I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with what I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel handle, I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

Be very careful when working on tube sockets, expecially 7 and 9 pin
miniatures. The terminals can and do break off, then you have a real
problem.

"N_Cook" wrote in message
...
I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with what
I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel handle,
I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

On Jul 2, 9:28*am, "N_Cook" wrote:
I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using *what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with what I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel handle, I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

I use a solder-sucker. It gets down into the blob and pretty much gets
all of it. If the solder is stubborn and does not stay liquid enough,
I will 'refresh' it with a bit of new solder first.

Such tools may be had at any electronics shop, either as rubber-bulb
devices, cheap and easy, or as a spring-loaded device that is a bit
more expensive and awkward to use but can be much more efficient.

There are specialized de-soldering irons with such devices pre-
mounted.

There are also fancy vacuum-aided devices for which I have never (yet)
had the need, but I hear-tell they are super at what they do.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Peter Wieck wrote:
I use a solder-sucker.

One of these things:
http://www.eclipsetools.com/ProductP...s/900-001N.JPG

The little rubber bulb squeezy things are inadequate to the amount
of solder to be removed from the terminals.

There are also fancy vacuum-aided devices for which I have never (yet)
had the need, but I hear-tell they are super at what they do.

For the most part, the vacuum pump desoldering irons are great for
printed circuit board work, but are also inadequate for vintage
equipment desoldering. The primary problem being the small size of
reservoir requires emptying about every 5-6 "normal vintage radio
joint"

In addition to the probe technique, I will heat up the terminal,
then wiggle the one lead in particular as it cools off. This gives
me a nice "cold solder joint" and makes it obvious as to which lead
is the one that needs to be gone. I'll use a sharp pair of cutters
to clip the specific loop around the terminal. When reheated again,
the lead usually pulls straight out and the wrapped part falls off.

Jeff

On Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:30:53 -0700, Peter Wieck wrote:
I use a solder-sucker. It gets down into the blob and pretty much gets
all of it. If the solder is stubborn and does not stay liquid enough,
I will 'refresh' it with a bit of new solder first.

Such tools may be had at any electronics shop, either as rubber-bulb
devices, cheap and easy, or as a spring-loaded device that is a bit
more expensive and awkward to use but can be much more efficient.

I suppose a "me-too" post isn't in order, but this is one... I've used
the spring-loaded devices and they work quite well on tag strips. I've
not tried the rubber-bulb ones, would think they'd be a bit short on
suction for some applications.

There are also fancy vacuum-aided devices for which I have never (yet)
had the need, but I hear-tell they are super at what they do.

We used to have one of these at work. It was OK for circuit board work
but even there, I think the spring-loaded suction device worked better. I
don't think you'd have much luck with the powered-vacuum unit on a tag
strip.

On Jul 2, 6:28*am, "N_Cook" wrote:
I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using *what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with what I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel handle, I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home..graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

Generally, one should not need the 'heat sinks' as the insulation
should be able to stand the heat of soldering the terminal [tag] in
the first place. Use of the heat sinks can often render effective
heating of the joint impossible because they draw off too much heat
from the joint! It is very important to have a soldering iron with an
adequate reservoir of heat to be able to heat the tag and connected
wires very quickly, but at the same time not too hot. I use a 7/32"
chisel tip at 700 degrees. I apply a small dab of fresh solder to make
good thermal contact and the instant the solder on the tag melts, use
a spring type solder sucker to clear the bulk of the solder from the
joint and, as it cools, wiggle the wire of interest to form the cold
joint. A probe, fine cutters and long nose pliers will usually remove
the wire of interest, even if it means unwinding several other to
access it. The old solders are usually so soft that it is often
possible to simply tear the wires out of the joint cold once the bulk
of the solder is removed. Always try and clear the joint in a single
application of heat and solder sucker since repeated or prolonged
heating will quickly do serious damage to the tag insulator and erode
the base metals of the tag and connected wires.

Neil S.

Jeffrey D Angus wrote in
:

Peter Wieck wrote:
I use a solder-sucker.

One of these things:
http://www.eclipsetools.com/ProductP...s/900-001N.JPG

The little rubber bulb squeezy things are inadequate to the amount
of solder to be removed from the terminals.

