#3 in Desoldering wicks
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Reddit mentions of MG Chemicals 400 Series #3 Fine Braid Super Wick with RMA Flux
Sentiment score: 2
Reddit mentions: 3
We found 3 Reddit mentions of MG Chemicals 400 Series #3 Fine Braid Super Wick with RMA Flux. Here are the top ones.
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Oxide-free clean copperStatic free bobbinsOnly pure type 'RMA' rosin is used meeting the requirements of MIL-F-14256F (ANSI/J-STD-0004)Manufactured under SPC guidelinesDesigned to leave a residue that is environmentally safe
Specs:
| Color | Green |
It looks like you have a decent soldering station, that is really the main thing. You'll need a small tip, but probably not as small as you think. I like the Weller ETL, but a ~2mm screwdriver style tip works well for SMD in my experience. If you go too small it can actually cause trouble for heat transfer and thermal recovery.
If you've mostly been doing through-hole stuff, you'll want smaller solder. Having small diameter solder makes it easier to feed just the right amount. I like Kester 0.020, some people go even smaller. Of course there are lead-free versions of that, too, if you prefer.
For through-hole, the flux that is inside the solder is usually enough, but for surface mount, you'll need extra flux. You'll probably be fine with a flux pen. You'll probably want some solder wick because mistakes happen, and a solder sucker thingie doesn't work as well with surface mount.
As u/t_Lancer says, you won't need a hot air station and solder paste unless you're planning on doing leadless packages. If you decide to get a hot air station, though, they're pretty cheap. You don't even strictly need solder paste, I've been making do by tinning the pads with regular solder first with my soldering iron before hitting it with the hot air.
For vision, it depends on how your eyesight is. I'm fine eyeballing down to 0603 but I can't read the markings without help. I've started doing all of my soldering under light magnification with the Optivisor DA-3 with a LED attachment which has really helped, but it isn't strictly necessary. You can get those visors with more magnification at the cost of a shorter working distance. Good room lighting and a magnifying glass work fine, too.
And most important thing you need is practice. Watch this video and grab one or two of those SMD practice kits and you'll be knocking out surface mount stuff in no time.
Get flux or a wick with flux. Keep your tip clean - don't let old solder hang on.
Check out this video on different types of solder and flux:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1aONINVkSE
These are the things I have in my relatively newish lab I set up:
RA (Rosin Activated) Solder Flux
Flux Applicator
The bottle is just an example. You can buy refillable pens or brushes which many people prefer.
0.075" RMA(Rosin Mildly Activated) Solder Wick
0.032" RA Cored Solder
And finally to clean off your boards afterwards:
Flux Cleaner
You could also use no-clean variations if you like. I recommend doing some research on the different types of solder (look here). The accessories you choose depend on the type of solder you are using. I would try to use RA or RMA wicks and fluxes with RA or RMA solder. Mixing say no-clean fluxes with RA solder will probably just make things messier.
I forgot you mentioned you are using lead-free, in that case you could buy lead-free wick (MG chemicals sells it on amazon). Not sure if there are lead-free fluxes available. However I would recommend you switch from lead-free to leaded solder, your life will be much easier.
MG Chemicals is a good brand. I use it mostly because it is easy to get where I am.