desoldering wick - Printable Version

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desoldering wick - OXO cube - 21st-May-22


does anyone else use this for their guide braids ?
it is a very soft braid and seems to work well 
it is far cheaper than the after market braids from the major companies 
i try to use the un-fluxed type , but it seems to be getting more difficult to find 
is there a reason why 'fluxed' or 'no clean' wick shouldn't be used ?
does it not make much difference ?
is it worth trying to remove the flux from fluxed wick ?
is there even a way to do this ?

Kev

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RE: desoldering wick - Kevan - 21st-May-22

Yep, been using it for a couple of years, it's cheap, it's thin and I cut a length 40mm long, fold it in half so it's double thickness but still super supple then feed through the guide...

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RE: desoldering wick - Nonfractal - 22nd-May-22

Loads of this braid cheap as chips on ebay 
I can't believe I've never heard of this before.
How thick is the braid? Does anyone have a caliper and can measure it for me?
AlanW

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RE: desoldering wick - Mazda - 22nd-May-22

Most of us HO drag racers use it. Simply solder it to the front of the original pickups. It is available in several different widths.

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RE: desoldering wick - OXO cube - 22nd-May-22

(22nd-May-22, 04:53 AM)Nonfractal Wrote:  How thick is the braid? Does anyone have a caliper and can measure it for me?

0.3mm / 0.4mm thick 
widths upto 3.5mm Alan

my question still stands ;- 
does it  matter if fluxed or none fluxed is used ?

as stated i have been using none fluxed for a while ,  but is getting increasingly hard to find 
guess for the price a test is in order :)

Kev

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RE: desoldering wick - Mazda - 22nd-May-22

[attachment=23647]The type that I use is fluxed, it is called Goot Wick.

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RE: desoldering wick - Johnno - 22nd-May-22

Tradeflame 2.0mm x 1.5mm De-Soldering Wick - 2 Pack

De-soldering Wick, twin pack Bunnings (Australia)

Wire Diameter (mm): 3

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RE: desoldering wick - Kevan - 22nd-May-22

I don't know whether the stuff I use is fluxed or not.

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RE: desoldering wick - OXO cube - 22nd-May-22

seems quite a few use the fluxed type 

the only reason i can see for NOT using fluxed wick is that the flux could in theory leave a residue on plastic track rails which in turn could lead to some oxidization / corrosion 

but from what i can see the tiny amounts reflected here would have negligible results / effects

most people keep on top of their braids since they are so important , and clean them regularly , surely this maintenance will quickly remove any of this flux 

any initial loss of a 'good' contact due to a flux coating would in theory quickly disappear  within the 1st couple laps due to wear / friction 

please bear in mind , this is only my own 'tin pot' way of thinking and has not been verified either way at the moment 

will conduct back to back tests when the fluxed braid arrives 

and post any relevant results 

Kev

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RE: desoldering wick - Kevan - 23rd-May-22

I looked at the label on the couple of rolls I bought, it's in Chinese so double Dutch to me I'm afraid

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