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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: tgujay on Wed, 29 August 2012, 13:19:31

Title: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Wed, 29 August 2012, 13:19:31
I'm currently in the process of renovating an old Chicony with mx blues and a desoldering iron made the process immensely less time consuming.  So far I have removed all the switches and am going to sand and repaint the plate.  Since the plate was rusty and some of the switches have rust/gunk on them, is there a preferred method of cleaning switches?
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Wed, 29 August 2012, 13:37:03
Which desoldering iron do you have?
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Wed, 29 August 2012, 13:41:19
Which desoldering iron do you have?
Radioshack cheap thing with a bulb, works great.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: PointyFox on Wed, 29 August 2012, 19:33:18
Is bulb better than the solder sucker?  Mine sucks, but not in a good way.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Wed, 29 August 2012, 19:44:01
I have one of those too, makes desoldering an entire board worth of switches sooooooooo easy. Definitely worth $11. Certainly cheaper that chewing through braid.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Wed, 29 August 2012, 19:47:39
Is bulb better than the solder sucker?  Mine sucks, but not in a good way.
It works awesome, i set the iron down around the pin with solder let go of the bulb and it sucks it all up, spit it into a box and keep going. I spent a day and got half the keyboard desoldered with braid, finished the other half in 15 minutes with the desolder iron.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Wed, 29 August 2012, 19:48:44
I have one of those too, makes desoldering an entire board worth of switches sooooooooo easy. Definitely worth $11. Certainly cheaper that chewing through braid.
Yusssss
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: PointyFox on Wed, 29 August 2012, 19:52:13
Is this a solder sucker/bulb combo?
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Wed, 29 August 2012, 20:20:16
Is this a solder sucker/bulb combo?
It looks like this, because it is this haha.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: PointyFox on Wed, 29 August 2012, 20:26:19
Ah, I might have to get one of those.  Mine are separate and hard to use on small parts.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Wed, 29 August 2012, 20:31:12
Ah, I might have to get one of those.  Mine are separate and hard to use on small parts.
Yeah it's pretty awesome, and like lysol said they are like 11 bucks. Totally worth it.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: TheProfosist on Wed, 29 August 2012, 23:58:08
Get a soldapult i think it call best thing next to a desoldering iron.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: PointyFox on Thu, 30 August 2012, 04:34:17
Sounds like you should wear goggles with that one.  :eek:
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: modulor on Thu, 30 August 2012, 08:24:04
These work very well for how much they cost! :cool:
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Thu, 30 August 2012, 11:54:28
Get a soldapult i think it call best thing next to a desoldering iron.
I would have to argue that the desoldering iron is infinitely easier to work with and is a single tool. If you are desoldering an entire board I wouldn't use any else.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: PointyFox on Thu, 30 August 2012, 13:53:10
Get a soldapult i think it call best thing next to a desoldering iron.
I would have to argue that the desoldering iron is infinitely easier to work with and is a single tool. If you are desoldering an entire board I wouldn't use any else.
Especially when holding something like pliers in the other hand.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Thu, 30 August 2012, 15:16:09
Since I already have a radioshack iron, is the bulb and tip just an add-on I can buy? Or do I need to buy the whole desoldering assembly including the iron?
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Thu, 30 August 2012, 15:18:14
Since I already have a radioshack iron, is the bulb and tip just an add-on I can buy? Or do I need to buy the whole desoldering assembly including the iron?
It's a set not an add on.
Title: Re: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: TheProfosist on Thu, 30 August 2012, 23:03:39
Get a soldapult i think it call best thing next to a desoldering iron.
I would have to argue that the desoldering iron is infinitely easier to work with and is a single tool. If you are desoldering an entire board I wouldn't use any else.
i would agree it better an faster but a good one also costs multiple times more.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: tgujay on Fri, 31 August 2012, 09:42:27
Get a soldapult i think it call best thing next to a desoldering iron.
I would have to argue that the desoldering iron is infinitely easier to work with and is a single tool. If you are desoldering an entire board I wouldn't use any else.
i would agree it better an faster but a good one also costs multiple times more.
What defines a good one?  Mine has removed switches from 2 whole boards and had no trouble.
Title: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: PointyFox on Fri, 31 August 2012, 11:03:39
Maybe one with a vacuum pump?
Title: Re: Re: Desoldering iron best investment so far
Post by: TheProfosist on Fri, 31 August 2012, 22:23:54
Maybe one with a vacuum pump?
yes that would be what im refering to.