Elenco Practical Soldering Project Kit - Manual (Page 9)

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Desoldering wick is a braided wire coated with non-
corrosive rosin flux. It is the simplest and safest tool
for removing solder from a solder connection. When
the braided wire is heated, the flux cleans and
breaks up the surface tension so the melted solder from the connection flows into the braid by capillary
action.
Included in this kit is a six inch length of solder wick
(desoldering braid).
r Place the solder wick on one of the pads and the
iron on top of it (see Figure 12).
r As the solder melts, it will be drawn into the wick.
r When the iron and wick are removed, the solder
should be removed. You need to repeat the
process if some solder remains.
If necessary, repeat the procedure until all of the
unwanted solder is removed.
After the excess solder has been wicked away by the
desoldering braid, clip off and discard the solder-
saturated portion of the braid. For best results,
always use a fresh area of the braid for each
procedure.
Figure 12
Figure 13
Using solder wick to remove excess solder.
A close-up view of the accumulation of solder onto
the solder wick (desoldering braid).
Excess Solder
Solder Wick
Soldering Iron Tip
Foil Side of PC board
CAUTION: Wick gets
HOT - use long nose
pliers to hold wick.
REMOVING EXCESS SOLDER USING SOLDER WICK
Using the Solder Wick