| Desoldering braid is copper braid used in the rework | | | | soldering iron or rework station. The iron should be |
| and repair of circuit boards, computers, cell phones, or | | | | around 15-40 watts, as higher wattage risks damaging |
| other electronics. It is woven copper that easily lets | | | | the components and the circuit board. Overheating a |
| you remove the extra solder from components or | | | | solder joint can damage the board by causing a pad |
| pads on the circuit board. There are many types of | | | | or trace to detach. You should also use a soldering |
| desoldering braid (or desoldering wick) available to | | | | station with anti-static protection and protective wrist |
| remove solder from electronics or in the salvage and | | | | straps if you will be working with static-sensitive parts. |
| repair of high-value parts and products. | | | | You can quickly desolder a joint with a soldering iron |
| Electronic components are often mounted on a circuit | | | | and use of high-quality desoldering braid. Simply place |
| board and careful desoldering of components results in | | | | the desoldering braid flat against the solder pad. Place |
| preventing damage to the circuit board and the | | | | the tip of the soldering iron on the desoldering braid. |
| component being removed. Various desoldering tools | | | | When the braid becomes sufficiently hot, you will see it |
| and materials include: | | | | "wick up" the excess solder through capillary action. |
| - Desoldering braid | | | | Remove the iron from the braid and the braid from the |
| - Heating guns | | | | solder pad at the same time. The pad will appear |
| - Solder soakers | | | | tinned but should be free of excess solder. |
| - Removal fluxes | | | | Good quality desoldering braid should be cleaned and |
| - Rework stations. | | | | manufactured using environmentally safe chemicals |
| Desoldering requires application of heat to the solder | | | | and processes. It should also be made of clean, |
| joint and removing the molten solder so that the joint | | | | oxide-free copper and contain many strands of |
| may be separated. There are a few ways to | | | | copper per square inch, for economical and consistent |
| desolder, with each method having its own | | | | results. |
| advantages. Generally speaking, you will be using a | | | | |