some help

[EBK]

Going back and looking at your pics, I'd say you are putting too much solder on a cold joint.  Make sure your tip is nice and flat on the pad and heating both the pad and the wire.  Apply the solder to the joint, not the soldering iron tip.  If the joint isn't melting the solder on its own, it isn't hot enough.  If it is taking more than a few seconds to get it hot enough, then one of the following is your problem:
1) Your aim needs to be improved because you aren't effectively heating the intended joint with the iron's tip,
2) Your soldering iron is too cold, or
3) Your solder is the wrong type for your application.

Edit: I posted seconds after Stallik, and I see that my post started a new page, so go back and read his post if you missed it. 

[ElectricDruid]

+1 agree with what others have said. There's no great talent to soldering. It's simply a skill which is improved with practice.

You mentioned the off-board wiring to jacks and switches and such like. When I started soldering, I had a great big old 25W iron with a point like a 6 inch nail. It was pretty hopeless for finer work like Veroboard, but it did alright for bigger stuff like jacks where I had a bit more space. The other thing about jacks and switches and similar is that there's often quite a bit more metal - that takes longer to heat up, so you have to wait longer before you stick the solder in, unless you're lucky enough to have an iron where you can turn up the power.

HTH,
Tom

[pinkjimiphoton]

a couple tips...

clean the tip frequently. tin the tip immediately.

if its been more than a few seconds since you made a connection, clean and tin the tip again. i tend to do it before almost every joint i rol make.

use THIN SKINNY solder. it melts faster and flows better.

don't be afraid to flow it in for a good joint. if it looks gloppy, suck it up and redo with fresh solder.

make sure the iron tip is tinned. i cannot stress that enough. that will ensure a good heat transfer to the parts being bonded.

solder isn't glue. so don't pull leads too tight and expect it to hold.

apply the solder from the opposite side of where the tip of your iron is. it makes it easier to get it in there, and you can flow a nice joint.

pull the tip of your iron up slightly when finishing your joint. it makes for a more uniform surface to work with, and easier to debug.

don't forget roach aligator clips on sensitive components.

be quick. it takes maybe 1 second to do a good joint. if you're on there for more than 4 seconds, you run the risk of melting your part.

especially switches.

flux can be conductive and can lead to capacitive weirdnesses like poppy switches and weird background phantasms. clean up the flux residue around high gain pots etc, if two parts share a pad don't worry about it so much. but with volume controls and such, the pointy end of your meter probe will work well in a pinch.

that's my 3 cents worth. it is an art to solder, but like all art, you progress from cave paintings to the mona lisa, or maybe a campbell soup can.  keep at it, ya get better.

invest in a good solder sucker. make it the longest daddyo you can find. the more suction, the better. braid is good for mopping up messes, too.

hope that helps a little more

[PRR]

> a soldering iron I got from maplins

That's a seven-buck iron. Even with goo-gun and case, 20 pounds is over-priced.

You CAN do good work with these things. Practice, practice, practice!! Get a OLD dead VCR at the thrift shop, open up, practice taking parts off then putting them back again.

You will be happier with a $30 iron.

> my friend ... a lesson or two ... (hes a car sparky by trade)

Maybe they grow them different in the UK. The mechanics here can NOT do electricity worth a darn. Had multiple problems with an O2 sensor, kept failing. I got peeved, got my head down in there, did the connection RIGHT. That was a decade ago, no problem.

[amptramp]

Don't use this:



This is an American Beauty 1.125" 550 watt soldering iron.  They show a list price of $313.00 in US dollars.

[digi2t]

Don't use this:



This is an American Beauty 1.125" 550 watt soldering iron.  They show a list price of $313.00 in US dollars.

Yup... and don't hold it like this either...