removal with tweezers or a vacuum tool. Removal of multi-pin components with a soldering iron and solder removal tools is impractical, as the solder between the component and the pads remains in place, unlike solder which can be removed from a hole. Hot air (or gas) may be applied with tools ranging from some portable gas soldering irons such as the Weller Portasol Professional which can be fitted with a narrow hot-air nozzle, set to a temperature not controlled but approximately correct, to an industrial rework station with many facilities including hot-gas blowing, vacuum part holding, soldering iron head, and nozzles and fitting specific to particular component packages. Quad flat packages Quad Flat Package (QFP) chips have thin leads closely packed together protruding from the four sides of the integrated circuit (IC); usually a square IC. Removal of these chips can be problematic as it is impossible to heat all of the leads at once with a standard soldering iron. It is possible to remove them with the use of a razor blade or a high-rpm craft tool, simply by cutting off the leads. The stubs are then easy to melt off and clean with a soldering iron. Obviously this technique entails the destruction of the IC. Another method is to use a heat gun or pencil butane torch and heat up a corner, and gently pry it off, working the torch down the leads. This method often leads to traces getting lifted off the PCB where a lead did not get heated enough to cause the solder to flow. Several vendors offer systems that use heat shields to concentrate hot air where it needs to be, protecting nearby components and avoiding damage to the board or the QFP. The extractor uses a spring system that gently pulls the IC upward when the liquid stage of solder has been reached. The IC is held by a vacuum nozzle similar to the ones used in pick & place machines. This system prevents damage to the pads on the PCB, the IC, avoids overheating surrounding components and blowing them off and also reduces the risk of operator error when using tweezers or other tools that can damage the PCB or IC. Another way to remove these devices is to use Field's metal, an alloy which melts at around 140 °F (62 °C), lower than the boiling point of water. The metal is