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Caps, resistors etc aren't really a challenge as they only have 2 joints. Opamps and larger chips are harder to remove without using too much heat. There's a product called chipquick that is very low melting point that will help you change I'Cs without risk of damage to the board.
Before you attack anything though, take apart something that's broke and just practice removing and desoldering the components.
Angled pointy tweezers - your hand and forearm end up roughly parallel with the board and it stabilises everything nicely. You have more control of the orientation and can keep them in line much easier than with straight tweezers.
I normally use a solder wick to remove chips but you must be confident and quick to avoid the heat as mentioned above. If you are not re-using the chip then wick away both sides then snip the legs with sharp cutters. That way you can remove the individual pins with the tiniest amount of heat and ensure that the board remains pristine. Most times they will cling to the tip and can be wiped off in your tip cleaner.
I differ in that I use clean pads not tinned for all components - but they must be clean and preferably fluxed. For me the major advantage is that you ensure the component is sitting flush in contact with the board before tacking one end down. This works for replacing components as well if you wick the pads after removal, clean with a solvent and brush then flux.
Possible gotchas:
1. Pointy tweezers are sharp and it is easy to damage resistors and caps with them if careless.
2. Ensure the solder has cooled adequately before moving to the other end - if it is still soft you will pivot the component as the solder flows on the other end.
3. If you reheat resistors/caps too often or apply too much heat in one application the pads will break away from the end. Chuck them, clean up and start with a fresh one.
What component is it ?
I would offer to do it for you but you aren't going to want to make the trip from Scotland to Cambridge!
The way they have done the mod in that link looks a bit of a bodge to me