[ranterbach]

Haha, it took me a while to warm up to it

Over the course of a little over 20 years, I started with a Weller 30W pencil, upgraded to a Hakko 936, upgraded to a Hakko FX-951, and then upgraded to my current Hakko FX-100.

I got by with Radio Shack pencils for far too long haha. Can't get over the blue and yellow. I suppose I could paint it, but WESD51 does the job.

 

[mesaboogie]

The trick most people have trouble with is not using enough heat and not tinning properly. If the iron touches the lead and doesn’t transfer enough heat in 2 seconds to cause the solder to flow, you need more heat.
If the component is sensitive then use a heat sink.