There are also fancy vacuum-aided devices for which I have never (yet)
had the need, but I hear-tell they are super at what they do.

For the most part, the vacuum pump desoldering irons are great for
printed circuit board work, but are also inadequate for vintage
equipment desoldering. The primary problem being the small size of
reservoir requires emptying about every 5-6 "normal vintage radio
joint"

In addition to the probe technique, I will heat up the terminal,
then wiggle the one lead in particular as it cools off. This gives
me a nice "cold solder joint" and makes it obvious as to which lead
is the one that needs to be gone. I'll use a sharp pair of cutters
to clip the specific loop around the terminal. When reheated again,
the lead usually pulls straight out and the wrapped part falls off.

Jeff


I favor my Edsyn SoldaPult;it sucks the solder off terminals and then I can
unwrap the leads. sometimes I use a dental "excavator" to lift the lead,it
has a chisel tip.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

On Jul 2, 9:28*am, "N_Cook" wrote:
I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using *what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with what I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel handle, I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

On vintage gear I use a spring loaded solder sucker plus a sharp
aluminum (aluminium) probe (like the OP's needle probe - solder won't
stick to it.) Usefully, one end has a 1 mm slot about 3 mm deep with
sharp points on each side. This allows a controlled rotational
leverage to unhook those "mechanically anchored" wires that are such a
pain to get off.
As other posters have said, the addition of a little new solder can
give a better heat transfer from the "iron" and assist flow in the old
joint.
Cheers,
Roger

N_Cook wrote:
I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with what I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel handle, I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/


I heat the joint and push a sharp dental type tool into the mass,
usually I can find a way to push it all the way through. Let the solder
set, pull out the tool, insert the wire. Ken

On Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:04:01 -0700, Jeffrey D Angus
wrote:

Peter Wieck wrote:
I use a solder-sucker.

One of these things:
http://www.eclipsetools.com/ProductP...s/900-001N.JPG

Those really suck.

The little rubber bulb squeezy things are inadequate to the amount
of solder to be removed from the terminals.

The rubber also seems to crack and crumble after a few years. I had
several in my tool/junk box, all of which are now useless.

There are also fancy vacuum-aided devices for which I have never (yet)
had the need, but I hear-tell they are super at what they do.

They work quite well. I have a Pace desoldering station and a much
cheaper Chinese clone at home. I still use the solder pump, but for
unsoldering a board full of components, nothing beats the desoldering
machine. Highly recommended, but not cheap. Plan on buying some
spare tips and a tip cleaner as they do clog if used often.

For the most part, the vacuum pump desoldering irons are great for
printed circuit board work, but are also inadequate for vintage
equipment desoldering. The primary problem being the small size of
reservoir requires emptying about every 5-6 "normal vintage radio
joint"

It's not the reservoir that fills. It's the cotton plug inside the
glass cylinder that fills. However, it's not important as the tip
will clog long before the reservoir fills with dross.

My solution for large parts is a bit more disgusting. I don't care
about saving the solder or where it lands. So, I use an air
compressor to *BLOW* the solder off the terminals instead of sucking.
A piece of box cardboard serves as a sacrificial target. Safety
glasses, gloves, and a long sleeve shirt are quite useful. Get the
joint hot, and hit it with 120 psi of compressed air and it's
instantly clean. The dross comes off easily from everything except
plastic and rubber insulated wire, which the dross will melt.

Incidentally, the air compressor technique is also effective for
deslobbering large circuit boards full of useful components. In the
past, I would insert the board into a bench vice, heat up the solder
side with a propane torch, pull back on the board, and let spring
tension launch the components in the opposite direction. Kinda messy,
but very easy and effective. However, some boards simply will not
bend enough to make this method effective. In addition, the
components near the bench vice usually fail to desolder themselves.
So, I now use a propane torch and air compressor to do the
desoldering. That works much better, creates a more concentrated
mess, can be performed in any position, but does take somewhat longer.

In addition to the probe technique, I will heat up the terminal,
then wiggle the one lead in particular as it cools off. This gives
me a nice "cold solder joint" and makes it obvious as to which lead
is the one that needs to be gone. I'll use a sharp pair of cutters
to clip the specific loop around the terminal. When reheated again,
the lead usually pulls straight out and the wrapped part falls off.

