Need to desolder stuff? Have a woodstove? Read on...

[glitch]

I had an idea, tried it out, and was impressed with the results:

Desoldering components using your woodstove

I desoldered 20 displays that would've otherwise been removed using a soldering iron and wick! It took about 15 minutes. There was a slight heated PCB smell, but no smoke or burning.

 

[Chuck(G)]

Well, it's probably faster with a heat gun or toaster oven. My wife would have things to say if I used our woodstove to do this...

But you're on the right track. The slave labor in China that pulls chips for resale often uses a charcoal brazier to do the same thing. It's probably dangerous.

 

[glitch]

Generally, I put the board in a vise and heat the back with a propane blowtorch. I've been doing that for years (literally since elementary school...probably explains a lot!) so I can generally strip something the size of an AT motherboard without burning the board at all. Unfortunately, I don't have my shop set up yet at the new house, so there's no vise to use.

I don't think I'd use an open charcoal fire...I've caught the board substrate on fire a few times with the blowtorch method...really awful clouds of burning-resistor-smelling smoke!

 

[RetroHacker_]

I used to use a blowtorch, but I switched to a heat gun a long time ago. It was a pain having to keep buying fuel for the torch - and the heat gun does a better job of regulating the temperature. I don't have a wood stove, but I've been looking into getting an electric skillet for the purpose.

-Ian

 

[bluethunder]

I've used one of those old square electric frying pans (filled with sand) with great success.. Lets me do boards outside which is nice.

Cost a couple bucks at the local salvation army.