First time modder (n00b)-Questions about de-soldering and...

[XingDaorong]

..other electronics. I've had some experience with a soldering iron and I'm getting used to using the de-soldering vacuum but I had a few questions:

1. After using the soldering iron on some old broken clock chips part of the chip looked brown as if it had been burned or overheated. Would that color indicate that the chip was fried and if so how can I safely de-solder something without overheating it?

2. What is the most effective way to safely desolder capacitors/resistors/other electronics without damaging them or overheating the chip?

3. How experienced would I have to be to work on a portable NES or Gamecube in terms of knowledge of electronics?

[Life of Brian]

If something is turning brown, it probably means you are holding the iron to the board too long. What wattage is your iron, and how long are you holding it to the board when you try to solder or desolder something? If it takes longer than a few seconds, then you need to lift the iron off the board and let it cool for a second. You might try adding a little bit of flux if you're trying to solder something, or add a little bit of fresh solder to something you're trying to desolder. The "safest" way to solder or desolder is to A)use flux so that the solder flows better and B)make sure your tip isn't too oxidized (brownish-black color and looks corroded).

[XingDaorong]

If something is turning brown, it probably means you are holding the iron to the board too long. What wattage is your iron, and how long are you holding it to the board when you try to solder or desolder something? If it takes longer than a few seconds, then you need to lift the iron off the board and let it cool for a second. You might try adding a little bit of flux if you're trying to solder something, or add a little bit of fresh solder to something you're trying to desolder. The "safest" way to solder or desolder is to A)use flux so that the solder flows better and B)make sure your tip isn't too oxidized (brownish-black color and looks corroded).

The soldering iron I have is a cheap piece of junk from Wal-mart with a wide tip. Should I be using a higher quality iron with a thinner tip?

and btw thanks for the reply

[Life of Brian]

I do just about all my soldering work with a cheap RadioShack 15 watt iron, so I really don't think there's a need to spend money on an expensive iron while you're still just learning technique.

[nevermind1534]

I do just about all my soldering work with a cheap RadioShack 15 watt iron, so I really don't think there's a need to spend money on an expensive iron while you're still just learning technique.

I usually use that same one. For some non-PCB work, I use the 30W kronus iron that came with my computer toolkit from the Shack.