And now.......how NOT to solder !

[RayB]

I've done the newspaper thing, but I usually use a piece of plain brown corrugated cardboard, and press n twist the solder off on it...

Tapping the tip will eventually make the tip bent and loose.

[Beretta]

Why everybody gotta knock us cheap ---daisies--- that still run the el' cheapo radio shack crap ?
 

Ooh..... I gotta get a pic of my "spatter wall" too.
It's all in the technique, fwap, fwap. 

(seriously, I have a corner of sheetrock I tap the iron on to clear the excess solder)

i hear ya, i guess im easy to please, i dont care if it takes 5 mins to heat up it works fine once it does.

as for the flick.. it's more a tap for me.. i just have a piece of sheet metal (ok it's actually a side panel off a computer case), i just tap the iron against it.

the solder is easy to get up, it does'nt really stick tot he sheet metal.

[Level42]

Uh.....yeah guys, why do all solder related threads turn into a Metcal commercial ?

I'm sure they're great but we all know by now

[Avinitlarge]

Ive been soldering with the same iron for 16 years, Its just a £15 25W antex Iron. Its brilliant. I would never use anything else. Once ive done with it, I just flick any excess solder on the floor.

[RayB]

You can also literally just suck the solder off. Your mouth eventually gets numb from burning up the nerve endings. Makes for nice sparkly dumps too.

[Avinitlarge]

You can also literally just suck the solder off. Your mouth eventually gets numb from burning up the nerve endings. Makes for nice sparkly dumps too.

I prefer to use a solder sucker, Braid or a brush

[ChadTower]

You can also literally just suck the solder off. Your mouth eventually gets numb from burning up the nerve endings. Makes for nice sparkly dumps too.

It does explain Ray's lead poisoning.