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A couple other pointers.

1) Always tin the tip before soldering and tin it again before you put the soldering iron in the stand. This prevents oxidation of the tip.

2) Put some flux on the joint before soldering or desoldering. Always use a flux made for electronics, not the kind used for plumbing.

3) If the tip of the iron gets too much oxidation on it, you can generally restore the tip (do this when the tip is cold) by putting a bit of ammonia-based brass or silver polish on it and scrubbing it a bit with some steel wool and then wiping with a clean rag.

4) Whenever working with wire leads, tin the wires first before setting up the joint.