I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
soldering station: cost. I have a compressor. Since there are COTS
desoldering stations that work from a compressed air supply it's possible,
using the Venturi effect, I believe. Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

TIA
Norm

You can buy a venturi vacuum generators for about £15 IIRC from farnell
www.farnell.co.uk but I expect lots of others can supply the same or
similar items in the UK and elsewhere. They are used for material
handling for paper etc. I found the performance to be quite good at
about 90% vacuum and was using it for de-aerating silicon mould making
compound. Much cheaper than a vacuum pump but they use a lot of air but
I didn't need to run it for more than a few minutes at a time. I have
since got a 2nd hand vacuum pump which generates higher vacuum and uses
a lot less power. Unless you want to make one I would just find a cheap
supplier to buy one from.

Norm Dresner wrote:

I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
soldering station: cost. I have a compressor. Since there are COTS
desoldering stations that work from a compressed air supply it's possible,
using the Venturi effect, I believe. Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

TIA
Norm

Norm Dresner writes:

Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3952

Norm Dresner writes:

Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

Sorry, I meant:

http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/3000-3999/3952.pdf

But looking at the parts diagram, for $10 the make-or-buy decision seems to
be "buy".

Richard J Kinch wrote:
Norm Dresner writes:


Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?


Sorry, I meant:

http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/3000-3999/3952.pdf

But looking at the parts diagram, for $10 the make-or-buy decision seems to
be "buy".


I wouldn't think they could even sell you the housing and handle for
that. G

Speaking of handles....

Wasn't it Rodney Dangerfield who said:

"I went to open the refrigerator this morning and the handle fell off
the door...When I grab my briefcase the handle tore loose...Now I'm
afraid to go take a leak."

Jeff

--
Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying."

On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 20:17:52 GMT, "Norm Dresner" wrote:

||I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with a
||soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
||is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
||vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
||soldering station: cost. I have a compressor. Since there are COTS
||desoldering stations that work from a compressed air supply it's possible,
||using the Venturi effect, I believe. Are there any on-line tutorials for
||creating a vacuum from an air source?

You can buy a air-driven venturi vac pump from Harbor Freight for $10 on sale.
It works fine, but it's noisy.
Texas Parts Guy

Norm Dresner wrote:

I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
soldering station: cost.

Is there some reason why you don't just buy a Solder Sucker? This is a
hand held plastic device which you cock. You then apply soldering iron,
poke the teflon tip of the solder sucker into the melt and press the
trigger. It produces a short, sharp suction that is very effective.

Ted

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 16:30:43 GMT, the renowned Ted Edwards
wrote:

Norm Dresner wrote:

I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
soldering station: cost.

Is there some reason why you don't just buy a Solder Sucker? This is a
hand held plastic device which you cock. You then apply soldering iron,
poke the teflon tip of the solder sucker into the melt and press the
trigger. It produces a short, sharp suction that is very effective.

Ted

They don't work nearly as well as the professional desoldering
stations. My one uses a electric graphite vane pump.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

"Ted Edwards" wrote in message
...
Norm Dresner wrote:

I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done
with a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the
iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase
a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a
commercial
soldering station: cost.

Is there some reason why you don't just buy a Solder Sucker? This is a
hand held plastic device which you cock. You then apply soldering iron,
poke the teflon tip of the solder sucker into the melt and press the
trigger. It produces a short, sharp suction that is very effective.

I've got two in the house now. But I'm partially disabled with
neurological problems in my hands and the less I have to use them the better
I work.

Norm

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 16:30:43 GMT, Ted Edwards
wrote:

Norm Dresner wrote:

I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
soldering station: cost.

Is there some reason why you don't just buy a Solder Sucker? This is a
hand held plastic device which you cock. You then apply soldering iron,
poke the teflon tip of the solder sucker into the melt and press the
trigger. It produces a short, sharp suction that is very effective.

They're good for thru-hole work but not with surfacemount because the
nozzle is too big.

Jeff Wisnia wrote in message ...
Richard J Kinch wrote:
Norm Dresner writes:


Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?


Sorry, I meant:

http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/3000-3999/3952.pdf

But looking at the parts diagram, for $10 the make-or-buy decision seems to
be "buy".


I wouldn't think they could even sell you the housing and handle for
that. G

Speaking of handles....

Wasn't it Rodney Dangerfield who said:

"I went to open the refrigerator this morning and the handle fell off
the door...When I grab my briefcase the handle tore loose...Now I'm
afraid to go take a leak."

