Too Much Solder?

Is there a way to remove too much solder where I soldered a drop wire to the rails on Code 83 HO tack?

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There are several ways to remove solder. For me, the cheapest and easiest is a copper braided wire. Lay the braided wire on the solder and hold the soldering iron on the braided wire. As the solder under the braid softens, remove the soldering iron and the braided wire at the same time. The braided wire should absorb the melted solder.

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Agreed, braided wire, aka solder wick, is the way to go. Fairly inexpensive, too. Definitely something to have in your solder tool kit if you don’t already have some.

Solder Wick on Amazon

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Solder sucker, quick and easy.

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I have used both methods successfully. I have also heated the solder on the rail and removed it with a quick swipe of a damp cloth.

Rich

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Some ‘soldering stations’ come with a motorized ‘solder sucker’ that is a bit easier to use than the one-shot spring-actuated ‘suckers’.

The potential issue with suckers and braids is that they may remove too much of the solder to assure a continued bond. That is where Rich’s technique of a quick wipe of the surface excess is most useful.

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I’ve had the best luck using solder wicks, though this has been with printed circuit boards as opposed to rail. Wicks are available in different sizes and some experimentation will give insight on what size works best. Using a solder wick will typically leave a thin coat of solder on the work.

The blue solder sucker in gunrunnerjohn’s post works best in removing solder from through holes in PCB’s.