removing solder from double sided boards

[daz]

yeah, i know i'm a few decades late to the party here. But i never bothered to look into the tools needed to do this. There are few times i run into this, but when i do it's a horror story trying to do it with solder wick or a sucker. What tools are available to do it and whats the cheapest way to go?

[g1]

http://music-electronics-forum.com/t30966/

[daz]

http://music-electronics-forum.com/t30966/

yes

[g1]

That's a link to a recent post on this very topic .

[daz]

Doh !

[km6xz]

I have always invested in expensive rework stations that in the not too distant past costs thousands of dollars. They have a quality vacuum pump and a gun shaped solder sucker with trigger......But never use them anymore since discovering Chip-Qwik 15 years ago.
It IS the absolutely fastest way to remove parts without damage to boards or components. It takes 15 seconds to remove a 100++ pin gate array and be able to reuse it, or remove a jack that is solder on both side of a heavy ground plane without using force, greater heat than 130F.
Chip-Qwik is a low temperature solder that is melted into the joint and the combination of the low temp solder and the 600F degree lead-tin solder on the pc board results a new melting temperature of 130 or less. The part just falls off. It costs about $12-13 for 5-6 feet of it but that is enough to unsolder hundreds of connections. It take only about 1/2 an inch of the low temp solder to removed the largest of IC s or jacks, or pot mounting tabs.
Here is a video of its use: SMD Removal using a Chip Quik kit - YouTube

Not damaging thin traces on a PC board will save you money and time the first time you use it. The video stresses SMD but it is perfect for through hole with multiple layer boards so no preheating is needed on expensive pc board heaters. It might take 45 minutes preheat time for removal of a part using hot air a pre-heater but the same part can be removed in seconds and never needing to get the part or trace very hot. I just pick up the just freed part with my fingers.

[diydidi]

I have always invested in expensive rework stations that in the not too distant past costs thousands of dollars. They have a quality vacuum pump and a gun shaped solder sucker with trigger......But never use them anymore since discovering Chip-Qwik 15 years ago.
It IS the absolutely fastest way to remove parts without damage to boards or components. It takes 15 seconds to remove a 100++ pin gate array and be able to reuse it, or remove a jack that is solder on both side of a heavy ground plane without using force, greater heat than 130F.
Chip-Qwik is a low temperature solder that is melted into the joint and the combination of the low temp solder and the 600F degree lead-tin solder on the pc board results a new melting temperature of 130 or less. The part just falls off. It costs about $12-13 for 5-6 feet of it but that is enough to unsolder hundreds of connections. It take only about 1/2 an inch of the low temp solder to removed the largest of IC s or jacks, or pot mounting tabs.
Here is a video of its use: SMD Removal using a Chip Quik kit - YouTube

Not damaging thin traces on a PC board will save you money and time the first time you use it. The video stresses SMD but it is perfect for through hole with multiple layer boards so no preheating is needed on expensive pc board heaters. It might take 45 minutes preheat time for removal of a part using hot air a pre-heater but the same part can be removed in seconds and never needing to get the part or trace very hot. I just pick up the just freed part with my fingers.

Hi. Thats awesome! Where do you buy from? Can I order online?

[km6xz]

Yes, all the mail order houses have it plus some chains like Fry's. Try Mouser, DigiKey, Jamico, MCM, Farnell in UK, Printec in The Netherlands, etc. Howard Electronic Instruments in Kansas is a specialty shop for everything soldering and desoldering has it also plus any parts needed for a wire variety of irons and desolder stations.
Every time I go back to the US I pick up a couple kits and they last me 3-4 months. Fry's has the kits for $12 if I remember correctly.

[Billy R aka DynaFreak]

Another option is the Hakko 808. I use one and it works great.