Skip to main content

I have been doing this for years but recently when I mentioned it to a fellow collector, he had never heard of it and it solved an ongoing soldering problem for him so I thought I would pass it along.  I  repair and recondition not only locomotives but also transformers, mainly ZW and KW.  Many of the soldering connections I re-solder have holes for the wires on the connection.  Many are remote such as the power cord connections on the ZW and KW.  Typically when you remove a wire on these terminals, the molten solder fills the holes.  When I am ready to reconnect I heat the terminal to a molten state and quickly push a round toothpick into the hole, twisting as I push.  The toothpick is easy to remove and you have a nice open hole in which to insert the new wire to solder.

 

Jim

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

John's device pictured, is a solder sucker. Push the spring loaded end into the tube.  Heat the solder connection to liquid, then press the yellow button on the side, to release the spring load plunger, sucking liquid solder into the white tip, left end of picture.  This tool usually does a pretty good job of clean-up, especially in small delicate places. The solder once solidified inside the tube, requires the assembly to be broken-down, and cleaned.  Safety glasses are always a good idea.  Safety meeting of the day. 

Last edited by Mike CT

I have a Weller desoldering iron, which has hollow tips, and a vacuum bulb to suck away the solder. I only use it on printed circuit boards, where it works fairly well.


For other  jobs, I often use solder wick to soak up excess solder before reconnecting things.

I think Jim's tip to use a toothpick to clear holes is a good one.

 

Here is a picture of the business end of the desoldering tool, I didn't find a picture of a complete unit.

 

$_57

Attachments

Images (1)
  • $_57
Last edited by C W Burfle
Originally Posted by O Gauge Jim:

<Snip> When I am ready to reconnect I heat the terminal to a molten state and quickly push a round toothpick into the hole, twisting as I push.  The toothpick is easy to remove and you have a nice open hole in which to insert the new wire to solder.

Dang! And I've been using a "Solder Sucker" for well over 30 years?

 

Honestly, I can't see anything wrong with this process, and for the price, it can't be beat!!!

Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:

Good idea, and requires no extra tools.

 

I'm lazy and use one of these.

 

Yea, me too until today, but is this topic extremely valid?

 

Have you and I been wasting money on Teflon tips for our solder-suckers?

 

I'm reminded...very obscure and vaguely of some old proverbial saying that refers to the collective mind being better than a singular perception.

 

These dang solder-suckers are not cheap, and neither are their tips (as a previous owner of an Electronic Repair shop).

 

But a toothpick??? Can't beat it!

Last edited by Dave_R

IMHO, the advantage of using a solder sucker or solder wick is that these tools will remove excess solder, and leave a nice, clean eyelet. When you use a toothpick, you are just pushing the solder aside.

I have used a probe to open up eyelets  too, and sometimes I do both: remove excess solder with solder wick and then open the hole with a probe.

Whatever you do, be careful not to damage the wires coming from the transformer coil. I had one fellow bring me a transformer that wouldn't work after he replaced the cord himself. He had broken off the wires to the primary coil.

I was first employed as an electronics technicaian back in 1976.  I was soon introduced to both the solder sucker and solder wick.  I found the solder sucker to be most useful to me in most situations.  I didn't like the solder wick as much, but that is just me. I havent used either at work for some time as I mov to engineering about 8 years ago, but still have both at home.

 

back to Jim's original message.  I have used component leads for the same purpose as the toothpick.  I never thought of the toothpick, but that would work great, if one doesnt do enough soldering to want to invest in either of the other items.

Depending on where the terminal is located, I would suspect sometimes it's easier to get the toothpick into the area than the end of the solder sucker. 

 

And if the toothpick is still hard to fit, break it in half and use tweezers to maneuver it into the area.

 

Thanks for the tip.  I'll consider this next time I am in a similar situation.

 

-Dave

Last edited by Dave45681

with solder wick it helps to have a temperature controlled iron.  the wick doesn't only suck up solder, but it also sinks heat.  you also need to match the wick size to the type of work you're doing, but i prefer it over a mechanical sucker.

 

cheers...gary

 

Solder_Wick

after seeing the previous comment, i might also add that Solder Wick is flexible to fit into tight spaces.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • Solder_Wick
Last edited by overlandflyer

Stan, the one I posted has the plunger enclosed, that spring loaded "arm" is extended at full length after the unit is cocked.  No eye danger here.

 

Hve you actually used the one you posted?  The price is sure right, though I don't find one for 1.25 like that.  I'm assuming that is the aluminum one, right?  Always useful to have a couple in different toolboxes at that price.

 

Yes I've used it and it works fine.  I've used the "blue" traditional style for decades and this one generates a similarly effective suck.  It seems the key is a snug fit of the rubber O-ring that slides in the cylinder.  Or maybe I'm just lucky and got one with better matched parts; I'm trying to imagine if they do a suction test in production for this price.

 

One advantage of your style is you can cock it against the bench and then fire it with one hand...while the other hand holds the soldering iron.  I remember marveling at re-work techs who had a high suck per minute rate using this technique.  Though I think this is asking for a worker's comp claim for solder-elbow for the unusual arm twist motion to do this.

 

Edit: oh, I didn't answer your question about the body.  It's metal and I'm guessing aluminum based on a few places where the black paint has chipped off.  I see no writing or brand name on it though.

Last edited by stan2004

The only problem i don't like about the blue model type, It has quite a Kick  when released and if your working on a PC board with very small traces the suction  when release causes the tip to suck and kick and can damage the trace,especially if the trace is small like it is on the PS 2 5 and 3 volt boards and the trace can be destroyed!

I prefer the vacuum pump solder stations where you can control the vacuum and suction.

FWIW

Alan

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×