jolly is right on. hi max i might add another trick to soldering is to tin both parts before u put them to gether it also gives u an idea as to whether u've got theright amount of heat for soldering. if u can't tin it nothing will stick to it and u'll just have to start over and clean and flux and wipe the excess gunk off the metal. try not to sand the brass/ tin/ copper/ nickle coating off. thats what the solder sticks to. cleaning the tip of the gun / iron before soldering helps. a wet sponge will do this fine just wipe the tip of the gun with the sponge the final tip is top secret so dont tell any 1. if ur soldering a long piece of wire to something use a vice grip as a heat sink about 2 inches away frome the solder joint. clamp it right on the wire, that way it doesn't soak up all the heat of the iron before u get the joint hot enough. without that clamp the entire length of wire wants to get hot simple physics.