I have a board that I need to add a diode to. The problem is that
the diode is coming off another board that I've cannibalized for
parts, and I don't know how to get the diode off that board. I
know very little about this stuff. I've removed components before
using an ordinary soldering iron and a solder pump. However,
this diode is tiny and surface mounted, which seems to make things
a bit harder. I tried applying a soldering iron to the leads while poking
at the diode with a metal probe. Eventually, I cracked the diode
this way. Fortunately, the board has a few more identical diodes, so I
have another few shots at this.

Is there a trick to it?