Yeah, that also works. I get the same effect with short blast of cold
air from the air compressor. Instant dross.

Jeff

The other Jeff.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Engineer wrote in message
...
On Jul 2, 9:28 am, "N_Cook" wrote:
I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with what
I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel handle,
I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list
onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

On vintage gear I use a spring loaded solder sucker plus a sharp
aluminum (aluminium) probe (like the OP's needle probe - solder won't
stick to it.) Usefully, one end has a 1 mm slot about 3 mm deep with
sharp points on each side. This allows a controlled rotational
leverage to unhook those "mechanically anchored" wires that are such a
pain to get off.
As other posters have said, the addition of a little new solder can
give a better heat transfer from the "iron" and assist flow in the old
joint.
Cheers,
Roger

Aluminium ? I can't beleive that is strong enough.
Sewing needles are stainless steel which is fine with lead/tin solder but
interestingly, for diagnosis purposes, lead-free solder will adhere to
stainless steel, requiring more than just a fingernail to scrape it off,
more likely requiring pliers of some sort.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

Jeff Liebermann wrote in message
news
On Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:04:01 -0700, Jeffrey D Angus
wrote:

Peter Wieck wrote:
I use a solder-sucker.

One of these things:
http://www.eclipsetools.com/ProductP...s/900-001N.JPG

Those really suck.

The little rubber bulb squeezy things are inadequate to the amount
of solder to be removed from the terminals.

The rubber also seems to crack and crumble after a few years. I had
several in my tool/junk box, all of which are now useless.

There are also fancy vacuum-aided devices for which I have never (yet)
had the need, but I hear-tell they are super at what they do.

They work quite well. I have a Pace desoldering station and a much
cheaper Chinese clone at home. I still use the solder pump, but for
unsoldering a board full of components, nothing beats the desoldering
machine. Highly recommended, but not cheap. Plan on buying some
spare tips and a tip cleaner as they do clog if used often.

For the most part, the vacuum pump desoldering irons are great for
printed circuit board work, but are also inadequate for vintage
equipment desoldering. The primary problem being the small size of
reservoir requires emptying about every 5-6 "normal vintage radio
joint"

It's not the reservoir that fills. It's the cotton plug inside the
glass cylinder that fills. However, it's not important as the tip
will clog long before the reservoir fills with dross.

My solution for large parts is a bit more disgusting. I don't care
about saving the solder or where it lands. So, I use an air
compressor to *BLOW* the solder off the terminals instead of sucking.
A piece of box cardboard serves as a sacrificial target. Safety
glasses, gloves, and a long sleeve shirt are quite useful. Get the
joint hot, and hit it with 120 psi of compressed air and it's
instantly clean. The dross comes off easily from everything except
plastic and rubber insulated wire, which the dross will melt.

Incidentally, the air compressor technique is also effective for
deslobbering large circuit boards full of useful components. In the
past, I would insert the board into a bench vice, heat up the solder
side with a propane torch, pull back on the board, and let spring
tension launch the components in the opposite direction. Kinda messy,
but very easy and effective. However, some boards simply will not
bend enough to make this method effective. In addition, the
components near the bench vice usually fail to desolder themselves.
So, I now use a propane torch and air compressor to do the
desoldering. That works much better, creates a more concentrated
mess, can be performed in any position, but does take somewhat longer.

In addition to the probe technique, I will heat up the terminal,
then wiggle the one lead in particular as it cools off. This gives
me a nice "cold solder joint" and makes it obvious as to which lead
is the one that needs to be gone. I'll use a sharp pair of cutters
to clip the specific loop around the terminal. When reheated again,
the lead usually pulls straight out and the wrapped part falls off.

Yeah, that also works. I get the same effect with short blast of cold
air from the air compressor. Instant dross.

Jeff

The other Jeff.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558


I like this idea , I'll set my mind to how to get a short burst of
compressed air and give it a go. At the moment thinking of a pumped-up
innertube and a solenoid valve, I doubt full compressed air pressure would
be required for molten solder.
No workshop compressed airline unfortunately.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

"N_Cook" wrote in
:

Jeff Liebermann wrote in message
news
On Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:04:01 -0700, Jeffrey D Angus
wrote:

Peter Wieck wrote:
I use a solder-sucker.