Jeff


Try he

http://www.air-vac-eng.com/single.htm

Looks like the Single Stage AV Series Pump is what you're looking for.
A friend of mine purchased the AVR093H (High vacuum level) while
attending the Bell Composite school, and said it works like a champ.
They sell for $21, and air consumption rates are about a quarter of
the Harbor Freight unit. They also make a Low and Medium Vacuum Level
version.

Here's the spec sheet:

http://www.air-vac-eng.com/PDF%20Files/av.pdf


Mike

On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 20:17:52 GMT, "Norm Dresner"
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email
http://www.hyvac.com/Products/O_pump...uri_vacuum.htm

I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
soldering station: cost. I have a compressor. Since there are COTS
desoldering stations that work from a compressed air supply it's possible,
using the Venturi effect, I believe. Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

TIA
Norm

"Old Nick" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 20:17:52 GMT, "Norm Dresner"
vaguely proposed a theory

I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done
with a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the
iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase
a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a
commercial
soldering station: cost. I have a compressor. Since there are COTS
desoldering stations that work from a compressed air supply it's
possible,
using the Venturi effect, I believe. Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

TIA
Norm
......and in reply I say!:

http://www.hyvac.com/Products/O_pump...uri_vacuum.htm


Okay, it's neat -- but the smallest version is $100 and I can buy a full
desoldering station for $200 so tha's hardly an economical solution.

Norm

In article ,
Norm Dresner wrote:
"Old Nick" wrote in message
.. .

[ ... ]

http://www.hyvac.com/Products/O_pump...uri_vacuum.htm


Okay, it's neat -- but the smallest version is $100 and I can buy a full
desoldering station for $200 so tha's hardly an economical solution.

So -- make your own. It's not rocket science. Do you have a
lathe? The basics a


+-----------------------------------------------+
| |
|_______________ ________________|
\ /
Air \____________/ Air
In Out
____________
/ || \
_______________/ || \________________
| / \ |
| | | |
+--------------------- ----------------------+
Vacuum port

I'll leave it to you to select the proper threads for the various
fittings, and the size to suit. I would probably start with a 1"
diameter piece of bar stock, and use a pretty small pipe thread for the
vacuum port. If you need a larger port, increase the size of the stock
to make sufficient room for the threads.

It would benefit from a smoother curve at the start of the
restriction and at the exit from it, but this should be sufficient to
give you some vacuum. It will be noisy, so run the air-out away from
you with another hose.

The basic principle is air in with large diameter, reduced
diameter where the vacuum port is, and then back to large diameter.

Material ideally should be bronze or stainless steel, but brass
or aluminum would work for a shorter time, or even plain steel, as long
as your air supply is nicely dried.

Good Luck,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

For a desoldering iron application, I think you'll end up wanting something
more effective than a Harbor Freight generator (not that I've tried them,
but I've used numerous different brands of commercial desoldering stations).

The Air-Vac desoldering iron venturi generator is very effective for two
reasons.. it's designed very well (and provides instantaneous vacuum at the
tip), and because it's located on the handpiece (being closer to the tip).
The older irons are often on eBay and sometimes don't even get any bids.
These desoldering tools are the style with the glass collection chamber
above/alongside the heater-tip assy.

Many other systems use an electric pump with a reciprocating diaphram and
rubber-like reed valves. The glass collection chamber is inside the
handpiece (which is more compact), and the handpiece has a long piece of
flexible tubing between the handpiece and pump. This introduces a little
delay in the vacuum, but they work fairly well.
The electric pump is typically a 12V, 1 to 2 amp PM DC motor (about 2" x 3")
that's run intermittently with 24V.
The pump diaphram is about 1-1/4" diameter with about a 1/8" stroke.

Nearly all of the heater-tip assemblies of the more recent models are low
voltage heaters.. typically 24V. For a scratch-built improvised design, you
wouldn't need closed loop temperature control, but a temperature adjustment
will be a good idea (triac or variac), so you can turn the temp down for
more delicate, easily damaged circuit board work.
For circuit board work, you'll definitely want the tip to be earth grounded.
The Pace heaters are short, and aren't as versatile as the longer heaters
are.

The glass vial is a nice sight glass feature, but a metal tubing chamber
works just as well. Silicone rubber seals are usually used at the ends of
the chamber.

