I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/ scavenging is a big draw for me. As it happens, my company throws away lots of useful stuff, and over the past year I've brought home lots of circuit boards with various useful parts on them.
I've got a solder sucker and solder wick/braid, but components with more than two or three leads continue to be a problem for me. I have a little soldering station with a soldering iron, but I've been thinking that I probably need some hot tweezers or a heat gun of some kind. Most of the stuff that I'm recovering from these boards are through- hole components ... I haven't graduated to SMT-at-home just yet.
I don't mind springing for the right tools, but I don't want to buy something only to find that it still isn't very effective.
I'd like to hear from the folks that do a significant amount of this kind of thing (desoldering), and which tools/methods they favor.
Thanks!
Mr. INTJ San Diego, CA