Soldering tutorial for beginners 5 easy steps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qps9woUGkvI
Soldering electronics for beginners (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Jf8cebwCs
Soldering crash course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rmErwU5E-k
Recommends temperature controlled station and bevel tips
Maintenance: keep the tip clean with steel wool
Usually tin leaded and unleaded.
Leaded is easier to work with, needs lower temperature (various recommendations 300-400C) but lead is poisonous so wash your hands and have good ventilation e.g. ventilator at your back
Stops formation of oxide layer
Two types of Flux: active is corrosive, you need to clean it quickly
Passive: non corrosive (Rosin type).
Flux comes actually in a channel or core inside the soldering wire
Recommends stranded core (easier to handle) and silicon coated (won't melt and easier to strip).
Tinning the wire: strip off 5mm, twist the strands, then heat the wire with the iron and melt some solder onto it, enough to cover the strands and keep them together
Never melt the solder on the iron then transfer to the part, the flux will get used too early + the part will be cold!
Slide the heat shrink on one end
Move parts together and melt the solder with additional solder
cover with the heat shrink, heat it centre first then ends to avoid trapping air bubbles
Use the iron to heat the parts (board and pin) then melt the solder on it
Again, never melt the solder on the iron then transfer
Clean residue of rosin with alcohol
Adding flux will reduce surface tension and make the solder "wet" the surfaces better.
Prep the hole: heat up then add solder
strip 2mm, tin the wire
solder
(See details in crash course video)
never add the solder to the iron
less is more (unless breadboard pins due to mechanical stress and power pins due to high current)