Uploaded April 2010 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This is a technique I use for cleaning up through-hole solder pads on old game circuit boards where solderwick and traditional desoldering methods can cause pad delamination. (When it's more important to preserve the PCB than the components.)
1) Cut the parts off flush with the board (in the video I've cut off the old sockets on a Wililams Joust PCB).
2) Using a hot air rework station and a small tip (I use a Hakko 850) preheat the PCB.
3) Once you see the solder start to melt, press the tip down against the PCB and the air pressure will blow the solder (and remainder of the IC leg) out the back of the board cleanly.
That's it!
This is a technique I use for cleaning up through-hole solder pads on old game circuit boards where solderwick and traditional desoldering methods can cause pad delamination. (When it's more important to preserve the PCB than the components.)
1) Cut the parts off flush with the board (in the video I've cut off the old sockets on a Wililams Joust PCB).
2) Using a hot air rework station and a small tip (I use a Hakko 850) preheat the PCB.
3) Once you see the solder start to melt, press the tip down against the PCB and the air pressure will blow the solder (and remainder of the IC leg) out the back of the board cleanly.
That's it!
