Besides the other suggestions...

Use a socket for the PIC and other expensive parts

Use a clamp heat sink if it's a leaded component like a diode

Don't try to solder a large lead to a small expensive one

Try to heat (contact) both parts at the same time, and have a little solder on 
the tip so there's good thermal contact to begin with. That's not the solder 
that will fill the joint, it's just so you get more than an edge to edge 
touching of iron to leads.

If the solder seems to ball up on whatever parts you have, or it seems they 
have to get very hot before it wets, get some paste rosin flux and dab a little 
on the lead first.

Practice first.



solarwind wrote:
> So I gave my huge weller 140 watt gun type soldering iron in my basement a try.
> 
> I soldered two wires together. I noticed that, I needed to tin the tip
> to properly transfer heat to the joint. Also, after the iron heated
> up, I touched the tinned tip to the joint and had to wait a few
> seconds for the joint to get hot enough to melt the solder. It's
> leaded solder I believe.
> 
> This caused the entire wire to become quite warm to the touch (even
> through the insulation). My only concern is that when I do this (with
> a pencil type 15 - 20 watt iron) I will overheat and damage the
> components. How do I heat just the joint and not the entire component
> and damage it? (When I do get around to soldering my pics and stuff...
> 
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