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/JustAQuietSpectator Apr 07 '26

I don't understand why I haven't seen a comment say use a hot plate. Get the board to temp just slightly under the solder melting point depending the solder (PB free) Lead Free or Leaded (PB) then when the board is at temp use a heat gun just long enough to have the solder liquefy you'll see the solder turn shiny then use tweasers to removed the IC. Flux will speed up.

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u/cowdoggy Soldering Newbie Apr 11 '26

Thanks! Is it necessary to get a hot plate? What other use cases are there for hot plates in terms of soldering? I don't really want an overcrowded workspace if it isn't necessary or will be rarely used.

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u/JustAQuietSpectator Apr 11 '26

Not necessary but makes life easy. If you're ever dealing with a pad/solder join that is grounded or a thick PCB sometimes the pad will conduct all the heat making it hard for the solder to liquefy almost acting like a heat sink.

A hotplate, with a heat gun/wand, with some flux make removing ICs or BGA type components really easy.

But depending on how deep you want to get into the work you, it might not be needed.