Electric soldering iron for simultaneously soldering or desoldering a row of integrated circuit leads

A soldering iron comprising:

• (a) a handle;
• (b) a heating block mounted to said handle and having a pair of opposed tangs defining a channel therebetween;
• (c) a soldering blade removably mounted in said channel and having an elongated operative soldering edge and a shank portion opposite said edge;
• and,
• (d) an elongated heating element mounted in said heating block and in close heat exchange relationship with said blade and substantially parallel to said operative soldering edge;
• (e) one of said tangs being removable, and said blade being mounted by a blot that passes through one of said tangs, through said blade and threadedly engages the other of said tangs;
• and,
• (f) said removable tang having an upper surface that pressesagainst a corresponding surface of the rest of said heating block, and said upper surface having a sloped portion and a shoulder portion to seat easily against said corresponding surface and to cause the lower edge of said removable tang to exert compressive pressure on the soldering blade as said bolt is tightened.