Thanks guy.

Yep, I was cutting off the used wick, but it seemed to be less effective after the second round of use.
Soldering iron is set to 350, sometimes 400 but hotter didn't seem to make it any better, the temp only goes up to 450 so I was hesitant at running it too hot.
Anyway, I got some flux, bakers soldering fluid I think it was called, I just "borrowed" a bit out of a bottle from work, dipped the braid in that and it works a treat.
Thanks on the tip, tip nino. My new soldering station has a holder section with a wet sponge, I agree, it does make a difference when you keep the tip clean, you can always tell when the tip needs cleaning and a simple wipe does the job.
Just waiting for the new components to turn up from big daddy and will start on re-assembly. You were right nino, 3 to 10 hours is a good estimate for this job. I wish Homepin was making these boards, would be a whole lot easier to just make a new one. However the practice can only be a good thing.

Cheers all