Pro tip: I used to hate desoldering wick, but now I swear by it for clean PCB work.

After stubbornly avoiding it for years, I tried desoldering wick on a tricky joint and was blown away by how much cleaner the result was.

3 comments

3 Comments

thea_owens765mo ago

Ever try heating the wick before you touch the joint?

nancys395mo ago

Actually, the wick itself isn't the issue, it's that most people use it wrong. You gotta add a bit of fresh solder to the joint first, then it works like magic.

seth_stone5mo ago

Try skipping the extra solder step. Adding fresh solder can make the joint harder to clean (since you're just putting more stuff to remove). Just press the wick onto the old joint and heat it, and it'll work fine.