Wishlist - What do you need for Soldering?

When doing through-hole soldering, I slide the part in through on the top of the board and use masking tape to hold it place before I flip it over to solder the wires on the the bottom of the board.

Best "tip" is to get yourself a quality and adjustable iron. I still have the iron i purchased for College 20+ years ago and it is terrible. It has always taken forever to melt the solder... Save yourself the decades long struggle of using a subpar iron.

Tip tinner/cleaner is one of the best things I ever invested in. It makes keeping the tip of the iron carbon free so much easier 

My best tip for soldering is just to practice as much as you can, you do not need to have the best equipment to be good at it, you just need to practice and do it as much as you can and you will become a pro at it!!

I always make sure that I tin my iron tip after I finish soldering. That protects the tip and saves me from trouble when I need to solder again (I usually don't solder every day). 

Some soldering tips:

Make sure that your soldering iron is always clean and doesn't have any form of oxidation, especially if you didn't solder in a while. An oxidized tip will make soldering a lot more difficult, since it doesn't conduct the heat nearly as well as a clean tip, and at some point it will cause the solder to ball up on the tip, rather than flow freely.

Always have some flux ready. Especially for soldering SMD components applying flux before soldering is indispensable. My colleague with over 35 years of experience once called flux "the most important thing in a hardware lab". While this of course is also a bit of an overstatement, the difference that some flux can make should really not be underestimated.

And lastly, you don't need the best of the best to do a decent job. Of course, as a professional user you will get a lot of value out of a propper soldering station, and it will certainly improve your working process, but something like that 30€ digital soldering iron mentioned in the article is good enough to get started with, especially for people who don't need to solder on a regular basis.

I don't think there are a lot of shortcuts to good soldering, and trying to take a shortcut leads to sloppy work. Make sure your wires/boards are secured before soldering otherwise you'll be chasing them around the desk or they'll be moving as the solder cools.

Buy a soldering station with an adjustable heat dial. 

Here are the best tips and tricks on soldering:

1. Cleanliness is crucial. Always make sure the soldering iron tip is clean before starting, as a dirty tip can cause poor conductivity and lead to bad connections. Clean the tip with a damp sponge or brass wire cleaner regularly.

2. Choose the right soldering iron for the job. For smaller, delicate components, use a fine-tip soldering iron with lower power. For larger components, a higher-powered soldering iron may be necessary.

3. Properly heat the joint. It's important to heat the joint for a sufficient amount of time to ensure proper flow of the solder. Heating the joint for too long can damage the component, while not heating it enough can lead to poor conductivity.

4. Use the right amount of solder. Applying too much solder can lead to short circuits, while not enough can result in poor connections. A good rule of thumb is to use the smallest amount of solder possible to create a solid connection.

5. Use flux. Flux helps the solder to flow smoothly and ensures a good connection. Apply flux to the joint before soldering, and use a solder with flux core for easier soldering.

6. Hold the components steady. Use a third hand or other clamping device to hold the components in place while soldering to ensure that the joint remains steady.

7. Practice, practice, practice. Soldering is a skill that requires practice to perfect. Keep practicing, and you'll soon develop a steady hand and a good eye for detail.

I don't have no where near the knowledge you all have, I don't understand half the terms used. But if I had to give advice based on my limited knowledge it would be ... prepare your working area well making sure you dont burn yourself or the house down. I tend to use heat mats and soldering iron bases. Also make sure you have good lighting.