Desoldering/salvaging discussion

[birt]

I complete DIY tradition i think this hasn't been discussed enough.. i mean there isn't a REALLY GOOD solution on how to do this yet.

- desoldering station: is very professional, but goes slow if you want all transistors, diodes, ic's and caps (non electrolytic) as most salvagers want...

- Desoldering iron with pump (plastic bulb): same as above but less professional and you get a cramp in your hand :p

- desoldering braid: haven't really tried this but i guess it's also a very slow method. good for one component...

- solder sucker/vacuum pump: these things tend to get stuck very fast and most of the time there is still some solder left. again this is ok if you need to desolder one component.

- home made IC desoldering tool: My grandpa actualy made this.. it's a solder tip with a metal bar on it with holes that fit over the solder blobs on ic legs. you need a big soldering iron to heat this thing up and it only works for ic's ofcourse.

- the torch and whacking the board with some tool/RG method: this seems the best method but it only works with boards that don't have the leads bent. the solder heats up fast and the components get loose very quickly. i've expierienced that most older circuit boards (wich i prefer for the components i want) don't work very well and i need to use pliers all the time. so components get heated more because when you pull one out, tyhe area around it gets heated too.



That last method i guess is the one that could be developed a little more. The solder melts fast so that's half the work. the methods to get the components out are harder.

I used to whack the boards with not much results besides solder flying around. I've used pliers that damaged some components. I've used a screwdriver under the component to gently lift them out pushing the other end of the screwdriver to the edge of the board (works pretty well for IC's) but with a lot of components you can only get one leg out and you have to use pliers anyway.

So there must be a better way right? I know a lot of people around here have used the torch with mixed results so we can get further based on everybodys experience.


I've been thinking about some kind of glue or tape that all the components are stuck too and you heat the solder from one end of the board to the other while you pull. kind of like women waxing their legs.
the problem here is ofcourse the fact that you need to get the components off of the glue or tape afterwards and the fact that the stuff we could use (if something we can use for this purpose exists that is) probably wouldn't have very good heatsink qualities.

I've also been wondering if there is some kind of tool that could grab more than one component at a time so you can pull out 5 or more and the chances components get reheated over and over are smaller. maybe something based on the grabbing system used on some test leads?

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Something I mentioned some years ago was, using a heavy pair if ViceGrip pliers to clamp on a chip, then hold the board horizontal with the chip underneath & when you melt all the solder on the pins, the ViceGrips pull it out and fall on your foot.
I guess you could use a bunch of ViceGrips all at once.
But you know... not many boards (in my experience) have many chips worth salvaging.
And a salvaged chip always has a slight possibility of being bad.. whenever I *DO* salvage, I make sure the chip is labelled as such.
Nothing worse than building a new circuit & finding a LONG time later, that it was a good design, but that the LM13600 was actually fried before you built it "won't be fooled again"

[tonefreak]

This is what I use... has paid for itself several times over.

[cheeb]

Just don't leave it set to "kill".

[rockgardenlove]

I use a RG's whack method in conjunction with a camping stove.

Tip:
Don't wear shorts.  Solder can be hot.

[MetalUpYerEye]

Birt,

Try using a piece of duct tape as your "sticky glue or tape" to "wax the components off" the board. I don't mean to sound TOO American here (which I am 1000000%) but duct tape can pretty much fix anything and is pretty f-ing sticky if you don't mind my saying so.

Let us all know how the "waxing" goes...

J-man

[albatross]

Tip:
Don't wear shorts.  Solder can be hot.

I was soldering in summer last year, in my room, Fan was on but I was in my shorts and Tshirt, except one of my nuts was hanging out the side against my thigh, as I was in a leaning over the desk position ....dont ask but it hurt!! Your laughing at me now arent you?

"Too much detail... Too much detail!" I bet your thinking!

[jlullo]

Tip:
Don't wear shorts.  Solder can be hot.

I was soldering in summer last year, in my room, Fan was on but I was in my shorts and Tshirt, except one of my nuts was hanging out the side against my thigh, as I was in a leaning over the desk position ....dont ask but it hurt!! Your laughing at me now arent you?

"Too much detail... Too much detail!" I bet your thinking!

haha shut up!  are you kidding me?? 

[albatross]

Tip:
Don't wear shorts.  Solder can be hot.

I was soldering in summer last year, in my room, Fan was on but I was in my shorts and Tshirt, except one of my nuts was hanging out the side against my thigh, as I was in a leaning over the desk position ....dont ask but it hurt!! Your laughing at me now arent you?

"Too much detail... Too much detail!" I bet your thinking!

haha shut up!  are you kidding me?? 

No I was serious actually! It hurt but no blister, as the solder must have cooled down as it droppped through the air. Could of been worse!

[MikeH]

The day I burn my rocks with a soldering iron is the day I re-evaluate my choice in hobbies and in fashion.

[calculating_infinity]

The day I burn my rocks with a soldering iron is the day I re-evaluate my choice in hobbies and in fashion.

LOL damn you made me spill coffee on my work keyboard!!!

but ditto!

[Meanderthal]

 Horrible... horrible... not the jewels...never the jewels... No. No. No. Not me. Not mine. Nope.

At this point, my imagination is making me sick...

[rockgardenlove]