desoldering solderwick braid reel

I originally designed this reel to work with Chemtronics Solder Wick braid, but I also designed a spool with 4 spines for the cheaper wick from AliExpress that I had lying around. I’ve also designed matching spools so you can load your own braid or wire.

I recommend printing at a 0.12 mm layer height to ensure the reels fit and rotate smoothly on the spindle. Use normal supports for most of the print. However, if you want to print the larger spool in one piece, tree supports are recommended.

The larger spool can also be printed in two parts to reduce the need for extra supports in the middle of the spool, but this version doesn’t rotate as freely as the single-piece reel. The one-piece version, however, often ends up with some extra support material inside the reel.