One of these things:
http://www.eclipsetools.com/ProductP...s/900-001N.JPG

Those really suck.

The little rubber bulb squeezy things are inadequate to the amount
of solder to be removed from the terminals.

The rubber also seems to crack and crumble after a few years. I had
several in my tool/junk box, all of which are now useless.

There are also fancy vacuum-aided devices for which I have never
(yet) had the need, but I hear-tell they are super at what they
do.

They work quite well. I have a Pace desoldering station and a much
cheaper Chinese clone at home. I still use the solder pump, but for
unsoldering a board full of components, nothing beats the desoldering
machine. Highly recommended, but not cheap. Plan on buying some
spare tips and a tip cleaner as they do clog if used often.

For the most part, the vacuum pump desoldering irons are great for
printed circuit board work, but are also inadequate for vintage
equipment desoldering. The primary problem being the small size of
reservoir requires emptying about every 5-6 "normal vintage radio
joint"

It's not the reservoir that fills. It's the cotton plug inside the
glass cylinder that fills. However, it's not important as the tip
will clog long before the reservoir fills with dross.

My solution for large parts is a bit more disgusting. I don't care
about saving the solder or where it lands. So, I use an air
compressor to *BLOW* the solder off the terminals instead of sucking.
A piece of box cardboard serves as a sacrificial target. Safety
glasses, gloves, and a long sleeve shirt are quite useful. Get the
joint hot, and hit it with 120 psi of compressed air and it's
instantly clean. The dross comes off easily from everything except
plastic and rubber insulated wire, which the dross will melt.

Incidentally, the air compressor technique is also effective for
deslobbering large circuit boards full of useful components. In the
past, I would insert the board into a bench vice, heat up the solder
side with a propane torch, pull back on the board, and let spring
tension launch the components in the opposite direction. Kinda
messy, but very easy and effective. However, some boards simply will
not bend enough to make this method effective. In addition, the
components near the bench vice usually fail to desolder themselves.
So, I now use a propane torch and air compressor to do the
desoldering. That works much better, creates a more concentrated
mess, can be performed in any position, but does take somewhat
longer.

In addition to the probe technique, I will heat up the terminal,
then wiggle the one lead in particular as it cools off. This gives
me a nice "cold solder joint" and makes it obvious as to which lead
is the one that needs to be gone. I'll use a sharp pair of cutters
to clip the specific loop around the terminal. When reheated again,
the lead usually pulls straight out and the wrapped part falls off.

Yeah, that also works. I get the same effect with short blast of
cold air from the air compressor. Instant dross.

Jeff

The other Jeff.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558


I like this idea , I'll set my mind to how to get a short burst of
compressed air and give it a go. At the moment thinking of a pumped-up
innertube and a solenoid valve, I doubt full compressed air pressure
would be required for molten solder.
No workshop compressed airline unfortunately.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/



I suppose you could look into one of those "portable air" systems out
now,that use paintball gun tanks and a regulator to supply air/nitrogen/CO2
to air-powered tools,they hang off your belt.Tanks of varying sizes are
available,too.Refill them wherever paintball refills are offered.

there are inexpensive air accessory kits available that include a coiled
hose,nozzle,quik-connects,tire inflators.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Claude Hopper wrote:
I just tap or snap the terminal when the solder is melted and it just
flies off, then I can pull the wire out. Sometimes you have to remelt
and resnap to get the hole clear for another wire.

Yes, gravity is your friend. But it's kind of hard to do when the
terminal in question is parts of a large chassis.

Jeff

On 2 Jul 2008 23:27:11 GMT, Jim Yanik wrote:

I suppose you could look into one of those "portable air" systems out
now,that use paintball gun tanks and a regulator to supply air/nitrogen/CO2
to air-powered tools,they hang off your belt.Tanks of varying sizes are
available,too.Refill them wherever paintball refills are offered.
there are inexpensive air accessory kits available that include a coiled
hose,nozzle,quik-connects,tire inflators.

