Desoldering Braid

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Fast & Easy PCB Repair & Rework with Desoldering Wick

Techspray wick has been a mainstay at PCB rework, repair and prototyping stations for over 30 years. Available in 6 different widths, pretreated with rosin flux, no-clean flux, or unfluxed.

It is available in static dissipative bobbins for static sensitive environments, and in two different flux types as well as unfluxed:

No-Clean desoldering braid - coated with proprietary flux that only leaves a slight clear residue, which does not cause dendritic growth, corrosion, or other service issues. Cleaning after using Techspray No-Clean wick is optional.
Pro-Wick desoldering wick - coated with a fast-activating rosin flux for lightning-fast solder removal.
Unfluxed desoldering braid - ideal for customers that use an aqueous flux or who are required to maintain the same flux throughout board assembly and rework.

All Techspray desoldering braids are effective solder removers, are effective on lead and lead-free solders, are compliant with RoHS, and do not contain SVHC as defined by REACH.

For more information, check out our Ultimate Guide to Electronic Soldering.

Specifications: Meets or Exceeds MIL-F-14256; NASA NHB 5300, 4 (34-1); NASA NPC 200-4; NASA SP5002; 1821:HP 8690-0588; 1823: HP 8690-0577; IPC Standard-J-STD-004

No-Clean Desoldering Braid

Desoldering braid without any corrosive ionic flux residues, so cleaning is optional

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Pro-Wick Desoldering Braid

Pro-Wick desoldering wick enables the fastest solder wicking action

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Unfluxed Desoldering Braid

Unfluxed desoldering braid allows you to use your own flux -- ideal for aqueous process

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FAQ's

How do I desolder with solder wick / desoldering braid?

Step 1: place the wick over the solder to be removed and then place the hot soldering iron over the braid.

Step 2: Place the tip at an angle that maximizes heat transfer through the braid to the solder. Use a clean tip that you have just tinned with fresh solder to maximize heat transfer. Heat will be moving up the copper, so be careful not to burn yourself.

Step 3: Apply slight pressure and wait for the solder to melt. Don’t get in too big of a hurry at this point. Allow the tip to dwell long enough on the wick to heat the wick and then the solder on the other side. You will see the wick begin to absorb the solder. Hold the tip and wick in place until the wicking action has stopped.

Step 4: Remove the wick and braid at the same time. Removing the iron before removing the wick can cause the wick to become soldered to the board. If that does happen, reheat the braid so that you can remove it.

Check out our video how on how to use desoldering wick.

Can I use solder wick after the expiration date?

Out-of-date solder wick can create a performance issue. As more oxidation builds on the copper braid, it will take longer to activate and draw up solder. It will slow down a little month-to-month until eventually the performance will be unacceptable. We estimate this to be 2-years based on average storage conditions. Wick in storage wrapped up tight can last longer, while a loose bobbin sitting on a benchtop will probably go bad sooner.

An operator will generally have a feel for how wick performs and will have an opinion on when performance is unacceptable. The main risk of using out-of-date wick is thermally stressing the working area, adjacent components, etc. When an operator tries to make due with old wick that is underperforming, they tend to turn up the heat on their iron, or keep the tip in contact with the wick and work for a longer period of time.

So whether or not out-of-date wick is considered good depends on the criticality and conservativeness of your process. An average shop would keep using it until it stops working well. A very conservative process (e.g. for class 3 electronics) could require wick in stock to be discarded at the expiration date, and loose bobbins at workstations replaced periodically (i.e. weekly or monthly).

How are Techspray's desoldering braid products classified?

Techspray uses 2 types of flux: Prowick line is a natural gum rosin. Per J-STD-004 Section 3.2, the Prowick is classified as ROL0. Per British Std. EN 29454-1:1993 and ISO9454-1:1990, Prowick has a classification of 1.1.1.B. No-Clean flux is a synthetic (non-colophony)flux. Per J-STD-004 Section 3.2, it is classified as REL0. Per British Std. EN 29454-1:1993 and ISO9454-1:1990, the No-Clean flux has a classification of 1.2.3.B.

Can I add my own flux to solder wick?

In a production or repair environment where the flux is specified and can’t be changed, or when an aqueous flux is needed, you can add your own flux to this type of braid. Unfluxed wick will not remove solder unless flux is added. TraceTech No-Clean Flux Pen is formulated to perform at the elevated temperatures of lead-free soldering but is also effective for tin-lead soldering as well. It's designed with a low surface tension to prevent bridging. Post-soldering cleaning is optional because the light residue left after soldering is barely noticeable is non-corrosive and halide free. This is a good choice for tin-lead soldering where cleaning is to be avoided.

How do you remove solder without suction?

All you need is Techspray desoldering braid (wick) and a soldering iron. Here are the basic instructions:

Place the braid over unwanted solder, preferably on the greatest solder build up so that it maximizes the contact of the braid to the surface area of the solder.
Next, place your iron tip over the wick at 45 degrees and allow heat to transfer to the pad. Molten solder will absorb into the braid.
Move the solder tip and braid as needed to remove all of the solder at one time. Careful not to drag the braid over the pads, which can scratch.
Once the braid is full of solder, you must trim the spent portion and move to fresh braid in order to pull more solder. Remove the iron and braid simultaneously to avoid soldering the wire to the board.

