Whenever i've been de-soldering stuff, i've just been using a
soldering iron and a solder-sucker.
Maybe when we introduce people to these tools, we should include a
maintenance session.
I know i usually like to learn this as part of learning to use a new
tool. Maintaining the equipment through it's effective use is just
good practise.
If someone is around to talk me through how this thing works, i'll be
in this afternoon/early evening.