Need recommendation for hot air rework tool.

[David Farber]

I would like to ask you all what suggestions you would have for a hot air
rework tool. I wouldn't be using it often but occasionally I get a pc board
with smd (leaky) caps that need replacing. I see inexpensive ones on eBay in
the $60-$100 range. I wouldn't mind spending a bit more, if necessary, to
get something of quality. It sure would be nice to have a tool that makes it
easier to remove these parts without damaging pc traces.

Thanks for your replies.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA

 

[Clifford Heath]

On 22/05/15 12:10, Colin Horsley wrote:

I Have a friend that used a hot air gun on his board, and blew half
of the components off!

He should have used a hot air rework tool, not a paint stripper!

That said, the paint stripper guns are a good way to depopulate old boards.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 21 May 2015 14:45:11 -0700, "David Farber"
<farberbear.unspam@aol.com> wrote:

I would like to ask you all what suggestions you would have for a hot air
rework tool. I wouldn't be using it often but occasionally I get a pc board
with smd (leaky) caps that need replacing. I see inexpensive ones on eBay in
the $60-$100 range. I wouldn't mind spending a bit more, if necessary, to
get something of quality. It sure would be nice to have a tool that makes it
easier to remove these parts without damaging pc traces.

You can't do SMT rework very well without a hot air gun. The days of
solder wick and solder suckers are over.

I bought a Saike 852D+ on eBay for about $75. That was 3 years ago
and it's still working nicely. Something like this, but with a
different assortment of 4 tips:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/181139781537>
<https://www.google.com/search?q=saike+852d+&tbm=isch>
My logic was similar to yours. I wanted to buy something cheap so I
could see what was really needed in an SMT rework station. I would
then buy something better, and sell this one. The 852D+ turned out to
be good enough, so I never upgraded. There are updated models now
available.

You'll probably need to buy an assortment of different nozzle tips. At
about $10/ea, a few of those can cost more than the hot air rework
station.
<http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=smd+hot+air+nozzle>
Note that the nozzles are different for BGA packages. For example:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/261452509209>

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[JC]

On 5/21/2015 5:45 PM, David Farber wrote:

I would like to ask you all what suggestions you would have for a hot air
rework tool. I wouldn't be using it often but occasionally I get a pc board
with smd (leaky) caps that need replacing. I see inexpensive ones on eBay in
the $60-$100 range. I wouldn't mind spending a bit more, if necessary, to
get something of quality. It sure would be nice to have a tool that makes it
easier to remove these parts without damaging pc traces.

Thanks for your replies.

Why would you use hot air on leaky caps? Only 2 connections. Plus they
have a tendency to explode. Use 2 good soldering irons. You are more
likely to need a good binocular microscope to check for dissolved traces
and to check your work afterwards. You DO need hot air for smd chips
however and buy one that displays the air temps, (unlike me wot didn't
and then had to buy another better one).

 

[David Farber]

JC wrote:

On 5/21/2015 5:45 PM, David Farber wrote:
I would like to ask you all what suggestions you would have for a
hot air rework tool. I wouldn't be using it often but occasionally I
get a pc board with smd (leaky) caps that need replacing. I see
inexpensive ones on eBay in the $60-$100 range. I wouldn't mind
spending a bit more, if necessary, to get something of quality. It
sure would be nice to have a tool that makes it easier to remove
these parts without damaging pc traces. Thanks for your replies.

Why would you use hot air on leaky caps? Only 2 connections. Plus they
have a tendency to explode. Use 2 good soldering irons. You are more
likely to need a good binocular microscope to check for dissolved
traces and to check your work afterwards. You DO need hot air for smd
chips however and buy one that displays the air temps, (unlike me wot
didn't and then had to buy another better one).

I was following the advice on this site.
http://www.co-bw.com/DIY_Replacing_SMD_capacitor.htm

I just bought the 852D model shown on eBay for under $60.. You make a good
point about using a microscope. I'll look into that as well.

