Reddit mentions: The best soldering inserts & extractors

You guys are making it sound easier than it is.
SOLDERING is easy. Anyone can do that. Just heat the work and the solder drips right in the hole.

It's DESOLDERING which is hard. And without proper desoldering equipmenet (like an Aoyue or a Hakko), it can be even HARDER and if you do it wrong, you could damage the PCB. You need more than just a soldering iron to desolder. You also need a desoldering pump (vacuum tool pump (NOT recommended unless you have no other choice) or a proper desoldering iron which is $$$).

The key is probably damaged and those are not easy to fix without making the problem worse. If the metal tab is damaged or bent out of shape there's no fixing that. With a switch top remover (from MK.com) you can remove the switch top and the cherry stem, after desoldering the switch (ONLY PCB mount switches can be popped open without desoldering), but if you don't have spare switches, I would just RMA the thing.

A good desoldering pump is https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Contained-Desoldering-Internal-Carrying/dp/B00PGFAJWS
But as you can see it's expensive. But it does come with some extra tip tops.

An even better one but more expensive is https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FR300-05-P-Desoldering-Tool/dp/B00KWM69C4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490577663&sr=8-1&keywords=Hakko+FR300-05+desoldering+tool

Yes that's $$. And a lot.

A good starter kit, which includes solder and a vacuum pump is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E1ISGH0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ; not too expensive for what you get.

Once you're ready to move up to higher quality you can buy this:
https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Soldering-Station-599-029/dp/B00C2BHTBI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1489522270&sr=8-3&keywords=Hakko+FX888D

Oboy, I'm probably the wrong person to ask. However, /u/BriThePiGuy recommends Joe Knows Electronics boxes, and /u/NeoMarxismIsEvil recommends the following:

> I would order some cheap assortment kits from people on aliexpress. These are the sort that come with like 10 of most common values of resistor, capacitor, etc.

> Other stuff:

> - WeMos d1 mini or mini pro
> - small i2c OLED displays
> - small LCD display
> - tacswitches (buttons)
> - SPDT switches
> - 74HC595 and 74HC165 shift registers
> - either bidirectional logic level shifter modules or mosfets and resistors needed to make them
> - 7 segment led displays (individual)
> - 8x8 led matrices
> - various environmental and physics sensors (often come as a kit of 20+ different modules)
> - extra breadboards
> - jumper wires
> - male and female header strips (for modules that lack pins)
> - cheap breadboard power supplies
> - voltage regulators (both LDO ICs and buck converter)
> - possibly some 4xAA or 4xAAA battery holders
> - trim pot assortment

> Those are just ideas. Some things like 7 seg led digits are pretty cheap and worth having a few of but not terribly important if you have a real display of some sort.

I personally like the assortment of bits I got in my Sparkfun Inventor's Kit, but found that I wanted more of the following:

• Jumpers, though it's since been recommended to me that I just use solid-core 22 AWG wire so I bought this wire kit and these automatic strippers
  
• Breadboards, both self-adhesive and solderable, and maybe some mini ones of each type.
  
• LEDs (RGB and single-color)
  
• A good selection of potentiometers and trimpots, both slide and radial, plus knobs for them if applicable
  
• More buttons of varying types, both clicky and quiet momentary ones (here's a quiet button that's nice)
  
• A good multimeter and maybe some extra probes
  
• Some power supplies, both 12v and 5v. Here's one that's supposed to do both simultaneously, but you'll need a molex plug (which Sparkfun inexplicably doesn't carry) unless you want to strip the end. You might also want some barrel jacks, and this cheap extension cable provides the male end.
  
• A variable power supply would probably also be very useful, but I haven't yet invested in one of those so I can't make a recommendation at this time.
  
• A good selection of resistors
  
• Alligator test clips, plus some with pigtails for prototyping on a breadboard with components that won't fit in those little holes
  
• Some heat shrink tubing and a heat gun that you should only use on the lowest setting for this purpose. When selecting heat shrink tubing, pay attention to it's shrink ratio and what size it'll end up being when you're done.
  
• A soldering kit and some solder. Note that all solders aren't created equal but the one I linked is supposed to be decent.
  
