What desoldering gun/pump is best?

[VEGETA]

Crappy solder wick doesn't work.

I heated up the iron to 400-450 degrees and still doesn't work. However, reviews says it works with them, so how?

[Towger]

You get what you pay for with solder wick.  Try wetting it with IPA before use, which may resurrect any flux on it, or failing that add liquid flux.

[bd139]

Crappy solder wick doesn't work.

I heated up the iron to 400-450 degrees and still doesn't work. However, reviews says it works with them, so how?

If you've only ever used shit wick, you never know what good wick is like.

Chemtronics or bust here.

[Shock]

Just a question: how does solder wick works?
I tried heating it with the junction but no success at all. I bought them from Banggood.

Wick is normally braided copper. When molten solder is introduced the solder will be drawn into the wick due to the capillary effect of the braids exposed surface area. The tension of the molten solder is greater towards the wick than the joint so it's drawn in.

A few things need to occur well for this to happen, the wick needs to be clean and solderable quality and there needs to be some flux in order to facilitate breaking down the oxides to draw in the solder. Once the wick becomes saturated with solder the tension is diminished so a fresh part of the wick needs to be used.

Use a decent brand wick with flux or add your own. Hold it directly on the joint and warm the wick with the iron tip and let it sink into the solder. If it doesn't you either don't have enough heat, crappy or dirty wick with defective flux. If the joint is old or badly oxidized you can freshen it with your iron and a little solder/flux which will loosen it up a little.

The same thing applies when desoldering as with soldering, you need a clean suitably sized tip with enough surface area to heat through the joint. A little solder on the tip creates a thermal bridge aiding the initial heat transfer.

[james_s]

I would guess that a lot of the wick from places like Banggood is really poor quality, both the copper and the flux. Dipping old wick in liquid flux before use does greatly improve its performance though.

[bob225]

servisol soldamop is my go to with a no clean flux pen for the really bad thru-hole jobs

I had some automotive pcbs that where 2mm thick boards, 90% through hole nothing would touch it, I borrowed a duratool vac/solder station and that worked fine, so I got my own - temp wise its within 5% of what it displays apart from changing the felt filters and the odd blockage its been very good for the price


Only tip I have is reflow the joint with fresh solder then use the soldamop

[guisveld]

BRRR hate handpumps... I do a lot of desoldering. I have useds A Denon SC7000 integrated gun, a Hakko 474, An Aoyue 474 and ZD-8915. And the winner is without any doubt the ZD-8915. Tips and other parts are cheap, suction is powerfull, heating power is great. Not the best build quality, but, again without any doubt, the best performance. Put a dime in the barrell halfway the spring to catch most of the solder. And for all these type of stations: Let them fully heat up for at least 5 minutes. This will prevent clogging. And use Hakko filters and tin the tips! The price range is/was for the Hakko 474 around 700 euro. and you can get the ZD-8915 for 70 Euros: https://www.bifelectronic.com/gb/reworking-desoldering/2416-zd8915-bif.html.

[t1d]

I have made a couple of desoldering guns, from the iron with the suction bulb attached. Below is an example - Not mine. They can be made DIY for $50, easy, assuming that you have a few of the parts laying around. Here are my design tips...

Buy the hottest iron, you can find. The same iron design comes in different fixed heats, depending on the maker. This one from Amazon was the hottest 120v I could find, but not the cheapest. Get the hottest. https://www.amazon.com/ECG-J-045-DS-Electric-Soldering-Temperature/dp/B00068IJSG/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1541381154&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=desoldering+pump+bulb
I used a Radio Shack brand, for one, but they went out of business.

Get an iron that has replaceable tips. The one from Amazon does have replaceable tips.

Remove the bulb and shorten the bulb tube. You want it short as possible, but long enough to keep the filter off of the iron.

Use a short piece of automotive grade/heat-rated silicone tube to attach a metal, 1/4", small engine, fuel filter to the bulb tube. Remove the filter guts and put in a little piece of brass sponge. Do not get a fuel filter that has a center tube.

Use automotive grade/heat rated silicone tube, going from the filter to the pump. Leave the tube long, maybe 24", to keep heat from reaching the pump.

Add a switch system. You want the iron to stay on continuously. But, you only want the suction to operate during the removal process. The problem with leaving the pump running all the time is that the air cools the iron tip. I made a foot switch using a voltage regulator and a solid state relay.

I used nebulizer pumps. They are cheap, at the secondhand/thrift stores. And, it is easy to change them from blowing to sucking, by swapping those lines.

Watch YouTube videos on how to use a desoldering gun. There are a few tricks.

These work well for me. I would not hesitate to make another one.

[james_s]

Using the hottest iron you can find is a great way to destroy PCBs. You want an iron that is temperature controlled, with adequate power behind it but not excessively hot.

Really though when you can buy a decent Chinese desoldering station for under $100, why screw around trying to build something that isn't as good?

[t1d]

Using the hottest iron you can find is a great way to destroy PCBs. You want an iron that is temperature controlled, with adequate power behind it but not excessively hot.

You are taking me out of context. The hottest you can find of this type of iron. The hottest I have ever seen is only 45w. This certainly will not be dangerously hot... Unless you leave it attached, too long... Which is why I suggested getting the instruction tips, for using it.

Really though when you can buy a decent Chinese desoldering station for under $100, why screw around trying to build something that isn't as good?

Because he has $50, not $100. For some people, they can only afford to do, what they can afford to do.

[james_s]

Wattage is not a measure of temperature, there's a reason those old fashioned non-controlled irons are called firesticks.

Even if one works a minimum wage job, spending $100 on a decent tool that works well is likely a better deal than spending $50 and some time building something inferior. I used one of those suction bulb irons for years, hooking it to a vacuum pump was an improvement but it's still no comparison to a real desoldering station. If I could have bought one then as cheap as they are now I would have just bought one.

[noname4me]

Goot GS-150

Use at work... liked it so much bought one for myself

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[Martin Miranda]

 
its rare for local auction house to bid for electronics tools. but when i do. i always look for desoldering equipment. i tried the chinesum solder pumps but it breaks frequently, i have these for a couple of years now.

[VEGETA]

I got one of those from aliexpress yesterday, still needs a month to arrive: https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Vacuum-Solder-Sucker-Desoldering/dp/B06XP7C1V1

I think I got 2 of them for about 54$ including shipping.

anyone tried these?

I don't want them for heavy duty desoldering but rather occasional work. I hate the manual pump which is user with my soldering iron, I have only 2 hands anyway. and the full electrical automatic pump sucker is kinda expensive for me right now.

[rpiloverbd]

Hakko FR-301 is good.