How To Solder?

All this while, I’ve been wondering if I was using the wrong blend of flux and resin in my solder or my soldering iron wasn’t powerful because the solder wasn’t melting or it’d damage the insulation before the solder could melt.

Then I discovered the mistake that 90% of hobbyists make: failing to tin the soldering tip.

A properly tinned soldering tip conducts heat more effectively. Even a 40w iron that’s properly tinned can melt solder molten within a second of contact. That’s right, you do not need expensive 200w or 300w irons to solder properly.

It also helps to have a wet sponge nearby to clean off excess flux and to keep to tip a shiny silver.

After 2 hours of fiddling, I finally picked up the right technique to solder.

Here’s a video that I found particularly helpful…