Shawn Wilton wrote:
> I've had no problem doing 0603 components reliably.  It gets difficult 
> when
> you try QFN parts.  Those require a stencil and must be reflowed, or put 
> the
> heat gun to them.  Something I've found that works for me is pre-tinning 
> the
> pads on the board so you can apply the part, put heat to the pin and it
> should wick the solder up the pin giving you a satisfactory joint.

Have you tried baking your PCBs, instead of hand-soldering? We use a regular 
$20 toaster oven at work, and it works perfectly for prototypes and single 
boards. Sure beats soldering SSOPs by hand. :)

Best regards,

Vitaliy 

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