Thanks for your reply.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA

 

[mike]

On 5/21/2015 6:07 PM, David Farber wrote:

JC wrote:
On 5/21/2015 5:45 PM, David Farber wrote:
I would like to ask you all what suggestions you would have for a
hot air rework tool. I wouldn't be using it often but occasionally I
get a pc board with smd (leaky) caps that need replacing. I see
inexpensive ones on eBay in the $60-$100 range. I wouldn't mind
spending a bit more, if necessary, to get something of quality. It
sure would be nice to have a tool that makes it easier to remove
these parts without damaging pc traces. Thanks for your replies.

Why would you use hot air on leaky caps? Only 2 connections. Plus they
have a tendency to explode. Use 2 good soldering irons. You are more
likely to need a good binocular microscope to check for dissolved
traces and to check your work afterwards. You DO need hot air for smd
chips however and buy one that displays the air temps, (unlike me wot
didn't and then had to buy another better one).

I was following the advice on this site.
http://www.co-bw.com/DIY_Replacing_SMD_capacitor.htm

I just bought the 852D model shown on eBay for under $60.. You make a good
point about using a microscope. I'll look into that as well.

Thanks for your reply.

I have the 852D+. It's fine on small stuff, but nowhere near big
enough to desolder a GPU.

I bought a cheap USB endoscope on ebay. I was surprised how well it
worked as a low power microscope. Much easier to manage than an optical
one.
I have a stereo zoom microscope with the lens that extends the distance
between the scope and the work. It's still hard to get tools in the
available
space, and the depth of field is miniscule. The endoscope camera solves
both those problems.

Still need the microscope if you are looking for fractures on a flat
surface, but the endoscope can easily go where a huge microscope can't.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 22 May 2015 12:10:43 +1000, Colin Horsley
<horsley-spam@westnet.com.au> wrote:

I Have a friend that used a hot air gun on his board, and blew half
of the components off!

The idea is to limit the heat affected zone. That's usually done with
aluminum foil masking of nearby components, but also by reducing the
air flow to a usable minimum. Blowing a high speed hot air is
guaranteed to cook every component within range.

Incidentally, I use a propane torch for stripping components off
PCB's. Put one edge of the PCB into a bench vise. Position a
cardboard box in the direction of the components. Apply heat. When
it looks like the solder has melted, pull back on the board and
release. The components and solder will fly off the PCB and into the
cardboard box.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:

Blowing a high speed hot air is guaranteed to cook every component
within range.

I have some boards, mostly through-hole, that I want to salvage parts
off of. I tried using my Milwaukee 750 heat gun (looks like
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-750-Milwaukee-Heat-Gun/dp/B00199A286 ) on
the boards from a couple of old 3.5" floppies. It seemed to work - the
solder melted and stuff came off - but I haven't tested the components
yet, either.

Incidentally, I use a propane torch for stripping components off
PCB's.

About how much (like, how many square inches) of the PCB do you heat up
at once? With the hot air gun, I found that I couldn't get the whole
PCB hot enough at once (it was about 2" x 3"); I had to work in smaller
sections.

Thanks!

Matt Roberds

 

[Michael Black]

On Fri, 22 May 2015, mroberds@att.net wrote:

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:
Blowing a high speed hot air is guaranteed to cook every component
within range.

I have some boards, mostly through-hole, that I want to salvage parts
off of. I tried using my Milwaukee 750 heat gun (looks like
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-750-Milwaukee-Heat-Gun/dp/B00199A286 ) on
the boards from a couple of old 3.5" floppies. It seemed to work - the
solder melted and stuff came off - but I haven't tested the components
yet, either.

Incidentally, I use a propane torch for stripping components off
PCB's.

About how much (like, how many square inches) of the PCB do you heat up
at once? With the hot air gun, I found that I couldn't get the whole
PCB hot enough at once (it was about 2" x 3"); I had to work in smaller
sections.

But the trick is, the adjacent area is "prewarmed" so it will take less
time to heat up than the initial area. It seems to take "forever" (not
literally) for the first area to heat up enough, but then the rest goes
relatively fast, so long as you keep at it.

