DIYbanter - View Single Post - Can someone recommend decent soldering/desoldering station

Ignoramus30421

On 2011-04-08, wrote:
On Apr 6, 9:37?pm, Ignoramus21203 ignoramus21...@NOSPAM.
I have two good news on this front.

First is that I really did fix the plasma TV. The problem was two
bulged caps in the power supply, which I replaced.
I've used a Pace as well, but pasty solder that doesn't stick sounds
like the lead-free stuff to me. Had a miserable time trying to pull
decayed through-hole caps on a motherboard with that stuff on it.
Wouldn't wick and stuck like glue. Wouldn't suck out, either. Ended
up doing the cap wiggle maneuver, heat one leg, push the top over to
pull the lead as far as it would go, do the other side the same,
repeat until extracted.

This is what I did too, wiggled the caps.

Then I used an awl to make holes, together with a soldering
iron. Melt, push awl, etc.

Then drill the holes out with a small bit.
Had to watch the heat so the plating didn't come along with the
leads. The replacements got a dose of the good old stuff, some Sav-
Bit Ersin I keep around for such occasions. I tried the dilution with
regular solder bit, the original stuff didn't mix at all.

I think that my other problem is a 10+ year old paste flux. Could it be?

i