how to get better at soldering

[Nand512]

got a soldering iron for my birthday back in January (hakko f888d), and while i love the aspect of soldering i can't help but suck at it. i had a small test kit where you'd just solder some resistors to a pcb and i never got the hang of it. ended up burning the pcb and called it a day, and that was a few months ago. how do i get better? are there any kits off amazon i should buy? i want to master soldering before building a portable

 

[jefflongo]

Those kits really are good practice. Make sure you're using some quality solder and flux though. I'm partial to Kester 63/37 20 mil thickness and ChipQuik SMD291 for flux. Also make sure you're using an appropriate temperature. I tend to use ~315C and ~350C for areas with a copper pour like power planes.

 

[Nand512]

Those kits really are good practice. Make sure you're using some quality solder and flux though. I'm partial to Kester 63/37 20 mil thickness and ChipQuik SMD291 for flux. Also make sure you're using an appropriate temperature. I tend to use ~315C and ~350C for areas with a copper pour like power planes.

im using 60/40 solder and usually 340C / 650F

 

[jefflongo]

im using 60/40 solder and usually 340C / 650F

The thickness of your solder is pretty important. Using really thick solder doesn't work well for SMD. Having and using good quality flux matters a lot too.