Use a good flux and an additional hairdryer / heatgun to warm up the surrounding area before and while desoldering.
Are we speaking about conventional Sn/Pb60 solder or some ROHS abomination?

Adding some fresh solder can go a long way in desoldering. Try some known-content Sn/Pb they you have, add it to the holes that have solder stuck in, and then try the vacuum or braid.

I grant you the knowing of two of my tricks... misapplication of which can result in DIRE consequences, use them carefully, lest ye be made unwhole...

Get a stainless steel sewing needle that's not too fat and a pair of locking pliers, hold blunt end of needle in pliers, heat sharp end on candle or torch until hot, plunge into via and work up and down rapidly a couple of times so it doesn't catch. Do not have board resting on your thigh when you do this, or knock over the candle and burn your house down.

Second trick is a super fine drill bit USED WITH FINGERS ONLY, you can find a chuck to put it in, or use a pinvise or parts of an exacto knife set, or even sometimes it fits in some mathematical compass point holders, but DO NOT put it in a power tool. Just roll it between your fingers very carefully applying very light pressure. With this technique you'll feel when it's cutting the softer solder out, and it will bounce off the harder via, unless you force it, do not force it, just let it center itself by cutting the soft solder, nice and easy, twiddle twiddle and you'll be through. Clumsy people will snag the via and rip it out or stab their leg knock the candle over get their foot caught in the soldering iron cord, paralyze themselves falling down the stairs and burn to death with the candle lighting the house up, so go slowwww and careful.

I use needle trick because Im lazy and dont want to go unpacking bulky desoldering gun, except:
- I use hypodermic needles, they are stainless and hollow meaning no thermal mass and solder doesnt stick
- I heat hole with hotair/normal soldering iron, stick needle and rotate at an angle while pcb cools off

When it comes to bad methods that work when you know what you are doing there is also air compressor, just dont look at the work piece with your naked remaining unburned eye. Molten solder flies everywhere, under garments, into eyes, nose, hair, pants. Lands on your brand new phone screen leaving permanent mark etc 😀 Highly unadvised!!1

486man_ wrote on 2024-08-04, 18:54:

The problem is simply I'm unable to get the solder out of the holes.

Have you removed the caps or are they also still place?

In the caps are still in place, you could try heating each pin in succession and gradually wiggling the capacitor out.

If the capacitor is removed but there is still solder, I recommend heating an iron from one side while using the desoldering gun or pump on the other side.

Those bulb type solder suckers can suck and blow less aggressively than compressed air, so if you have the board kinda vertical and touch it from one side while pumping like mad on the bulb, it can go one way or the other, bearing in mind to only put one eye directly in front of where it's gonna splatter so you can save the other for reading vogons.

Been mentioned in the posts above but I'll say it again. A heat gun + desolder gun (vacuum) works perfectly every time. While heating up the hole with the heat gun, use the desolder at the same time (after a few seconds). It's the best way to do it I find with the least about of stress to the board.

My WEP 929D-V solder sucker came with a long stainless poker for clearing holes and 4 diff size tips, it has worked very well. Yeah tried the compressed air method once and will not do that again 😁

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-08-04, 22:35:

If the capacitor is removed but there is still solder, I recommend heating an iron from one side while using the desoldering gun or pump on the other side.

This is my final resort trick too - fresh solder added on each side, hold the board up vertically somehow, and then attack from both angles. It's a bit awkward but always gets the job done.

Sometimes old solder comes out super easy, sometimes it's a stubborn jerk. I assume it has something to do with lead content.

badmojo wrote on 2024-08-05, 05:52:

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-08-04, 22:35:

If the capacitor is removed but there is still solder, I recommend heating an iron from one side while using the desoldering gun or pump on the other side.

This is my final resort trick too - fresh solder added on each side, hold the board up vertically somehow, and then attack from both angles. It's a bit awkward but always gets the job done.

This is precisely why I use this circuit board holder. Makes tackling desoldering from both sides trivial.

Thanks for all the hints!

Which kind of heat gun do you use? I only have one with large exhaust (older model of Bosch GHG 23-66).

Any pointers where to purchase the circuit board holder from? It looks good.

I think I'll order smaller tips for the desolder (DX112, DX110) and try them too. Further testing with throwaway MB indicate that desoldering component wires with larger diameter are easier than with smaller diameter using my DX113 tip.

486man_ wrote on 2024-08-05, 06:57:

Thanks for all the hints! […]
Show full quote

Thanks for all the hints!

Which kind of heat gun do you use? I only have one with large exhaust (older model of Bosch GHG 23-66).

Any pointers where to purchase the circuit board holder from? It looks good.

I think I'll order smaller tips for the desolder (DX112, DX110) and try them too. Further testing with throwaway MB indicate that desoldering component wires with larger diameter are easier than with smaller diameter using my DX113 tip.

I use this cheap chinese one. This is the best heat gun I've ever used. The heat it produces is amazing. You can find them on eBay.

No one?

To heat up the board you can also use an iron. Can confirm it works pretty well.

From the king…..Desolder gun + Heat gun

I usually heat up the board with hot air fan and take a clean solder tip at one side and a 5$ solder sucker at the other side. Takes a few attempts on heavy ground planes. First work I did was on an OG Xbox and it ended up a slight disaster but you get better with practice...

486man_ wrote on 2024-08-05, 06:57:

Thanks for all the hints! […]
Show full quote

Thanks for all the hints!

Which kind of heat gun do you use? I only have one with large exhaust (older model of Bosch GHG 23-66).

Any pointers where to purchase the circuit board holder from? It looks good.

I think I'll order smaller tips for the desolder (DX112, DX110) and try them too. Further testing with throwaway MB indicate that desoldering component wires with larger diameter are easier than with smaller diameter using my DX113 tip.

Back in the noughties when we were inundated with the ball and lead free solder failures, I just had a "paint stripper" heat gun, with the low setting (250C vs 450C) and put a smaller nozzle on that with a pop/soda can cut up with scissors and a hose clamp.... and btw those guns mount in hand held electric drill, drill stands fairly easily, so that can be a good addition to a low buck shop. Though might be barely worth it nowadays when you can get useful hotair rework kit for $50, back then it was starting at $500

I see some good advice so far. Supplemental heat usually helps with stubborn parts.

Once in awhile you have a situation where the holes in the PCB are too small for the lead size.
If you have this problem no amount of solder sucking or wicking will remove enough solder to remove the part cold.
Then this is where the sewing needle technique, will come into play. Sometimes just pulling on the lead while heating the freshly re-soldered joint with a temperature controlled soldering iron is the only way to get it out.

If you do need to employ any mechanical means to remove your components, ALWAYS use a temperature controlled iron. Cheap irons get too hot, and the risk of lifting a pad greatly increases.

You could also try desoldering alloy (low melt solder), if you haven't tried it yet.