I started witha propane torch, but it tended to burn the board (which I
don't care about, but I didn't like the smoke or smell). Even a heat gun
is hot enough to do that if you hold it in one place too long. But then I
ran out of propane in the tank, and either bought the heat gun to
continue, or switched to the heat gun I'd already bought, I can't
remember.

I bought a little butane torch, and that's been handy a few times for
getting something specific off a circuit board for the part, but it
doesn't hold enough butane to do much work.

Michael

 

[Michael Black]

On Mon, 18 May 2015, Clifford Heath wrote:

On 22/05/15 12:10, Colin Horsley wrote:
I Have a friend that used a hot air gun on his board, and blew half
of the components off!

He should have used a hot air rework tool, not a paint stripper!

That said, the paint stripper guns are a good way to depopulate old boards.

I once used my heat gun (for stripping paint) to reflow a SIMM I bought,
bck in 1996. It was flakey, looked like some connections on one IC
weren't soldered properly, so I used the gun, and there was never a
problem after that.

But that was a different situation, all of the parts were soldered to some
extent.

Michael

 

[Colin Horsley]

On 22/05/2015 7:45, David Farber wrote:

I would like to ask you all what suggestions you would have for a hot air
rework tool. I wouldn't be using it often but occasionally I get a pc board
with smd (leaky) caps that need replacing. I see inexpensive ones on eBay in
the $60-$100 range. I wouldn't mind spending a bit more, if necessary, to
get something of quality. It sure would be nice to have a tool that makes it
easier to remove these parts without damaging pc traces.

Thanks for your replies.

I use the HAKKO 950 SMD HOT TWEEZER as part of my Soldering workstation.
Very easy to use and no damage to PCB.

I Have a friend that used a hot air gun on his board, and blew half
of the components off!

Colin

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com

 

[Clifford Heath]

On 22/05/15 15:47, mroberds@att.net wrote:

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:
Incidentally, I use a propane torch for stripping components off
PCB's.
About how much (like, how many square inches) of the PCB do you heat up
at once? With the hot air gun, I found that I couldn't get the whole
PCB hot enough at once (it was about 2" x 3"); I had to work in smaller
sections.

I stripped a number of 16 and 20-layer boards from an HP prototype
machine using a 1KW bar radiator and a chip puller. Mount the radiator
facing upwards in a vice and heat one row at a time. I could get
hundreds of chips off a board in a couple of minutes with few breakages.
Some bad smells though.

 

On Thursday, May 21, 2015 at 5:09:33 PM UTC-7, JC wrote:

On 5/21/2015 5:45 PM, David Farber wrote:
I would like to ask you all what suggestions you would have for a hot air
rework tool. I wouldn't be using it often but occasionally I get a pc board
with smd (leaky) caps that need replacing. I see inexpensive ones on eBay in
the $60-$100 range. I wouldn't mind spending a bit more, if necessary, to
get something of quality. It sure would be nice to have a tool that makes it
easier to remove these parts without damaging pc traces.

Thanks for your replies.

Why would you use hot air on leaky caps? Only 2 connections. Plus they
have a tendency to explode. Use 2 good soldering irons. You are more
likely to need a good binocular microscope to check for dissolved traces
and to check your work afterwards. You DO need hot air for smd chips
however and buy one that displays the air temps, (unlike me wot didn't
and then had to buy another better one).

Tried the 2 soldering iron idea and it wasn't very good. For SMT 'lytics we grab the top with cutters, push down and twist 1/8 to 1/4 turn. Clean the solder residue, hit it with a flux pen and attach the new cap. Fast and reliable. Hot air gun for caps is way too slow and causes more damage than simply twisting them off. I use this technique when re-capping the servo boards in Sony SRW machines. I've damaged a total of 4 pads from 1008 caps and those were from the first few boards. A good soldering iron like a Metcal is far more useful to me.

G˛

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 22 May 2015 05:47:36 +0000 (UTC), mroberds@att.net wrote:

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:
Blowing a high speed hot air is guaranteed to cook every component
within range.

