I've decided to resurrect my used Hakko 470 so I can do some better desoldering on my Tek and other boards. After cleaning the hole through the heating element and ensuring the rest of the passageways are clear (including taking the guts out of the cartridge in the handle), I'm just not getting very much vacuum at all through to the tip.
If I pull the vacuum tube off of the cap, I can get a bit of suction at the small nib (perhaps enough to pull the skin from a soft spot on the back of my hand out a few millimeters before the vacuum breaks). If I remove the cap and put my thumb over the larger hole (there's no valve or any other filters inside that as that's the way it came to me), I get a bit more suction but, perhaps, that's still a bit less than it should be.
This is my first desoldering station and am not quite sure what to expect in the way of vacuum strength. I've examined the two diaphragms and those appear to be good. I'm considering replacing the "flapper" valve plates but am wondering if that might be a wasted effort.
Any advice appreciated and if I need to move this question/discussion to another group, please advise.
Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ
