I've done a couple of LC class machines so far...and after about the 3rd one, I'm quite comfy doing it. Charles (uniserver/maccaps.com) is certainly the leader in re-capping knowledge, and thankfully he is happy to share the knowledge for those willing to try it ourselves. Here's what I've started doing...
To remove them, I've found the twist-off method to work very well. Might be a problem if things are rotted out from the leaking capacitor...but sounds like that is rarely an issue. One person talked about using a tool that they could fit down over the cap and push down and twist. I've just used pliers...grab it hard, push down, and turn in place...keep twisting till it comes free. Most times it breaks off and just leaves a tiny part of the base within the pad. Sometimes, they twist around and the whole leads remain but the cap of the capacitor comes off freely. Either way, the hard work is done.
Next, I use some hi-grade isropropyl alcohol and q-tips to clean up as much of the capacitor goo as I can. That stuff seems to be pretty nasty fume-wise when you heat it up. Once it's mostly clean, I add a little flux around each of the legs. Then I use my soldering station (a cheap Yihua 936 from hobbyking.com) with a good Hakko chisel tip...put it against the pad, and it will pick the leg right up along with it...wipe it off on a sponge and repeat till they are all clear.
Next, I take a solder braid and use it to suck up most of the remaining solder off of the pads. Sometimes, if one edge of the pad is a bit messy, I'll run the chisel tip of the soldering iron around on it gently, and the flux tends to clean it right up. Once most of the solder is gone, get out the alcohol and q-tips again and clean up all the flux mess that was left behind.
For capacitors, I'm sold on the MLCC caps - I can provide a few example links if anyone is interested. They are a bit more expensive, but sounds like they should last a LONG time. They are also smaller, so there is lots of room to work with the soldering iron and pad. I tried the cheap exact replacements, but struggled to get them soldered in place. What I do is flow solder onto one pad, then use a toothpick to get the replacement SMD MLCC capacitor in position...then use the tip of the toothpick to press down on it while re-heating the solder I just place down. Now the capacitor is held in place. Solder the other side in, then if the first side isn't very pretty, go back and add a little more solder to it.
Someone somewhere once commented that once they learned to do it, they found replacing SMD caps easier than through-hole ones. After having done a few now, I'm beginning to agree.
Wesley