I have 2 of these (office and home):
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00915312000P
It's fairly minimal, but works well enough if you give it time to
build up the pressure. Spraying hot solder all over the office is
generally a bad idea, so I do it outside. I also use it to clean out
the dirt and dust from various electronic devices. It's small and
portable, so carrying it outside is easy.

I use a standard "safety" blow gun with a conical tip. I suspect I
could do better with a customized blow gun tip, such as using a
baskeball filler adapter with the end ground off, but haven't bothered
to try.

These were on sale last Christmas for $75 so I bought two.

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

Keep some sacrificial tube around and put them in the socket before
desoldering. I have cracked too many empty sockets. Especially the Philco
40-*** grey locktail socket on the second tube in the line up.

I try to splice (hooks) in the new componants unless the under chassis is
supposed to be replicate/restored.

Paul P.

On Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:00:01 -0700, Jeffrey D Angus
wrote:

Claude Hopper wrote:
I just tap or snap the terminal when the solder is melted and it just
flies off, then I can pull the wire out. Sometimes you have to remelt
and resnap to get the hole clear for another wire.

Yes, gravity is your friend. But it's kind of hard to do when the
terminal in question is parts of a large chassis.

Not gravity, it's inertia.
Place chassis on flat table.
Lift one side of the chassis.
Heat the joint with a soldering iron.
When hot, let the chassis drop onto the table.
Inertia will cause the solder to splatter on the table.

I used to do it this way when removing parts from old TV sets that I
fished out of dumpsters behind Henry Radio (in L.A.) and local TV
repair shops.

Jeff

The other Jeff.

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

On Jul 2, 2:32*pm, "N_Cook" wrote:
Jeff Liebermann wrote in message

news




On Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:04:01 -0700, Jeffrey D Angus
wrote:

Peter Wieck wrote:
I use a solder-sucker.

One of these things:
http://www.eclipsetools.com/ProductP...s/900-001N.JPG

Those really suck.

The little rubber bulb squeezy things are inadequate to the amount
of solder to be removed from the terminals.

The rubber also seems to crack and crumble after a few years. *I had
several in my tool/junk box, all of which are now useless.

There are also fancy vacuum-aided devices for which I have never (yet)
had the need, but I hear-tell they are super at what they do.

They work quite well. *I have a Pace desoldering station and a much
cheaper Chinese clone at home. *I still use the solder pump, but for
unsoldering a board full of components, nothing beats the desoldering
machine. *Highly recommended, but not cheap. *Plan on buying some
spare tips and a tip cleaner as they do clog if used often.

For the most part, the vacuum pump desoldering irons are great for
printed circuit board work, but are also inadequate for vintage
equipment desoldering. The primary problem being the small size of
reservoir requires emptying about every 5-6 "normal vintage radio
joint"

It's not the reservoir that fills. *It's the cotton plug inside the
glass cylinder that fills. *However, it's not important as the tip
will clog long before the reservoir fills with dross.

My solution for large parts is a bit more disgusting. *I don't care
about saving the solder or where it lands. *So, I use an air
compressor to *BLOW* the solder off the terminals instead of sucking.
A piece of box cardboard serves as a sacrificial target. *Safety
glasses, gloves, and a long sleeve shirt are quite useful. *Get the
joint hot, and hit it with 120 psi of compressed air and it's
instantly clean. *The dross comes off easily from everything except
plastic and rubber insulated wire, which the dross will melt.

Incidentally, the air compressor technique is also effective for
deslobbering large circuit boards full of useful components. *In the
past, I would insert the board into a bench vice, heat up the solder
side with a propane torch, pull back on the board, and let spring
tension launch the components in the opposite direction. *Kinda messy,
but very easy and effective. *However, some boards simply will not
bend enough to make this method effective. *In addition, the
components near the bench vice usually fail to desolder themselves.
So, I now use a propane torch and air compressor to do the
desoldering. *That works much better, creates a more concentrated
mess, can be performed in any position, but does take somewhat longer.

