Yes, Jon, to a certain extent you're correct.
.................. But, when I was a young lad, as one of our skills achievements at a church based youth group, we had a guy who worked for Decca who taught us, among other things, basic soldering - I owe that guy big time
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Yes, all very true.... I've got to the level where I CAN do the basic stuff as long as the equipment behaves - hence my initial question that started this thread! I just need a lot more practice before going ANYWHERE near something like a solder pad on a £160 decoder....
Jon.
I'd want to go and buy a new iron before I tackled that, and probably practice a bit as well. A skill is a skill but you do need to do it to keep up the level, as I discovered last week with my spray painting. 
I'm a lot better at it than I was a fortnight ago for sure! 
Lesson 2: (also applies to chisels..)
If you drop a soldering iron.. let it fall, THEN pick it up.. Pronto!
Do NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, try to catch it on the way down..
Yes, all very true.... I've got to the level where I CAN do the basic stuff as long as the equipment behaves - hence my initial question that started this thread! I just need a lot more practice before going ANYWHERE near something like a solder pad on a £160 decoder....
Jon.
Taught myself soldering in my early teens, with a little guidance from step-dad. I remember once concentrating too hard on getting a pair of wires aligned just right and reaching down to get the iron... wrong end!!!! And this was a hefty 70 watt job from Woollies, not a dainty Antex! Had a memorable blister for quite some time.
Problem is natural reaction, we have all done it I expect. I know I have. I keep a number of different Irons, the smallest one with a pretty small tip is used for Chip Wire soldering. However key thing is that whatever you use needs to heat things up quickly and no lingering to get wire in place. Also pre tinned wire (Or other work parts to be joined) with flux on helps enormously.
Does, whatever that is, need to be so small? I find a lot of things are designed without any forethought of the poor fool having to work on them whatsoever!For G scale decoders (quite large), the 1.2mm should be fine enough.. This will also be big enough for the larger connections way make in 'G'. - though not track-bonding!
You only really need the fine-point to get into awkward spaces or if you have something like this to connect up!
View attachment 224693
The pads are on a .05 inch pitch..
And less fingers if you try to catch a dropped chisel in mid flight!Some are born with natural abilities, others with more thumbs than fingers!
Been done but not with RC me thinks. Be good to hear progress on that one, be great inspiration to those that have trouble stuffing all the battery gear etc into G Scale loco. May even have a use with say a figure with moving arms and a small motor.