Another feature you might want to include would be the versatility to enable
you to use hot air coming out of the tip for surface mount components or
some other non-contact application (such as heat shrink tubing). You'll
probably want to implement a needle valve similar to a CFH gage, since the
air flow needs to be low to maintain heat.

Fitting numerous features into a handpiece are a bit complicated, but you
can use a foot switch to energize the solenoid for the air source (that way,
the iron heat is replenished/saturated when the vacuum is off), or on/off
for an electric pump.

For solder/flux vapor filters you can use a variety of materials, but you
should avoid steel wool if you're doing circuit board repairs.. a single
strand of wool can be hard to find if the circuit doesn't work (I found that
out many years ago).
I've used roll-type bandage gauze for filters.. it's a convenient size to
roll up into the pellet shape.

WB
................

"Norm Dresner" wrote in message
...
I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with
a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
soldering station: cost. I have a compressor. Since there are COTS
desoldering stations that work from a compressed air supply it's possible,
using the Venturi effect, I believe. Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

TIA
Norm

On Sun, 20 Jun 2004 04:02:46 GMT, "Norm Dresner"
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email
Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

Okay, it's neat -- but the smallest version is $100 and I can buy a full
desoldering station for $200 so tha's hardly an economical solution.

See my quote from your OP. I know it's not a tutorial. I thought you
may be interested.

Good ideas from "Wild Bill." I'd add the following -- I'm thinking
about doing this myself, perhaps this winter.

I think I'd want a vacuum reservoir. I don't think it would take
much, maybe an old 14 -oz propane cylinder or two, or perhaps a piece
of 4" ABS pipe with caps. Scrounge or contrive a simple
vacuum-actuated switch: maybe a diaphragm and a microswitch. Find
some cheap surplus solenoid valves. They show up at my surplus store
every now and then for a couple of bucks each. I'd valve the air to
the venturi, but the line from vacuum tank to venturi would also have
to be valved. Then a third valve would pulse vacuum to the sucker
with a finger-operated or foot-operated switch. The "sucker" might
just be a bit of small-diameter stainless or teflon tubing. I think
I'd keep the sucking and heating functions separate: melt the solder
with a temperature-controlled soldering station I already have.

I've found that fluxed copper braid (Solda-Wick) works pretty well
with surfacemount stuff, but sucking out the bulk of the solder first
would speed that up some.

BTW, that HF vacuum venturi is dirt simple (I've taken one apart) ,
but for $9.95 it's hardly worth bothering to make one. They claim a
pretty good vacuum, something like 27 or 28". I don't have a gage
suitable for testing to verify or refute that claim. It is
definitely noisy, but so are inexpensive electric diaphragm pumps
that produce significantly less vacuum. With a good vacuum you'll
have more delta P (maybe 13 PSI) so I think we'll get more volume and
velocity thru a given vacuum nozzle, hence more vigorous
soldersucking.

The problems with the pushbutton soldersuckers like Solda-pult a
the nozzles are kinda bulky, they "kick" when released which sometimes
jerks the nozzle away from the site to be sucked, , and you only get
a pulse of vacuum that doesn't always do the job.

Keep us (or at least me) posted on your progress, please.

On Sun, 20 Jun 2004 15:38:46 -0400, "Wild Bill"
wrote:

For a desoldering iron application, I think you'll end up wanting something
more effective than a Harbor Freight generator (not that I've tried them,
but I've used numerous different brands of commercial desoldering stations).

The Air-Vac desoldering iron venturi generator is very effective for two
reasons.. it's designed very well (and provides instantaneous vacuum at the
tip), and because it's located on the handpiece (being closer to the tip).
The older irons are often on eBay and sometimes don't even get any bids.
These desoldering tools are the style with the glass collection chamber
above/alongside the heater-tip assy.

Many other systems use an electric pump with a reciprocating diaphram and
rubber-like reed valves. The glass collection chamber is inside the
handpiece (which is more compact), and the handpiece has a long piece of
flexible tubing between the handpiece and pump. This introduces a little
delay in the vacuum, but they work fairly well.
The electric pump is typically a 12V, 1 to 2 amp PM DC motor (about 2" x 3")
that's run intermittently with 24V.
The pump diaphram is about 1-1/4" diameter with about a 1/8" stroke.

Nearly all of the heater-tip assemblies of the more recent models are low
voltage heaters.. typically 24V. For a scratch-built improvised design, you
wouldn't need closed loop temperature control, but a temperature adjustment
will be a good idea (triac or variac), so you can turn the temp down for
more delicate, easily damaged circuit board work.
For circuit board work, you'll definitely want the tip to be earth grounded.
The Pace heaters are short, and aren't as versatile as the longer heaters
are.

