maybe im just not patient enough but jesus this boards solder does not melt for shit, i got an fx-888d hakko to 480°C but it doesn’t seem to be enough.
i need to remove the pins to make the board thinner for a project, any ideas?
Which board? Get an La Frite as it’s 12mm already? When you are soldering, the heat can be conducted via the PCB. You also have an oxide layer on the solder that reduce heat conduction.
Fresh solder is usually a great way to get old solder to melt. I often add a small amount of solder(rosin/flux core) to the tip in order to de-solder components.
Desoldering is a good idea for removing the pins. If it can’t be desoldered, consider cutting them to whatever height you can tolerate.
Ally is correct about using a generously wetted soldering iron to get efficient heat transfer into the existing solder. However, the reason the solder isn’t melting isn’t that it’s bad. It’s probably using a low- or lead-free alloy. Your usual, lead-ful, solder melts easier, but mixing them has some downsides. See Whisker (metallurgy) - Wikipedia.
Cutting down the header is probably your best bet. Don’t use your good cutters–they might be too hard and damage your cutters.