Desoldering wick

Desoldering wick is also known by other names like desoldering braid, solder wick and solder braid. It can be used to remove solder from the printed circuit boards. For example, if we want to remove an already mounted component, this can be used to remove the solder on the solder pad. Desoldering wick is also useful to remove a bridging solder which has inadvertently been placed between two strips of a printed circuit board. The desoldering wick is made of copper braid and attracts solder so that it will be removed from a specific region without damaging the circuit board or nearby components. It is used along with the soldering iron to melt the solder, which is quickly absorbed by the copper braid. As copper is a good conductor of heat, heat transfer to nearby regions is also prevented.

This particular desoldering wick is 3 mm wide and 305 mm long. Different widths with colour codes for various types of application are available. Small solder pads and surface mount devices may require a 0.8 mm solder wick while 5 mm size may be needed for larger solder pads. Some varieties have solder flux to make the solder removing process easier. Once a part of the solder wick is saturated with solder, that part has to be cut and discarded and is not reusable. A pair of tweezers have to be used to hold the desoldering wick as it can become quite hot with the application of heat by the soldering iron. Small amount of solder may remain on the printed circuit board and require other means of cleaning for complete clearance.