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duratool desoldering gun

Tony L said:
I was under the impression that flux inhalation is the dangerous bit as that burns off, but the lead stays put. Is this correct? Fume extraction is the part I’m totally missing, I really need to land a little fan at some point as working on the floor (I have no space anywhere for a table) means I’m right over it whenever I do anything. If I soldered more regularly I’d definitely address this aspect.
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I found the flux fumes with lead free solder to be horrible for my nose and throat. I won't use it. And while a fan is a good idea (I use one if I am soldering a lot of leads) it has to be angled exactly right or it cools the work too much. Sitting in the right place is more important, I find.
 
Tony L said:
I was under the impression that flux inhalation is the dangerous bit as that burns off, but the lead stays put. Is this correct?
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I can't answer that directly, but when I was making leaded lights, some of our full time leaders (I was the glass embosser officially; my problem was hydrofluoric acid!) had regular blood tests. Despite soldering lead cames with lead solder day after day, I don't recall anyone being over the prescribed limits. The tallow flux might have had a deleterious effect, but that wasn't tested for.
 
I have a spool of tin/lead solder with a label that reads "Wash thoroughly before eating, drinking, or smoking."
 
Vinny said:
It used to contain rosin - which is the industrial name for some kind of tree sap. But my recollection is that most is claimed rosin-free these days?????
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Every solder I have bought from Mouser, Amazon and RS is rosin core solder. Kester, ChipQuick. Rosin free solder is a pain in the butt IMO. The core is the magic!
 
glenn jarrett said:
Vinny
try a set of stainless hollow needles you can buy for a few quid of fleabay work a treat come in different sizes
you place over the leg melt the solder and the needle goes through the hole with the component let inside the needle
the solder will still need cleaning off the pcb after tho
i found it works better than a sucker

20201028_105023 by glenn jarrett, on Flickr
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My concern with those would be (especially on old PCBs where the pads aren't plated through the via) catching and damaging the pad on the other side. But it's definitely intriguing.

I just use desoldering braid now. The plunger pump only comes out for bulk removal.
 
Top tip with these: get some silicone grease and lube the various O rings and rubber mating surfaces plus around the inside end of the metal tube where it passes into the rubber bits. The improved vacuum can make it literally twice as effective IME. Oh and when the rear filter gets clogged you can use some cotton wool to replace it. Beware there is also a filter in the connection of the vacuum hose to the base but in theory this should stay clean I guess.... if the filters before it are working anyway.
 
^Amen to that. It really improves the performance of this excellent tool.

P.S Don't be afraid to buy spares when purchasing. They cost next to nothing, even the filters.
 
I also use one of those cheap de-soldering guns and they work very well but as Jez says they need regular cleaning
I ran out of filters a couple of weeks ago so I punched a circle of scotch bright and that worked great.
I do miss my Metcal soldering / de-soldering station but it just refused to switch on one day due to a failure in the switch mode power supply, have to try and fix that but I don't know anything about switch mode supply's ?
Alan
 
Had a nightmare of a time desoldering a part on my old plasma TV, and also a playstation 4 controller. Just couldn't seem to remove the solder cleanly from the hole. Can't remember it being anywhere near that difficult when I used to remove parts from my old Naim gear.

Are these desoldering stations far better than a solder sucker?
 
One of my old colleagues early on in his career occasionally had to visit the Timex factory in Dundee, he hated going there as when any male walked down the production line they were cat called, screamed at to “get yer kit off” and groped, one of the women on the line was chewing solder and horrified he asked why and was told “I enjoy it”, he couldn’t persuade her she shouldn’t do it. Shortly afterwards the factory was shut, they rioted and set fire to the personnel office and he lost some national insurance contributions but at least he never had to go back there.
 
I just bought a Duratool Desoldering station - What temperature do you think I should use for desoldering a Playstation 5 joystick module (Link)? What would happen if I set the temp to max?
 
Those desoldering systems are great. If mine broke tomorrow, I'd be ordering a replacement one within the hour. They get you out of so much trouble - desoldering a 14 legged chip? No problem. Cleaning up surface mount pads to replace a device? No problem. Its especially useful on on older PCBs (looking at you Arcam and Teac of the 90s) where the traces tend to lift with the component legs.

I find keeping the trigger pulled for a sec or two after lifting it away pretty much completely eliminates clogging. Make up removal pads make good filters for the chamber. On some very heavy items I'll use a soldering iron as well to help heat the pad/leg but thats really rare. You'll never use a solder sucker again.

I have mine set at 380 or 400 I think. Sometimes with new flow soldered devices (like playstation) it helps to flow the solder with ordinary solder and a bit of flux, and then use the desoldering gun. If it doesn't get all the solder out, you can refill the joint with a little bit of solder, keep the heat on for a bit longer and try again.
 
It worked! Still a bit fiddly, and I agree that it works best when you wiggle it around a bit. If you don't do that, it can leave a bit of solder attached to the side.
Resoldering helped also.

I think what made it difficult is the legs of the joystick module are rectangular, and quite tight in the round circuit board hole.
 
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