The glass vial is a nice sight glass feature, but a metal tubing chamber
works just as well. Silicone rubber seals are usually used at the ends of
the chamber.

Another feature you might want to include would be the versatility to enable
you to use hot air coming out of the tip for surface mount components or
some other non-contact application (such as heat shrink tubing). You'll
probably want to implement a needle valve similar to a CFH gage, since the
air flow needs to be low to maintain heat.

Fitting numerous features into a handpiece are a bit complicated, but you
can use a foot switch to energize the solenoid for the air source (that way,
the iron heat is replenished/saturated when the vacuum is off), or on/off
for an electric pump.

For solder/flux vapor filters you can use a variety of materials, but you
should avoid steel wool if you're doing circuit board repairs.. a single
strand of wool can be hard to find if the circuit doesn't work (I found that
out many years ago).
I've used roll-type bandage gauze for filters.. it's a convenient size to
roll up into the pellet shape.

WB
...............

"Norm Dresner" wrote in message
...
I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done with
a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a commercial
soldering station: cost. I have a compressor. Since there are COTS
desoldering stations that work from a compressed air supply it's possible,
using the Venturi effect, I believe. Are there any on-line tutorials for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

TIA
Norm

I really like the idea of a vacuum reservoir because it can also serve as a
"sucked solder catcher". Using something like an empty propane cylender
would probably take at least a half a lifetime to fill up (and I hope I
don't have that much longer to go ;-).

Norm

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
Good ideas from "Wild Bill." I'd add the following -- I'm thinking
about doing this myself, perhaps this winter.

I think I'd want a vacuum reservoir. I don't think it would take
much, maybe an old 14 -oz propane cylinder or two, or perhaps a piece
of 4" ABS pipe with caps. Scrounge or contrive a simple
vacuum-actuated switch: maybe a diaphragm and a microswitch. Find
some cheap surplus solenoid valves. They show up at my surplus store
every now and then for a couple of bucks each. I'd valve the air to
the venturi, but the line from vacuum tank to venturi would also have
to be valved. Then a third valve would pulse vacuum to the sucker
with a finger-operated or foot-operated switch. The "sucker" might
just be a bit of small-diameter stainless or teflon tubing. I think
I'd keep the sucking and heating functions separate: melt the solder
with a temperature-controlled soldering station I already have.

I've found that fluxed copper braid (Solda-Wick) works pretty well
with surfacemount stuff, but sucking out the bulk of the solder first
would speed that up some.

BTW, that HF vacuum venturi is dirt simple (I've taken one apart) ,
but for $9.95 it's hardly worth bothering to make one. They claim a
pretty good vacuum, something like 27 or 28". I don't have a gage
suitable for testing to verify or refute that claim. It is
definitely noisy, but so are inexpensive electric diaphragm pumps
that produce significantly less vacuum. With a good vacuum you'll
have more delta P (maybe 13 PSI) so I think we'll get more volume and
velocity thru a given vacuum nozzle, hence more vigorous
soldersucking.

The problems with the pushbutton soldersuckers like Solda-pult a
the nozzles are kinda bulky, they "kick" when released which sometimes
jerks the nozzle away from the site to be sucked, , and you only get
a pulse of vacuum that doesn't always do the job.

Keep us (or at least me) posted on your progress, please.

On Sun, 20 Jun 2004 15:38:46 -0400, "Wild Bill"
wrote:

For a desoldering iron application, I think you'll end up wanting
something
more effective than a Harbor Freight generator (not that I've tried them,
but I've used numerous different brands of commercial desoldering
stations).

The Air-Vac desoldering iron venturi generator is very effective for two
reasons.. it's designed very well (and provides instantaneous vacuum at
the
tip), and because it's located on the handpiece (being closer to the
tip).
The older irons are often on eBay and sometimes don't even get any bids.
These desoldering tools are the style with the glass collection chamber
above/alongside the heater-tip assy.

Many other systems use an electric pump with a reciprocating diaphram and
rubber-like reed valves. The glass collection chamber is inside the
handpiece (which is more compact), and the handpiece has a long piece of
flexible tubing between the handpiece and pump. This introduces a little
delay in the vacuum, but they work fairly well.
The electric pump is typically a 12V, 1 to 2 amp PM DC motor (about 2" x
3")
that's run intermittently with 24V.
The pump diaphram is about 1-1/4" diameter with about a 1/8" stroke.