• If you get into larger gauge soldering (for home or automotive wiring), a propane torch will be handy, but you can get something like that for $20 with a propane tank at your local hardware store
  
• Some project boxes

I've found that eliminating layer lines isn't too important if you go down to .08mm; the big issue is that overhangs and drooping on fine details can be a killer that overshadows the smooth surfaces. A few tools I've found handy:

Get a good round scalpel handle and a pack of carbon steel 15C scalpel blades. They'll be your go-to for nicking out tiny little stray globs and trimming plastic. Way more precise and durable than X-Acto or hobby knives.

Then get a set of diamond mini-needle files — they'll be useful for smoothing rough spots. Diamond grit may seem like overkill for PLA, but the fine texture of the grit is what matters: it won't leave your models ragged and with care you can actually restore detail that's lost to droopy overhangs, etc.

Finally, get a sharp-edged "soldering pick" and use the needle files to sharpen it to a nice sharp edge. It'll be your go-to for levering out bits of support, and picking away at larger globs of plastic. If you ever find that the scalpel blade bends while you're trying to clean up a defect, go to the soldering pick.

Same thing happened to me with a cheap soldering iron kit. I just bought better tips to use as replacements. Did you see a flat metal core in the tip after the other metal wore away?

What happens is the chrome plating on the tip wears out, and under that the metal reacts with solder? and basically dissolves. Not your fault, it's just a cheap tip. Here are some hints for tips:

1. Get good quality tips to start with. The ones that come with cheapo iron kits are often not real good.
   
2. Turn on iron only when you need it. Do not let it run for hours unattended or unused.
   
3. Your iron is probably just fine. The tip is just cheap.
   
4. Every time you turn on the iron, clean and tin the tip with some solder. If the solder melts easily, this is how you tell the iron is ready. Also you need to clean the tip in a brass "sponge" anyway, then tin it before soldering. Best seller for $10usd. Also on Ebay for $1usd.
   Mine is similar but has flux in the bottom. I stuff the hot iron in the flux, then wipe it on the brass shavings. Brass is softer than the tip so the tip won't get the chrome layer scratched off. I got this kit and it comes with a tin can of flux at the bottom with a brass "sponge" on top. This is what I used.
   
5. Some people use a damp sponge to wipe off the hot tip, but the tip still needs to be tinned. See Youtube for some videos.
   
   
   

>Copy pasta'ed from my post a few months ago:

After doing some research, here are my top 3 budget soldering iron options. Thoughts?

My $4 Harbour Freight iron's tip is dissolving, and it's time I got a new iron. I don't solder super often, maybe a handful of times a month, so I can't really justify getting a nice $40 Weller soldering station. My budget is around $30. After doing some Google-Fu, and browsing through Amazon and Ebay, here are my top 3 budget choices:

• [Vastar Soldering Iron Kit] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01712N5C4?tag=bestseekers-20)
  
• [Sywon Soldering Iron Kit] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E1ISGH0?tag=bestseekers-20)
  
• [Aoyue 469 Soldering Station] (https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Variable-Soldering-Station-Removable/dp/B00MCVCHJM)
  
  I'm open to suggestions, comments, and questions regarding these choices. The Sywon Soldering Iron kit has nothing I really care about over the Vastar one, aside from a slightly nicer stand and sponge, and of course the carrying case. The Aoyue 469, being the only soldering station on the list, doesn't come with any flashy accessories unfortunately. A solder sucker would be nice, and I'll probably be glad of the extra tips that are included wit the two kit irons. However, if you guys think that the Aoyue 469 soldering station would be better quality, I might be willing to shell out a few bucks more for it, and pick up another tip or two.
  
  
  https://www.reddit.com/r/Nerf/comments/8bugth/after_doing_some_research_here_are_my_top_3/

Just search for Soldering kits on Amazon, there are many. One feature you want is to be able to adjust the soldering iron's heat level. (Example: https://www.amazon.com/Sywon-Soldering-Adjustable-Temperature-Desoldering/dp/B01E1ISGH0/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1482397099&sr=1-6&keywords=Soldering+Kit)

YouTube has TONS of soldering videos. (Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxASFu19bLU).

You also might want to look into some of the more elaborate Raspberry Pi kits, they typically come with a bread board for circuit prototyping as well as a bunch of extra goodies like a Pi Camera module, Arduino boards, etc... (Example: https://www.amazon.com/SunFounder-Modules-Sensor-Raspberry-Extension/dp/B014PF05ZA/ref=sr_1_13?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1482396929&sr=1-13&keywords=Raspberry+Pi+3)

With such a kit, you'll be able to explore a ton of the Pi's functionality.

