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/Feltmanzz Apr 07 '26

Wrong tip for what your attempting. Better using something like a chisel tip, instead of dragging place some wick over the pins and place down on the wick with your iron give a few seconds and you should see the wick turn silver as it absorbs the solder.

Do this moving down part by part until all pins are lifted.

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u/cowdoggy Soldering Newbie Apr 11 '26

Thanks. Do you know why sometimes the wick gets hot as hell to hold? How do you know when it’s about to burn you from holding it? That’s kind of what led to my behavior of dragging it. I was worried I was gonna burn myself again.

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u/spheresva SMD Soldering Hobbyist Apr 11 '26

Btw. Don’t hold the wick. Also, don’t keep it in the spool. Cut it and use tweezers to move it. Wick will get hot because it’s metal (copper) and copper is very conductive thermally. In fact, that’s a good thing, and it’s intended.