I picked up a Hakko desoldering gun many years ago to save me from this. It was pricey (~$300), but has been worth it over the years.
this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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This trick might be more useful for people who are budget constrained. In the past I've resorted to cutting the plastic between the headers (making them unusable), so this is a nice alternative without the need for another tool. If budget wasn't an issue I'd likely buy a much nicer iron and an extra wide knife-style tip.
Same. It's been a lifesaver and a confidence booster because I know I can more easily recover from mistakes.
this only works well if you have good soldermask in place
I was ready to shit on this but I could definetely see some uses when there are a lot of through hole pins. I'd be a little worried about keeping the heat distribution even though.
I thought it might be useful to move the iron back and forth a little for long rows. Wouldn't be perfectly even but would be better than concentrating heat in the center.
Well the copper should disperse the heat fairly quickly. It should be okay.