Just figured out I was desoldering wrong for 2 years

Ngl, I always used a cheap pump and thought the leftover solder was just bad flux. Then a buddy at the station showed me how flux core wire works and I felt like an idiot. Anyone else have a 'wait, that's how you do it' moment with a basic tool?

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2 Comments

thomas.piper2mo ago

Three years for me with a manual pump that never worked right. Switched to a solder wick and felt like I wasted half my hobby time on frustration.

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emmam322mo ago

Oh, I remember reading a test report on this a while back. A few maker websites did a comparison of different desoldering methods, and the plain old copper braid came out on top for reliability. The manual pumps can be finicky, especially if you don't clean the tip often. Glad you found what works for you, even if it took a while to get there.

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