much.

Chuck in an appropriate sized Stainless Steel sewing needle.
Heat solder hole on one side.
Push needle in from other side as the solder melts.
[Don't push hard, just sort of feed it as the solder melts.]
[When needle is part way through touch it with the iron to carry heat.]
Use solder braid to sop up the solder around the needle.
Gently rotate the needle to make sure it's free of the via then remove needle.
[If it's not free heat the needle until it is.]

The handle is a big enough heat sink that you won't burn your fingers [unless maybe you grab it at the chuck end].

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what worked for me was an unbent safety pin... make sure it is stainless or well plated though... it gives both a good point and a 90 degree handle to twist it out. i never removed the solder with that method, the hole is there, so why bother?

[Sparkey55]

Re: clearing solder tubes

Get two boxes of steel wire paper clips (large and small), unbend either size in order to have one end striaght and the other end to form a handle. Now use a knive or razor edge to scrape the nickle plating off of the paper clip completely around. Then use a file to chamfer the end of the clip (so as not to cut any copper hole traces inside the board). Put the paper clip on top of the hole and apply heat to both the foil and clip and solder will be pushed clear. Works for me.

[Krankshaft]

Re: clearing solder tubes

If your braid doesn't have rosin flux it's all but useless. The exact same thing goes for solder for that matter .

I use Techspray braid it's rosin core and is the best I've ever used.

If the joint is lead free wet it with a bit of leaded solder first. I also do this if the joint has little solder on it. Hopefully you're using a conical tip. Place the braid over the joint and place the tip sideways over the braid. I lightly wedge the side of the tip so it's contacting both the trace and the component lead.

Apply light but firm pressure.

The solder will start wicking knowing when the braid has sucked all of the solder up or if it's saturated and you need to get a new length of braid takes practice.

[trwilson70]

Re: clearing solder tubes

6-7 years ago I bought 4 1U servers, each with 2 dual cpu server motherboards - found they all had bad caps. I think I found this site and order caps. The recommendation at that time was to get a small drill bit - I thought an #80. Anyway ordered 2 from the local machine shop figuring they would be couple bucks each - turned out they were $6 each. I still have them and use them - mounted in exacto knife with a plastic collet. I just spin with my fingers, very little pressure - have never damaged a board. I also use a cheapo Radio Shack desoldering iron and braid to remove components. Oh, and I repaired all eight motherboards for less than $35 - and sold for $100 each.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: clearing solder tubes

I did the drill bit thing for a while before I found a way to hold a needle that works for me.
I would heat shrink the end of the bit a few layers thick to use as a handle/grip to spin it with my fingers.
It works well if you have "THE NACK" for fine detail work and know enough to stay center so as to not to screw up the via.
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You can get the bits cheap at Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/20-piec...bag-44924.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece...set-91682.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/30-piec...set-94606.html

Once I found a way to hold a needle it that works for me the needle method is much faster. [And you don't need a Nack. It self aligns.]

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[ratdude747]

Re: clearing solder tubes

it must have flux as i tried it on some solder holes on a dead board, worked fine. idk how to us it on pins in a hole, but braid seems to do the trick with smd and blank holes.

[Half-Saint]

Re: clearing solder tubes

I tried all sorts of things and nothing works 100% for me. Desoldering braid picks up most solder but not all of it. The needle goes through but solder doesn't stick to it so when I pull the needle out, solder gets piled up on the bottom side of the board. Soldering pump doesn't work at all for small holes i.e. 1000uF 6.3V.

I'd really really like to find a method that works!

[Ed in SoDak]

Re: clearing solder tubes

I use a desoldering iron with attached bulb. Like most of the other methods, you may need to flow more solder and try again, but I find I can catch the end of the lead in the tip's hole and move it to or fro while sucking to free it and center it up in the hole or help in uprighting a bent lead.

For braid, I've read it needs to be clean. Much old stock has oxidized, so a little light sandpaper will expose fresh copper.

-Ed

[PCBONEZ]

Re: clearing solder tubes

The needle goes through but solder doesn't stick to it so when I pull the needle out, solder gets piled up on the bottom side of the board.

That's why I use solder braid before pulling the needle out.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: clearing solder tubes

I use a desoldering iron with attached bulb. Like most of the other methods, you may need to flow more solder and try again, but I find I can catch the end of the lead in the tip's hole and move it to or fro while sucking to free it and center it up in the hole or help in uprighting a bent lead.

For braid, I've read it needs to be clean. Much old stock has oxidized, so a little light sandpaper will expose fresh copper.

-Ed

Can't really sand braid because it's braid and you can't get the surfaces well enough.

Flux's job is to remove oxidation.

If the braid is really bad soak it in Tabasco sauce for ~10 minutes then rince with hot water and [optionally] oven dry.

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