This is a long post because I want to be detailed and because I want to vent. Skip to the end for the TL;DR if this is too much text. :)

In my (admittedly limited) experience there seem to be two methods that shielding is attached to a board. The first method is where the shielding is (relatively) loosely attached to a raised metal frame on the board. The second method is where the shielding is attached directly to the board itself with what feels like a super epoxy that was sent back from the future to make scrapping more difficult. The difference in difficulty in removing each type of shielding is worlds apart, at least with the hundreds of Cisco and Aruba WAPs I've taken apart.



For the first type I use a pointed metal right angle pick to either hook and pull the shield off in one go or use the bend in the right angle of the pick as leverage to pry the shield up and then pull it off. In either case it's a quick and easy process and it rarely takes me more than one attempt to do this. I can fly through this type of shielding.

For the second type, no amount of pulling or prying with the pick seems to be able to leverage them off. In fact, even using a flat head screwdriver isn't very effective as this type of shielding isn't very tall so it's hard to get any leverage on it. The best methods I've found are a) using a pair of screw extractor pliers that have crazy bite to grab the side and top and pull it off or b) using a fair of diagonal cutters/side cutters to grab the a corner and squeeze and lift. Neither of these methods is especially quick and more often than not the shielding tears (often, several times per piece of shielding) so I have to remove multiple pieces.

Is there a better method to removing the second type? I have piles of boards with 10+ pieces of this type of shielding per board and it takes forever to remove it all. It takes so long using the methods above, and I have so many of them, I'm genuinely considering just sending the damn things in w/ the shielding in and taking the hit on them being graded lower.



TL;DR: What's the easiest/fastest way to remove shielding that's directly attached to the board? (The stuff that's relatively loosely attached to a raised frame is easy to remove.)

I have a few Cisco WAPs like that and I know exactly what you are talking about. I use a sharpened putty knife about an inch wide and pry between the shields. If you have a table you can lay the board on and have some kind of backstop so you don't have to hold the board while prying the shield it makes removing them much easier. Once you get to the last shield you can access it from the side. I'm not sure how much it will lower the value of the board by leaving the shields on so I take them off.

I've tried various sizes of flat head screw drivers, pry bars, picks, chisels, etc. but it never occurred to me to try a putty knife. I can see where it having a fine edge and stays flat (versus the taper of a chisel, for example) it might work well. I'm headed to the hardware store tomorrow with a few boards to try some putty knives out in the store. :)

I definitely prefer to remove the shielding to max out the value but I have HUNDREDS of these boards. Hopefully the putty knife is a marked improvement for me. I may also try hitting them with some heat to see if it loosens them up at all.

Thanks for replying, I really appreciate the advice and also knowing I'm not the only one that struggled with this type of shielding. It was driving me mad especially since the other type pops off w/ almost no effort.

You could use a paint scraper as well. I use a one inch wide one as well.

Both are roughly the same thing, scraper and putty knife but you want to use metal not plastic

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