In addition to the probe technique, I will heat up the terminal,
then wiggle the one lead in particular as it cools off. This gives
me a nice "cold solder joint" and makes it obvious as to which lead
is the one that needs to be gone. I'll use a sharp pair of cutters
to clip the specific loop around the terminal. When reheated again,
the lead usually pulls straight out and the wrapped part falls off.

Yeah, that also works. *I get the same effect with short blast of cold
air from the air compressor. *Instant dross.

Jeff

The other Jeff.

--
Jeff Liebermann * *
150 Felker St #D * *http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann * * AE6KS * *831-336-2558

I like this idea , I'll set my mind to how to get a short burst of
compressed air and give it a go. At the moment thinking of a pumped-up
innertube and a solenoid valve, I doubt full compressed air pressure would
be required for molten solder.
No workshop compressed airline unfortunately.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Vacuum generators are shown here
http://www.smcusa.com/sections/products/vacuum.asp
But I think you will need a fair ammount of air , not sure how it
would work with an inner tube, if you have a compressor that will fill
a small tank , it might work for short bursts.
Phil

On Jul 2, 1:38*pm, "N_Cook" wrote:
Engineer wrote in message

...
On Jul 2, 9:28 am, "N_Cook" wrote:



I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with what
I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel handle,
I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list

onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

On vintage gear I use a spring loaded solder sucker plus a sharp
aluminum (aluminium) probe (like the OP's needle probe - solder won't
stick to it.) *Usefully, one end has a 1 mm slot about 3 mm deep with
sharp points on each side. *This allows a controlled rotational
leverage to unhook those "mechanically anchored" wires that are such a
pain to get off.
As other posters have said, the addition of a little new solder can
give a better heat transfer from the "iron" and assist flow in the old
joint.
Cheers,
Roger

Aluminium ? I can't beleive that is strong enough.
Sewing needles are stainless steel which is fine with lead/tin solder but
interestingly, for diagnosis purposes, lead-free solder will adhere to
stainless steel, requiring more than just a fingernail to scrape it off,
more likely requiring pliers of some sort.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That was my first thought but it's not broken yet, and it's had a few
tough twists over the years! Perhaps it's an alloy. It came with my
old Weller solder gun over 25 years ago, both still going strong.
I only use tin/lead solder so the stainless sewing needle is a good
idea (but you don't get that "slot twist".) I'll ask my wife for one,
she's from Southsea (not far from you), so pretty resourceful!
Cheers,
Roger
(near Toronto, Canada)

Engineer wrote in message
...
On Jul 2, 1:38 pm, "N_Cook" wrote:
Engineer wrote in message

...
On Jul 2, 9:28 am, "N_Cook" wrote:



I find desolder braid or vacuum suckers only work well enough on flat
pcb
pads not bulbous solder and wire/s around tags of older stuff.

Anyone have improvements or alternatives to the technique I use.
Firstly assuming that the component lead length is not enough to cut and
re-use further along the wire. So definitely a matter of desoldering and
re-using what is there, maybe more than one wire , all quite properly,
looped through the tag before the original soldering.

The first thing I do is fix some small (ratchet clamping) medical artery
forceps / angler's hook remover tool/s on the exposed bit of the metal
of
the wire/s up close to the tag to act as heatsinks to avoid melting the
sleeving , due to prolonged solder-iron heating of the tag. Then with
what
I
call a needle-probe, a large sewing needle, set into wooden dowel
handle,
I
explore while melting the solder blob and unhook the "free" end of the
wire/s and then pull through using the forceps.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list

onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

On vintage gear I use a spring loaded solder sucker plus a sharp
aluminum (aluminium) probe (like the OP's needle probe - solder won't
stick to it.) Usefully, one end has a 1 mm slot about 3 mm deep with
sharp points on each side. This allows a controlled rotational
leverage to unhook those "mechanically anchored" wires that are such a
pain to get off.
As other posters have said, the addition of a little new solder can
give a better heat transfer from the "iron" and assist flow in the old
joint.
Cheers,
Roger