Nearly all of the heater-tip assemblies of the more recent models are low
voltage heaters.. typically 24V. For a scratch-built improvised design,
you
wouldn't need closed loop temperature control, but a temperature
adjustment
will be a good idea (triac or variac), so you can turn the temp down for
more delicate, easily damaged circuit board work.
For circuit board work, you'll definitely want the tip to be earth
grounded.
The Pace heaters are short, and aren't as versatile as the longer heaters
are.

The glass vial is a nice sight glass feature, but a metal tubing chamber
works just as well. Silicone rubber seals are usually used at the ends of
the chamber.

Another feature you might want to include would be the versatility to
enable
you to use hot air coming out of the tip for surface mount components or
some other non-contact application (such as heat shrink tubing). You'll
probably want to implement a needle valve similar to a CFH gage, since
the
air flow needs to be low to maintain heat.

Fitting numerous features into a handpiece are a bit complicated, but you
can use a foot switch to energize the solenoid for the air source (that
way,
the iron heat is replenished/saturated when the vacuum is off), or on/off
for an electric pump.

For solder/flux vapor filters you can use a variety of materials, but you
should avoid steel wool if you're doing circuit board repairs.. a single
strand of wool can be hard to find if the circuit doesn't work (I found
that
out many years ago).
I've used roll-type bandage gauze for filters.. it's a convenient size to
roll up into the pellet shape.

WB
...............

"Norm Dresner" wrote in message
...
I'd like to build a desoldering station. Conventionally this is done
with
a
soldering iron and a vacuum source. In the best units the tip of the
iron
is hollow and the vacuum draws through it. But I don't want to
purchase a
vacuum pump for the same reason that I don't want to purchase a
commercial
soldering station: cost. I have a compressor. Since there are COTS
desoldering stations that work from a compressed air supply it's
possible,
using the Venturi effect, I believe. Are there any on-line tutorials
for
creating a vacuum from an air source?

TIA
Norm

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 15:32:42 GMT, "Norm Dresner"
wrote:

I really like the idea of a vacuum reservoir because it can also serve as a
"sucked solder catcher". Using something like an empty propane cylender
would probably take at least a half a lifetime to fill up (and I hope I
don't have that much longer to go ;-).

The solder solidifies rather fast when you remove the heat source -
the solder catch bottle or chamber needs to be on (or inside) the
desoldering sucker iron handle itself, or within about 6" of the
nozzle. Molten solder won't stay molten for travel through 3' of hose
and a solenoid valve to get to the propane cylinder vacuum reservoir.

If you try that, you'll only end up with a hose plugged with a big
gob of teardrop shaped solder globs....

-- Bruce --

Yep, there are several other fine points, or details to designing such a
system from scratch.
If the solder cools too quickly (from the heater temp being too low, low
thermal mass, or drawing too much air thru the heater), the solder will
solidify in the passage and cause blockages. Clearing blockages is more
troublesome than using solder wick.

The hot solder should be captured as soon after the heater as possible. A
solder trap in the collector chamber will prevent the solder from clogging
the filter. The trap can be a wavy aluminum strip or a spring coil, so that
the molten solder hits it and solidifies on it instead of hitting the filter
and clogging it.
The filter captures the finer solder and flux vapors, preventing them from
reaching the tubing and pump.

The most economical tips are the 1" long 1/8" diameter plated copper tips
(such as Plato 20-0110). The heater assembly could be adapted to hold these
plain tips with a stainless steel set screw. Tips that are threaded or
plated steel will be much more expensive, and really aren't more cost
effective.

I've used solder irons with solder suckers and lots of squeeze bulb-type
desoldering irons, but there's nothing easier to use than a properly
operating desoldering station.
It's good to have wick handy sometimes, and it works even better when you
put a little (just a little) liquid rosin flux on it.

WB
................

"Bruce L. Bergman" wrote in message
...

The solder solidifies rather fast when you remove the heat source -
the solder catch bottle or chamber needs to be on (or inside) the
desoldering sucker iron handle itself, or within about 6" of the
nozzle. Molten solder won't stay molten for travel through 3' of hose
and a solenoid valve to get to the propane cylinder vacuum reservoir.

If you try that, you'll only end up with a hose plugged with a big
gob of teardrop shaped solder globs....

-- Bruce --