wow this is really a great artical... i'm a complete novice when it comes to soldering, i would normally apply a blob of solder to the iron it self and then chuck it onto what ever needed soldering... if i may suggest purchasing a helping hands station, they are quite useful and you can get them for a cheap price on ebay as well ($5-ridiculous amounts). thanks for the super post, i'm going to book mark this and link my friends to it