Appreciation post for the old timer who showed me I was desoldering backwards for a decade

I used to always heat the pin and then pull the solder out with my iron tip. Thought that was how everyone did it. Then this guy at a Hamfest in Portland watched me work on a board for maybe 30 seconds and handed me his desoldering gun. Said just heat the joint and let the vacuum do the work, don't wiggle the pin. First try with his method and the component came out clean. Felt pretty stupid but man it saves so much board damage. Has anyone else had a basic skill click way later than it should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

angela_dixon25d ago

Don't wiggle the pin" - wish someone told me that before I turned a few boards into abstract art.

the_julia25d ago

My sympathies, @angela_dixon. We've all got a few boards that look more like modern art than furniture, it's a rite of passage.