Removing humbucker covers...

[David Schwab]

Consumer grade desolderers from Radio Shack are tolerable, barely.

Industrial desolderer/rework stations do a much better job,
if you can justify the price.


-drh

I use one of those spring loaded solder suckers all the time. I find it works well once you get around the recoil issue. I also have one of those red rubber bulbs that I swear I've had since the 70's! I mostly use that to annoy my wife and daughter by puffing air in their ears (from a safe distance of course).

I still have a nice extractor/inserter tool set for IC's that I got when I worked at ITT back when they made electronic stuff.

Talking about the crazy price of some tools, I use DIP headers on my bass pickups the same way EMG does. The crimping tool they sell at Mouser was $800! I got a simpler crimping tool from Jameco to use with slightly different pins for $15!

[Zemaitis]

Here is how I do it:
With the pickup face up, 100 watt gun, heat the solder real quick, then jerk the pickup down and then up real quick over a cardboard box... solder slides off into the box, cover is clean, and solders up very nicely with the recovered solder. You can't even tell the cover was off. Never burnt a finger, the solder heat ups real quick.

[jason lollar]

No man the only correct way is use a 40 watt chisel tip- slip the tip of a single edge razor blade between the cover and the baseplate right next to the solder joint- heat up the joint- slip the razor blade through the solder, remove the iron and then pull out the razor. you can use the same razor for szeveal joints before the solder starts to stick to it- its really quick and clean. If you are slick you can re solder the joint so no one will ever see it.

[David Schwab]

Here is how I do it:
With the pickup face up, 100 watt gun...

You should not use soldering guns around pickups. They produce a strong magnetic field at the tip which can weaken the magnet.