This maybe, or this. I spent no more than that on mine and it's seen me through 6 builds/rebuilds so far, and it's still working.

A proper soldering station is nice, but you can definitely get by with cheap stuff, especially if you don't plan on using it a ton.

Buy your friend one of these for fixing your board.

hammer this in there, use a wrench or ratchet to remove the entire thing whole. Wont snap like an ez out and will grip like no other

https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Nipple-Extractor-Extracting-Removal/dp/B01FOQK22U

are you going to solder your cars harness into your square mount back side? and your reg red and white pin tools should do just fine. https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-AR-910672-Contact-Insertion-Extraction-Tool/dp/B00696252K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519604379&sr=8-1&keywords=red+and+white+pin+extraction+tool

https://smile.amazon.com/F-Connector-Installation-Removal-Tool/dp/B000G7ZGNI?sa-no-redirect=1

https://smile.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-VDV312-012-SEN-Cushion-Grip-F-Connector/dp/B002MSJMWK/ref=pd_sim_469_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NF1RKQ8N4CG31CGMG73E

Be careful not to over tighten.

Boom. Same here. Only bought it to solder 2 keyboards and it did it's job just fine.

Try a search for pen size vacuum on Amazon. Don't know if it will work, but they are not too expensive. (https://smile.amazon.com/Suction-L611938-Precision-Component-Placement/dp/B07KV17Q61/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=pen+vacuum&qid=1551237915&s=gateway&sr=8-7)

Or buy one of these locking terminator tools off of amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-Tools-Pronged-Terminator-Tool/dp/B007A1ZQ9C

Call the mobo manufacturer. They can ship you a new BIOS chip for free or very low cost. I have done this many times. Usually they don't even charge me for it even if it's out of warranty. You will have to buy or improvise a "chip puller", "chip extractor", "IC puller", or "IC extractor". It's basically a little grabby thing that allows you to pull the chip out. You can usually shimmy it out with a screwdriver as well, although I don't recommend that as you can accidentally bend pins that way.

Most BIOS chips are removable these days. So you just get the new chip from the mobo manufacturer, pull the old one out and put the new one in.

edit: this is one kind of chip puller, looks a little big for a BIOS chip though

IC Chip inserter. Usually comes in "computer repair kits".

https://www.amazon.com/Electronix-Express-IC-Insertion-Tool/dp/B0195MDEDS

Hot tip for removing DIP ICs: https://www.amazon.com/a13032100ux0040-Anti-Static-Motherboard-Circuit-Extractor/dp/B00CQI99K6/

This is the tool you need.

Radioshack has them for about 5 bucks.

IC inserter

IC Insertion Tool

https://www.specialized.net/tools/hand-tools/other-hand-tools/ic-insert-extract-tools/jonard-ok-industries-mos-1416-ic-insertion-tool-14-16-pin.html

https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-MOS-1416-Insertion-Tool-14-16/dp/B006C4729A

You can if you prefer, most times I just use a watchmaker's screwdriver, but I also have one of these for hard to reach chips.

[That looks like my Apple ][ plus!](http://i.imgur.com/wAx5M.jpg) I've got the same memory card too. I just restored mine in the summer of 2013. Mine booted, but the keyboard decoder was shot, a bunch of keys were busted, and one of the memory chips was bad. The first thing I woulI would recommend you reseat all the chips. Get yourself a good chip puller like this one, don't use a screwdriver, or a puller that looks like this (these are junk).

I was able to complete my mod myself without doing any microsoldering before in my life - it was stressful, but not that difficult. I used these tools and followed Louis Rossmann's video:

https://www.amazon.com/Sywon-Soldering-Adjustable-Temperature-Desoldering/dp/B01E1ISGH0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1503839179&sr=8-3&keywords=solder+kit

https://www.amazon.com/AMTECH-Solder-Flux-NC-559-V2-TF-16160/dp/B01DR62IYO/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1503839306&sr=1-1&keywords=amtech+nc-559-v2+tacky+flux

I use both needle and snub nose pliers. Also tend to use a soldering tool to poke and break then loose. These aren't the exact ones, but the angle and the point both come in handy. https://www.amazon.com/JacobsParts-Professional-Solder-Assist-Accessory/dp/B00PQYCZPI/