Aluminium ? I can't beleive that is strong enough.
Sewing needles are stainless steel which is fine with lead/tin solder but
interestingly, for diagnosis purposes, lead-free solder will adhere to
stainless steel, requiring more than just a fingernail to scrape it off,
more likely requiring pliers of some sort.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list
onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That was my first thought but it's not broken yet, and it's had a few
tough twists over the years! Perhaps it's an alloy. It came with my
old Weller solder gun over 25 years ago, both still going strong.
I only use tin/lead solder so the stainless sewing needle is a good
idea (but you don't get that "slot twist".) I'll ask my wife for one,
she's from Southsea (not far from you), so pretty resourceful!
Cheers,
Roger
(near Toronto, Canada)


In UK size terms , use a darning needle somewhere between size 5 and 12.
Drill an undersize hole in the dowel, insert with glue and bind the end of
the wood tightly with wire to reinforce against splitting/opening up.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

Jeffrey D Angus wrote in message
...
Ken G. wrote:
Interesting .. not one person does this the same way


Do you have anything constructive to add? Or are you just
posting to see your name in print like Skippy did?

Jef


I find it an interesting point. We each, separately, have found a way that
obviously works or we would try and find another method. But there is no
convergence to some outright winning process.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

I find it an interesting point. We each, separately, have found a way that
obviously works or we would try and find another method. But there is no
convergence to some outright winning process.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

IMHO, there is no "winning process" because there are too many
variables. A 'bag of tricks' is more useful and the appropriate
methods applied to the particular situation encountered. Replacing a
components [lead] down under a bandswitch is handled far differently
than on an 'eye' type terminal strip fully exposed in the middle of
the chassis.
I think the whole process is called "experience".

Neil S.

Try going to one of the aerospace industry houses here in SoCal and
implement some of the yahoo practices of desoldering as described here and
condoned by some, and you will be thrown out before you can even blink an
eye!

As in soldering, but in reverse, there is methodology and experience in the
way one removes components from a circuit.

From milspec procedures, to industry protocol, there is a way of doing this,
in the same manner as driving schools teach parallel parking!

Omer



"nesesu" wrote in message
...


I find it an interesting point. We each, separately, have found a way
that
obviously works or we would try and find another method. But there is no
convergence to some outright winning process.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list
onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

IMHO, there is no "winning process" because there are too many
variables. A 'bag of tricks' is more useful and the appropriate
methods applied to the particular situation encountered. Replacing a
components [lead] down under a bandswitch is handled far differently
than on an 'eye' type terminal strip fully exposed in the middle of
the chassis.
I think the whole process is called "experience".

Neil S.

On Jul 4, 11:34*am, "Omer S" wrote:
Try going to one of the aerospace industry houses here in SoCal and
implement some of the yahoo practices of desoldering as described here and
condoned by some, and you will be thrown out before you can even blink an
eye!

As in soldering, but in reverse, there is methodology and experience in the
way one removes components from a circuit.

From milspec procedures, to industry protocol, there is a way of doing this,
in the same manner as driving schools teach parallel parking!

Omer

"nesesu" wrote in message

...





I find it an interesting point. We each, separately, have found a way
that
obviously works or we would try and find another method. But there is no
convergence to some outright winning process.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list
onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

IMHO, there is no "winning process" because there are too many
variables. A 'bag of tricks' is more useful and the appropriate
methods applied to the particular situation encountered. Replacing a
components [lead] down under a bandswitch is handled far differently
than on an 'eye' type terminal strip fully exposed in the middle of
the chassis.
I think the whole process is called "experience".

Neil S.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Indeed! I took the soldering course and was certified. Gosh, that was
a lot of years ago, too.
However, consumer electronics are not generally built like the
military gear that the soldering
course was aimed at, and it was assumed that the joint of interest was
readily accessable
and the support of the terminal was still sound. As you say, Omer,
those joints were made,
originally, to the strict process methods, and from that were
appropriate to the 'un-soldering'
methods set out.
A flimsy crystalized brass solder tag with too many leads connected to
it is not the
same thing.
If I recall correctly, the biggest thing they harped on in that
soldering course was
"do not overheat the connection"! That was followed by a good
mechanical support and
good 'wetting' when re-soldering.

Neil S.

In article ,
"Omer S" wrote:

Try going to one of the aerospace industry houses here in SoCal and
implement some of the yahoo practices of desoldering as described here and
condoned by some, and you will be thrown out before you can even blink an
eye!