I have some boards, mostly through-hole, that I want to salvage parts
off of. I tried using my Milwaukee 750 heat gun (looks like
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-750-Milwaukee-Heat-Gun/dp/B00199A286 ) on
the boards from a couple of old 3.5" floppies. It seemed to work - the
solder melted and stuff came off - but I haven't tested the components
yet, either.

That heat gun is made for shrink tube, which runs at a lower
temperature range. You want one that will go to about 1000F so that
you can stand back away from the PCB. Solder melts at about 400F.

If I can find the spreader nozzle used for paint stripping, I attach
that to cover a larger area. For a heat gun, I use some piece of
no-name junk I bought for about $20. It's major feature is that when
it's cold, the power cord is incredibly stiff and difficult to handle.
Something like this:
<http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0503008-HT1000-200-watt-Heat/dp/B00004TUCV>
However, I prefer the propane torch and paint stripper spreader
nozzle. The idea is to NOT produce a hot spot that will destroy
everything in its path if you momentarily stop moving the heat source.
The propane torch is very good at scorching the board, so I use a
spreader.

Incidentally, I use a propane torch for stripping components off
PCB's.

About how much (like, how many square inches) of the PCB do you heat up
at once? With the hot air gun, I found that I couldn't get the whole
PCB hot enough at once (it was about 2" x 3"); I had to work in smaller
sections.

I think the biggest PCB I've done was about 8x10. I couldn't do the
entire board at once. I heated about 2 inches of the edge of the PCB
until the solder melted, and just banged it on the table to remove
most of the big parts. I then finished the job with a scraper. That
gave me a clear area to clamp into the bench vise. I then heated
about a 4"x4" area and launched the parts by bending and releasing the
PCB. Eventually, I moved my way around the board until everything was
removed. Small and thin boards are a PITA because they don't offer
much spring tension, so I have to scrape them clean (with a stainless
scraper).

You'll need to continue applying heat while launching the parts. The
problem is that the PCB will cool down very rapidly (very little
thermal mass) if you stop.

Biggest headache was cleaning up the solder spatter on the wall or
carpet if I missed the cardboard box. 2nd biggest was cleaning off
the excess solder from the tiny SMD parts.

Reminder: Welding gloves, face shield, safety glasses, and
ventilation.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Chris Jones]

On 23/05/2015 00:53, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Fri, 22 May 2015 05:47:36 +0000 (UTC), mroberds@att.net wrote:

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:
Blowing a high speed hot air is guaranteed to cook every component
within range.

I have some boards, mostly through-hole, that I want to salvage parts
off of. I tried using my Milwaukee 750 heat gun (looks like
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-750-Milwaukee-Heat-Gun/dp/B00199A286 ) on
the boards from a couple of old 3.5" floppies. It seemed to work - the
solder melted and stuff came off - but I haven't tested the components
yet, either.

That heat gun is made for shrink tube, which runs at a lower
temperature range. You want one that will go to about 1000F so that
you can stand back away from the PCB. Solder melts at about 400F.

If I can find the spreader nozzle used for paint stripping, I attach
that to cover a larger area. For a heat gun, I use some piece of
no-name junk I bought for about $20. It's major feature is that when
it's cold, the power cord is incredibly stiff and difficult to handle.
Something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0503008-HT1000-200-watt-Heat/dp/B00004TUCV
However, I prefer the propane torch and paint stripper spreader
nozzle. The idea is to NOT produce a hot spot that will destroy
everything in its path if you momentarily stop moving the heat source.
The propane torch is very good at scorching the board, so I use a
spreader.

Incidentally, I use a propane torch for stripping components off
PCB's.

About how much (like, how many square inches) of the PCB do you heat up
at once? With the hot air gun, I found that I couldn't get the whole
PCB hot enough at once (it was about 2" x 3"); I had to work in smaller
sections.

I think the biggest PCB I've done was about 8x10. I couldn't do the
entire board at once. I heated about 2 inches of the edge of the PCB
until the solder melted, and just banged it on the table to remove
most of the big parts. I then finished the job with a scraper. That
gave me a clear area to clamp into the bench vise. I then heated
about a 4"x4" area and launched the parts by bending and releasing the
PCB. Eventually, I moved my way around the board until everything was
removed. Small and thin boards are a PITA because they don't offer
much spring tension, so I have to scrape them clean (with a stainless
scraper).

You'll need to continue applying heat while launching the parts. The
problem is that the PCB will cool down very rapidly (very little
thermal mass) if you stop.

Biggest headache was cleaning up the solder spatter on the wall or
carpet if I missed the cardboard box. 2nd biggest was cleaning off
the excess solder from the tiny SMD parts.

Reminder: Welding gloves, face shield, safety glasses, and
ventilation.

I found this page really interesting about parts recycling:

https://techtravels.wordpress.com/shenzhen-phone-recycling-2/

Beginning:
https://techtravels.wordpress.com/shenzhen-phone-recycling-1/
(Start at the beginning - I just wanted to make sure you don't miss the
"more" link...)

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 23 May 2015 22:16:57 +1000, Chris Jones
<lugnut808@spam.yahoo.com> wrote:

I found this page really interesting about parts recycling:
https://techtravels.wordpress.com/shenzhen-phone-recycling-2/
Beginning:
https://techtravels.wordpress.com/shenzhen-phone-recycling-1/
(Start at the beginning - I just wanted to make sure you don't miss the
"more" link...)

So, now you know where I buy my phone repair parts. My dead phone
collection isn't as impressive. Photos later.

Locally, there's actually a demand for old phones. I was getting
phones for about $5/ea from the local recycler, until someone offered
them more money. Since I wasn't making much money fixing phones, I
declined to start a bidding war.

Note the heat guns in the photos. They look brand new and recently
installed with tape. My guess(tm) is that these burn out rather
often. They're not made for continuous operation. It's NOT a cheap
heat gun and includes an LCD display for monitoring temperature:
<http://www.amazon.com/Steinel-2310-Industrial-Display-without/dp/B000CORPVG>
at $300 list price.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Michael Black]

On Sat, 23 May 2015, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sat, 23 May 2015 22:16:57 +1000, Chris Jones
lugnut808@spam.yahoo.com> wrote:
I found this page really interesting about parts recycling:
https://techtravels.wordpress.com/shenzhen-phone-recycling-2/
Beginning:
https://techtravels.wordpress.com/shenzhen-phone-recycling-1/
(Start at the beginning - I just wanted to make sure you don't miss the
"more" link...)

So, now you know where I buy my phone repair parts. My dead phone
collection isn't as impressive. Photos later.

Locally, there's actually a demand for old phones. I was getting
phones for about $5/ea from the local recycler, until someone offered
them more money. Since I wasn't making much money fixing phones, I
declined to start a bidding war.

Note the heat guns in the photos. They look brand new and recently
installed with tape. My guess(tm) is that these burn out rather
often. They're not made for continuous operation. It's NOT a cheap
heat gun and includes an LCD display for monitoring temperature:
http://www.amazon.com/Steinel-2310-Industrial-Display-without/dp/B000CORPVG
at $300 list price.

I paid $20 on sale for my Black & Decker heat gun, sometime in the early
nineties.

I've used it heavily from time to time, but no, not full time.

But what I have noticed is the metal where the heat comes out has
corroded, I think I've lost some of the metal already. I assume that's
not from the heat, but from something coming off the circuit boards to
corrode the metal.

Michael

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 24 May 2015 16:52:32 -0400, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca>
wrote:

I paid $20 on sale for my Black & Decker heat gun, sometime in the early
nineties.

I have mixed feelings of Black and Decker quality. Some products are
quite good while others suck. B&D also owns DeWalt, Porter Cable, and
Dustbuster, all with similar mixes of quality and junk.

I've used it heavily from time to time, but no, not full time.

But what I have noticed is the metal where the heat comes out has
corroded, I think I've lost some of the metal already. I assume that's
not from the heat, but from something coming off the circuit boards to
corrode the metal.

Chome plated nozzle or stainless? The idea is to have a shiny nozzle
so that it will reflect heat, instead of absorbing heat. Chome
plating is porous and will pass some water, which accellerated by the
heat, eventually rusts the underlying steel. Usually the chrome
plating flakes off first, possibly due to differences in thermal
expansion rates. I can't check today, but I think my nozzles are all
stainless.

I don't believe it's from anything smoking or outgassing on the PCB.
The air intake for the heat gun is far enough away from the PCB to not
suck in any gasses.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[N_Cook]

On 24/05/2015 21:52, Michael Black wrote:

On Sat, 23 May 2015, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sat, 23 May 2015 22:16:57 +1000, Chris Jones
lugnut808@spam.yahoo.com> wrote:
I found this page really interesting about parts recycling:
https://techtravels.wordpress.com/shenzhen-phone-recycling-2/
Beginning:
https://techtravels.wordpress.com/shenzhen-phone-recycling-1/
(Start at the beginning - I just wanted to make sure you don't miss the
"more" link...)

So, now you know where I buy my phone repair parts. My dead phone
collection isn't as impressive. Photos later.

Locally, there's actually a demand for old phones. I was getting
phones for about $5/ea from the local recycler, until someone offered
them more money. Since I wasn't making much money fixing phones, I
declined to start a bidding war.

Note the heat guns in the photos. They look brand new and recently
installed with tape. My guess(tm) is that these burn out rather
often. They're not made for continuous operation. It's NOT a cheap
heat gun and includes an LCD display for monitoring temperature:
http://www.amazon.com/Steinel-2310-Industrial-Display-without/dp/B000CORPVG

at $300 list price.

I paid $20 on sale for my Black & Decker heat gun, sometime in the early
nineties.

I've used it heavily from time to time, but no, not full time.

But what I have noticed is the metal where the heat comes out has
corroded, I think I've lost some of the metal already. I assume that's
not from the heat, but from something coming off the circuit boards to
corrode the metal.

Michael

I gave up on B&D hot air guns 20 years ago. They may have changed but
then they used mica as the matrix for the heater wire. If the heater
broke it was impossible to repair by crimping a bit of stainless steel
nicad strip over the join as the mica broke to flakes. I went for Bosch
which use/used? ceramic matrix. Incidently not had to repair the heater
on it for many years. Perhaps heater is Kanthal wire and now the Al
component has fully migrated to the surface and no hot spots left

 

[David Farber]

David Farber wrote:

JC wrote:
On 5/21/2015 5:45 PM, David Farber wrote:
I would like to ask you all what suggestions you would have for a
hot air rework tool. I wouldn't be using it often but occasionally I
get a pc board with smd (leaky) caps that need replacing. I see
inexpensive ones on eBay in the $60-$100 range. I wouldn't mind
spending a bit more, if necessary, to get something of quality. It
sure would be nice to have a tool that makes it easier to remove
these parts without damaging pc traces. Thanks for your replies.

Why would you use hot air on leaky caps? Only 2 connections. Plus
they have a tendency to explode. Use 2 good soldering irons. You are
more likely to need a good binocular microscope to check for
dissolved traces and to check your work afterwards. You DO need hot
air for smd chips however and buy one that displays the air temps,
(unlike me wot didn't and then had to buy another better one).

I was following the advice on this site.
http://www.co-bw.com/DIY_Replacing_SMD_capacitor.htm

I just bought the 852D model shown on eBay for under $60.. You make a
good point about using a microscope. I'll look into that as well.

Thanks for your reply.

My rework station arrived a couple of days ago. I watched several
instructional videos to get an idea of how to use it properly. I found that
using the smallest diameter air flow nozzle and a temperature of around 280C
worked very well on the leaking caps. I had to remind myself to be patient
until the solder was hot enough before attempting to pull the cap off of the
board. I also noticed that if you increase the temperature too much, it's
quite easy to unintentionally remove neighboring components. All in all,
this is a big time saver and a very safe way to keep the pads from getting
ruined.

Thanks for your replies.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA