Guitar DIY: How to Remove Solder

[@tjk3380]

I'm trying to remove some pickups, but I can't get the (existing) solder to melt on the back of the pots, to release the ground wire. I'm using a brand new 80w iron. I tried sand paper on the (wide) tip, as well as tinning it. The existing solder won't budge. I don't want to damage the pot. My iron is at 480* C . Any ideas? I really don't want to pay someone to melt solder. I can do the rest of the pickup swap myself.

[@jeeeeev]

I had this problem and how I solved this is by purchasing a reliable soldering station because the one that I used before was claimed it generates 350 - 500*C but the solder doesn't budge.

[@jarrodsilver6854]

Add some new solder to the old solder joint. That should 'reactivate' the old solder joint

[@alanwoodwind5265]

Put some flux on the joint. It will help the old solder to start to flow.

[@jstample]

@@alanwoodwind5265Flux is something I almost never see mentioned in any guitar-specific soldering videos but it prevents a lot of frustration. It’s like the secret weapon of soldering

[@blablybla]

Wouldn't be easier/safer to just open the pot and sand the solder excess from pot housing, reducing the risk of overheating a potentiometer?

[@JeffKatra]

If you have your soldering iron set to the correct temp it shouldn't be an issue. That paired with proper soldering techniques make it very difficult to damage a quality pot. Now cheaper pots could be more prone to heat damage but even then it would require a decent amount of effort to damage it.

[@kitmoore9969]

Open the pot, then desolder?