MOTM

>I know what you mean about that price. Even as much as I screw up, I 
>can't justify a $400 eraser.

  :)

>Quite a bit less professional but MUCH more useful that the little 
>bulbs: Larry and I have long been fans of the Radio Shack 
>desoldering iron (it looks like an iron with a vacuum bulb in a 
>sidecar kind of arrangement) -- I think it costs $10. I recently had 
>to remove a capacitor from a double sided through plated PCB much 
>like a MOTM (I think it was an Oakley). I think the iron touched 
>each pad for 2-3 seconds before the solder was molten, and then just 
>release the bulb -- then the component came out very easily.

Since it's not regulated, I would worry that it would get too hot for 
PCB work.  I use an unregulated iron to desolder connectors, but then 
the extra heat is less of a risk.

>The trick is (to put the component in right the first time! -- but 
>failing that) to let the desoldering iron heat up before you try to 
>use it -- I let it heat about five minutes. I have had a few 
>problems with MOTM type PCBs (had to make a few attempts to get the 
>component out), but I've never damaged a board.

Yes, it seems odd that five holes (three on the 700, two on the 490) 
would delaminate.  Not that I modded any modules in my first assembly 
batch, but if I recall correctly, I accidently soldered a TL072 
upside down while building the 320, and that didn't ruin any of the 
pads.  Maybe the tip on my WTCPT went bad.  I've been using the same 
one for a few years, but the surface of it looks fine (I tin 
regularly, and whenever I switch from organic too no clean).  I don't 
have any kind of thermometer that goes up to 700F!!