As in soldering, but in reverse, there is methodology and experience in the
way one removes components from a circuit.

From milspec procedures, to industry protocol, there is a way of doing this,
in the same manner as driving schools teach parallel parking!

Omer



Right. Suppose you tell us all the mil spec procedure (that term is
outdated by about twenty years, I believe) so that we don't commit any
more grievous mistakes. But "industry protocol" around usenet is bottom
posting, so be careful lest you be "thrown out before you can blink an
eye."

FYI via Youtube

Omer

Enjoy!



How to Do It: Basic Soldering
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLfXXRfRIzY

Soldering 101
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cl5Q...eature=related

How To Solder PROPERLY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkra...eature=related

SOLDERCAM! Desoldering diodes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U0jb...eature=related



"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,
"Omer S" wrote:

Try going to one of the aerospace industry houses here in SoCal and
implement some of the yahoo practices of desoldering as described here
and
condoned by some, and you will be thrown out before you can even blink an
eye!

As in soldering, but in reverse, there is methodology and experience in
the
way one removes components from a circuit.

From milspec procedures, to industry protocol, there is a way of doing
this,
in the same manner as driving schools teach parallel parking!

Omer



Right. Suppose you tell us all the mil spec procedure (that term is
outdated by about twenty years, I believe) so that we don't commit any
more grievous mistakes. But "industry protocol" around usenet is bottom
posting, so be careful lest you be "thrown out before you can blink an
eye."

In article ,
"Omer S" wrote:

FYI via Youtube

Omer

Enjoy!



How to Do It: Basic Soldering
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLfXXRfRIzY

Soldering 101
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cl5Q...eature=related

How To Solder PROPERLY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkra...eature=related

SOLDERCAM! Desoldering diodes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U0jb...eature=related



Uh, I know how to solder. I do it for a living. Desolder, too. So I
didn't watch your links, but thanks for the effort. Which video is it
exactly, that talks about the "mil spec" procedure for desoldering tag
terminals? Or is it that you don't have any idea, and you were just
blowing smoke with that aerospace talk?

And please stop top-posting.

On Jul 4, 4:23*pm, nesesu wrote:
On Jul 4, 11:34*am, "Omer *S" wrote:

(snip)

If I recall correctly, the biggest thing they harped on in that
soldering course was
"do not overheat the connection"! That was followed by a good
mechanical support and
good 'wetting' when re-soldering.

Neil S.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It's the "good mechanical connections" that get us!
When I build or refurbish point-to-point "vintage" tube equipment I
try for a minimally sound mechanical connection that can be easily
undone over the next 100 years by the next custodian. Basically, I
bend component wires just enough to stay put while I solder properly
(well wetted, no dry joints.) The multiple "wrap-arounders", from OEM
to recent restorer, are a big pain!
Cheers,
Roger

On Jul 8, 1:08*pm, Engineer wrote:
On Jul 4, 4:23*pm, nesesu wrote: On Jul 4, 11:34*am, "Omer *S" wrote:

(snip)

If I recall correctly, the biggest thing they harped on in that
soldering course was
"do not overheat the connection"! That was followed by a good
mechanical support and
good 'wetting' when re-soldering.

Neil S.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It's the "good mechanical connections" that get us!

I think that was the mistake I was tending to make. I would really do
a good job of attaching the wire mechanically, then solder it. My
thought was that the other joints were not done so well because they
were being done in a mass production environment. I never had any
problems with poor connections on anything that I touched, but I have
cursed myself a few times for tying stuff together too well before
soldering.
Phil

philsvintageradios wrote:

I think that was the mistake I was tending to make. I would really do
a good job of attaching the wire mechanically, then solder it. My
thought was that the other joints were not done so well because they
were being done in a mass production environment. I never had any
problems with poor connections on anything that I touched, but I have
cursed myself a few times for tying stuff together too well before
soldering.
Phil

Dontcha just hate to work on a Hallicrafters rig of the "pink capacitor"
era with miniature 7/9 pin tubes? Every connection is neatly and
tightly wrapped with a proper but minimal application of solder.

Bit of a bear to work on but I can't say I've ever seen parts popping
loose in them.

-Bill

...
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **