No-Clean Desoldering Braid

Techspray No-Clean desoldering braid (wick) does not leave behind ionic flux residues that can collect and form branches called “dendrites”. Other fluxes, if not cleaned properly, can cause dendrites that grow over time and eventually cause short circuits between traces or leads. Latent failures lead to costly returns and lower the quality perception of your products.

Desoldering braid or desoldering 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. Techspray wick has been a mainstay at PCB rework, repair and prototyping stations for over 30-years.
 
Available in anti-static spools to prevent static build-up from damaging sensitive components.
 
Specifications: Meets or Exceeds MIL-F-14256, NASA NHB 5300, 4 (34-1), NASA NPC 200-4, NASA SP5002, IPC Standard-J-STD-004
Call-outs: Celestica (1821) 8690-0576, Celestica (1822) 8690-0588, Celestica (1823) 8690-0577, HP (1821) 8690-0588, HP (1823) HP 8690-0577
 
Size chart:
Braid #    Color Code    Width (in)    Width (mm)    
#1 White 0.035 0.9
#2 Yellow 0.055 1.4
#3 Green 0.075 1.9
#4 Blue 0.098 2.5
#5 Brown 0.130 3.3
#6 Red 0.193 4.9
 

Features & Benefits

  • No-clean flux coated braid
  • Cleanest wick - clear, non-reactive residues
  • Will not leave ionic residue -- avoid dendrite failure
  • Exceeds MIL-F-14256


25 bobbins in resealable pouch

Swipe for more 

No-Clean White #1 Braid - 5' AS

Wick Size #1 White/Gray

0.035" / 0.9mm wide - best for SMD and micro-circuits
Part # Size Units
Per Case
Price
Per Case
Case
Qty
 
1820-5F 5ft (1.5M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $138.25
1820-10F 10ft (3M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $248.25
1820-50F 50ft (15.2M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 1 $43.17
1814-100F 100ft (30.5M) long 1 $90.05
No-Clean Yellow #2 Braid - 5' AS

Wick Size #2 Yellow

0.055" / 1.4mm wide - best for small pads and SMD
Part # Size Units
Per Case
Price
Per Case
Case
Qty
 
1821-5F 5ft (1.5M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $136.25
1821-10F 10ft (3M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $248.00
1821-25F 25ft (7.6M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 1 $22.02
1821-50F 50ft (15.2M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 1 $43.21
1815-100F 100ft (30.5M) long 1 $90.05
No-Clean Green #3 Braid - 5' AS

Wick Size #3 Green

0.075" / 1.9mm - best for medium pads
Part # Size Units
Per Case
Price
Per Case
Case
Qty
 
1822-5F 5ft (1.5M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $143.75
1822-10F 10ft (3M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $253.75
1822-50F 50ft (15.2M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 1 $43.21
1822-100F 100ft (30.5M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 1 $84.00
No-Clean Blue #4 Braid - 5' AS

Wick Size #4 Blue

0.098" / 2.5mm - best for large pads
Part # Size Units
Per Case
Price
Per Case
Case
Qty
 
1823-5F 5ft (1.5M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $155.25
1823-10F 10ft (3M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $273.75
1823-25F 25ft (7.6M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 1 $24.63
1823-100F 100ft (30.5M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 1 $92.65
No-Clean Brown #5 Braid - 5' AS

Wick Size #5 Brown

0.130" / 3.3mm - best for terminals
Part # Size Units
Per Case
Price
Per Case
Case
Qty
 
1824-5F 5ft (1.5M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $177.00
1824-25F 25ft (7.6M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 1 $28.10
No-Clean Red #6 Braid - 5' AS

Wick Size #6 Red

0.193" / 4.9mm - best for large lugs
Part # Size Units
Per Case
Price
Per Case
Case
Qty
 
1825-5F 5ft (1.5M) long, ESD-safe bobbin 25 $199.00

FAQ's

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.

How do you remove solder without suction?

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

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