Soldering help

[Citrus]

Trying to pull a p90 out of an Artist.

Having trouble de-soldering the braided outer (ground) from the pot. The solder is not melting.

The lead wires were not a problem.

Do I need a higher wattage? I think mine is 30 watts

[jaberwock]

40 watt works for me, make sure the tip is in good condition, and freshly tinned; protect any nearby capacitors from excess heat with some crocodile clips on the leads.

Jaberwock

[aknapp]

30 watts should be enough, if you let it get good and hot. That, plus what Jaberwock said should do the trick.

Freshly tinned is quite important. I've used a freshly tinned 20 watt iron, good and hot, to remove the ground from a pot.

[RobB]

+1 to the above. If your iron is capable, you may also want to use a medium, chisel-tip. I like these for soldering to pots as they have more surface area. YMMV.

[Citrus]

Will give it a 2nd shot. Thanks

[velorush]

Get yourself some flux paste and a moist sponge

Put the tip of the hot iron in the paste - all of the oxidized gunk will boil away.

Wipe the tip on the moist sponge to remove the rest of the residue.

Tin the tip with fresh solder (melt a thin coat of solder on the freshly cleaned tip to prevent it from oxidizing again).

The tip should be much more effective at transferring heat. You might consider putting a bit of the paste on the area to be desoldered, as well. It will clean that area as it heats, thereby allowing better heat transfer.