Best way to remove all components off a PCB

Hello im new here and it’s my first time posting. Im an electrical engineering student about to finish my second year and I love it. i want to know the best way to remove all soldered components off a large PCB. I have collected a large amount of high power PSUs over the years and finally I want to pull off all the components and start building my own circuits. I have been doing it for many years but I want to recycle my salvaged components because im a full greeny haha. Please let me know all your best ways to do it!! I was going to upload a picture however the file size is over 512kb. I might upload to imgur

I would recommend something similar to these:

SMD Rework
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/750W-Soldering-Iron-Solder-Rework-Station-8582D-SMD-Hot-Air-Heater-Gun-Bracket-A/292476512590?epid=3005569393&hash=item4418f5694e:g:OBwAAOSwRsJavc1E

Desoldering Pump
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pro-Removal-Desoldering-Station-Vacuum-Iron-Gun-ZD-915-230V-140W-Soldering/223108673528?hash=item33f2502ff8:g:3dkAAOSwlpZafqUH

I've salvaged components a few ways.

The delicate way is to use a solder sucker often called a desoldering station. I use a METCAL-SP440-Desolder-System-with-Handpiece-SP-PW3-11
I would use this to get temperature sensitive components off the board.

Then I have a dedicated toaster oven. I put the board in there and let it roast about 15 minutes in a 390 degF environment. Take the board out and whack it on the bench to get off surface mount parts.

The crudest and last line of attack is to use a small butane torch on the backside to get off big components and through hole parts.

Its better to shrink the size of the picture and uppload it here, then it will not get lost.

Even with the best equipment, removing parts from boards without damaging them is a challenge. If you don't care about damaging the board, it gets a little easier. I have a DIY version of a solder vacuum that works much better than any of the expensive industrial ones we have around here.

There are other methods you can use. One is to pull on the part while heating the legs. This is best for two legged parts. This frequently damages the board.

Another method I call "heat and beat". Apply heat with the iron until the solder melts, then quickly whack the board against the bench to knock the melted solder off. This is great for clearing the solder cups on connector pins where a vacuum won't work at all.

Solder wick is another method. I find this stuff works better for cleaning up holes after the part is removed but not so great for removing large amounts.

Don't heat the parts for too long at a time or the part can be damaged. Limit heating time to about 5 seconds max. If it doesn't come off by then, let it cool for a while and try again or use a bigger iron.

fechter said:

Another method I call "heat and beat". Apply heat with the iron until the solder melts, then quickly whack the board against the bench to knock the melted solder off. This is great for clearing the solder cups on connector pins where a vacuum won't work at all.

Click to expand...

Safety glasses are a good idea when playing with solder.