Spent 6 years desoldering with a pump before a buddy showed me solder wick

I was over at a repair shop in Denver helping a friend with a vintage radio and he kept wiping my joints with this copper braid after I sucked the pads clean. Turns out I was heating up the board way too long with my pump and causing damage I never noticed. Anyone else have that moment where a simple tool completely changed how you work for the better?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimr741mo ago

The solder wick totally changed my game too, I was wrecking boards for years with that stupid pump.

avery_ross1mo ago

Yeah I switched to wick after watching a buddy fix a vintage amp with it, and I never looked back. @kimr74, funny enough I still keep a pump around for big blobs of solder on old speaker terminals, but that's about it. The wick just lets you clean up pads without that panicked "did I just lift another trace" feeling.

the_lee1mo ago

@avery_ross I mean is 'wrecking boards' really that common or are we being a little dramatic about it?