Can soldering be undone?

Yes, all you need is Techspray desoldering braid (wick) and a soldering iron. Here are the basic instructions:

Place the braid over unwanted solder, preferably on the greatest solder build up so that it maximizes the contact of the braid to the surface area of the solder.
Next, place your iron tip over the wick at 45 degrees and allow heat to transfer to the pad. Molten solder will absorb into the braid.
Move the solder tip and braid as needed to remove all of the solder at one time. Careful not to drag the braid over the pads, which can scratch.
Once the braid is full of solder, you must trim the spent portion and move to fresh braid in order to pull more solder. Remove the iron and braid simultaneously to avoid soldering the wire to the board.

What is the best desoldering braid?

Desoldering braid is available in various flux types depending on your cleaning process and other requirements:

Rosin – Rosin fluxed braid has the fastest wicking action but does leave behind residues that need to be thoroughly cleaned.
No-Clean – No-clean fluxed braid is ideal when cleaning isn’t practical or possible. After desoldering, the only thing that remains is a clear, non-ionic residue. For field work, when a thorough cleaning is more challenging, this is the type of braid to use.
Unfluxed – In a production or repair environment where the flux is specified and can’t be changed, or when an aqueous flux is needed, you can add your own flux to this type of braid. Unfluxed wick will not remove solder unless flux is added. Different types of fluxes are available in pen packaging, which is ideal for fluxing braid.

What is desoldering braid used for?

Desoldering braid or “wick” is a pre-fluxed copper braid that is used to remove solder, which allows components to be replaced and excess solder (e.g. bridging) to be removed. The soldering iron is applied to the wick as it sits on the solder joint, and when both are brought up to the solder's melting point, the flux is activated and, through capillary action from the braided design, solder is drawn up the wick.

Do you need to clean no-clean flux when soldering?

No, not if your concern is only reliability problems from ionic contamination. No-clean flux contains minimal ionic material that is fully consumed when the flux is activated, or in other words, brought to soldering temperature. If all of the flux isn’t activated, like when you apply a lot of flux but only solder a small area, you still need to clean the PCB.

If you are applying conformal coating, you should remove all flux residues, regardless of the type of flux. Most people understand that when painting something, the surface must be prepared so it is absolutely clean. Otherwise, the paint will quickly lift off the surface and peel off. The same logic applies to conformal coating, even when the contamination is from no-clean flux.

Do you need to clean rosin flux when soldering?

Yes, rosin flux should be cleaned off of a printed circuit board (PCB) after soldering is completed. The following are the reasons to remove flux residues:

Improve Aesthetic Appearance of PCB - If you are a contract manufacturer of PCB’s, the visual appearance of the board reflects on your work. A clear, greasy-looking residue around a solder joint may raise flags for your customer’s incoming QC inspectors. If the flux residue chars and forms spots on the solder joints, it may look like a true defect like a solder joint void or “blow hole”. If the flux residue is from a rework process, it acts as a fault tag in the rework area, calling attention to the work even if there shouldn’t be a concern.
Improve Reliability of PCB - Reliability requirements are generally driven by the nature of the final product. For a disposable product like a computer keyboard, nobody loses their life if it stops working. In that case, an EMS supplier may use no-clean flux and forgo the cleaning process. On the other end of the scale, requirements for pacemaker electronics, where board failure could directly lead to death, are going to be much stricter. In that example, cleaning will be required after assembly and any subsequent rework, and the process will be thoroughly tested for effectiveness and repeatability. Long-life durable goods may fall somewhere in-between, with cleaning a requirement, but without the rigid testing and controls.
Prevent Corrosion on Components and PCB - Flux residues left on electronic circuit boards are acidic. If they aren’t removed with a cleaning process, the residues can draw in ambient moisture from the air and lead to corrosion of component leads, and PCB contacts.
Avoid Adhesion Problems with Conformal Coating - Most people understand that when painting something, the surface must be prepared so it is absolutely clean. Otherwise, the paint will quickly lift off the surface and peel off. The same logic applies to conformal coating, even when the contamination is from no-clean flux. “No-clean” refers to the amount of ionic material left after soldering. It has nothing to do with whether or not coating can stick to it. When there are flux residues left on the PCB before the coating process, it is common to see the coating lift or delaminate from the surface of the board. This is evident when the pockets are isolated around solder joints rather than the overall surface (the exception being the bottom of a wave soldered PCB). To make matters worse, coatings are generally semi-permeable, so breathe to a certain extent. Moisture can enter and soak into the flux residue, and potentially lead to corrosion.
Prevent Dendritic Growth from Ionic Contamination - Polar or Ionic particles left from flux residue and other sources, when exposed to moisture from the ambient air and when current is applied, can link into a chain or branch called a dendrite. These dendrites are conductive, so form an unintended trace that cause current leakage or, over a longer period of time, even a short circuit.

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