Broken solder pad - suggestions?

[psychic_fuzz]

I much prefer decent wick for PCB work, the board seems less liable to overheating.
Of course if doing more than the odd one off, a good vacuum desolding station is essential.

I was, stupidly, using a vaccum desolderer with no heat control. The suction was super intense as well.

I tried wick but I can’t get the feel for it. Kind of a balancing act. ill have to practice on some spare boards.

A nice hakko station will be my next investment for sure!

 

[KraftyBob]

I was, stupidly, using a vaccum desolderer with no heat control. The suction was super intense as well.

I tried wick but I can’t get the feel for it. Kind of a balancing act. ill have to practice on some spare boards.

A nice hakko station will be my next investment for sure!

The right temperature is your friend.

 

[purpleplexi]

Sorry I read that as shoulder pad. I got nothing.....

 

[JzRepair]

I was, stupidly, using a vaccum desolderer with no heat control. The suction was super intense as well.

I tried wick but I can’t get the feel for it. Kind of a balancing act. ill have to practice on some spare boards.

A nice hakko station will be my next investment for sure!

You really don't need to spend big money on a name brand soldering station. Although I will agree that a nice temperature controlled solder sucker is a nice thing to have, I don't spend more than $50 on any of my soldering stations. They are very basic with just an iron and hot air. In fact, the last one I purchased was a Bakan soldering station, found on Amazon. I paid less than $50 with shipping and to be honest, it's one of the nicest stations I've owned. Temperature is super reliable and the iron feels extremely comfortable in my hand.

Don't get me wrong, I would like to own a nice Weller or Hakko, but for the price, I can't justify it when some of these inexpensive units are just as good. They may not have all the accessories or bells and whistles, but like with everything else, the more you do something the better you get and the easier it becomes. It doesn't matter what kind of soldering station you have, just make sure it's adjustable temperature and works well for you.