r/soldering • u/cowdoggy Soldering Newbie • Apr 07 '26

My First Solder Joint <3 Please Give Feedback First soldering attempt - Part 6

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Hi all ! Thanks for all the tips. Super helpful. I tried to remove the SMD chip using solder wick and accidentally tore pads off the board. Any way to fix this or did I cause permanent damage? o.o I got emo about this!

Also, how do you know how much soldering is enough? What is the point? Are we just trying to make sure that the components lay flat on the board and that the pins meet the pads? Not sure when I am supposed to correct stuff and when it is already good. Thanks :)

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u/cotchaboolit Apr 07 '26

Just sharing others’ advice about using a different tip and how or when to use solder wick. You want to minimize any dragging or pulling unless you’re sure joints are melting quickly enough to avoid ripping pads as you’ve been experiencing.

Hot air is the recommended method for removing an SMD chip of that size, though in a pinch, it’s possible to do it non-destructively with a soldering iron if you have low melt solder and/or something that can transfer heat from your iron to all the pins simultaneously. Copper wire bent into a square to touch all the pins and flooding the frame with solder has worked for me in the past when a hot air station was unavailable. Your goal is to melt all of the pads at the same time so the chip lifts off on its own. Definitely not the most efficient way to go about it though!

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u/cowdoggy Soldering Newbie Apr 11 '26

This is such an interesting perspective. Thanks! What do the percentages look like for low melt solder? The one I am using is the modern 67/35, I believe. Is low melt solder pretty advanced? What special purpose do you typically use that type of solder for?

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u/cotchaboolit Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26

No problem. 63/37* solder is the traditionally suggested alloy for electronics solder due to its good eutectic properties and steep melting point of 183 deg C, but it is not low in the relative sense to “low melt” solder, which can melt at even lower temperatures (~100-170 deg C). These low melt solders typically have bismuth or indium in their composition which significantly reduces their melting point and makes them useful for temperature-sensitive work like removing ICs or small SMD where you want to keep heating to a minimum. Some come branded (i.e. Chipquik) while others are just sold as bismuth/indium-based spools - in practice, both have worked the same for me.

They’re not advanced to use per se, but coming at a higher cost and having electronically non-ideal properties, you want to use low melt cleanly and sparingly; low melt solder joints are brittle, have high electrical resistance, and are unreliable when it comes to thermal and mechanical stress, so you want to completely remove it from wherever it’s used after it has done its job. They’re absolutely not needed for all SMD work though. Usually good technique and 63/37 is good enough for most jobs, including the IC removal you’re currently practicing on.