Soldering pencil? there's such a device? well now. if I'd known that, 
back when I was soldering all kinds of stuff, including a shotty attempt 
at pcb soldering, I suspect it would have made a world of difference.
I had a variable heat iron and it took some doing but, I managed to burn 
the thing out.

Shaun
web sites:
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On 18/04/2008 12:20 AM, the old scribe known as Steve Forst was able to 
impart this pearl of wisdom:
> Strip the end of the wire and tin it.  Put the tinned end into the little 
> cup on the  pin you want to solder.   Heat the cup  until the solder  on the 
> tinned wire flows.  Remove heat and don't let the wire move  until it has a 
> chance to cool.
> 
> Too much heat can damage the plastic body.   A soldering pencil or low watt 
> iron is better than a  large gun, but use what you have and be careful. 
> Use a knife or razor blade or something to  feel between the pins when you 
> are done to ensure that there are no solder bridges between the pins. If 
> it's a new plug, it may have come with little plastic sleeves to slip over 
> the wires and down over the connections to prevent shorts.  You can make 
> your own out of wire insulation  just larger than the wire  you are using.
> 
>  For a simple vise, use a pair of locking pliers laying flat on the bench. 
> Brand name in the States is "vise-grips".   Just lock tight enough to hold 
> the  plug and place a weight on the other end of the pliers if needed to 
> hold it.
> 
> 73, Steve KW3A
>