Soldering problems

[SpiderVenom]

I've been practicing soldering for my next guitar, and there's a few issues I've encountered. Particularly, it seems to take the iron about 4 seconds to melt solder (when I apply it straight to the solder); and I definitely can't seem to get a connection to a temperature high enough to melt solder just by applying it. (I'm using flux core solder - don't know the ratio, but I'm pretty sure it's 60/40) The iron is a 45 watt, but I estimate it's at least a decade old, so perhaps it needs replacing? The tip seems fairly oxidized too, even after cleaning, and any solder that I melt on just runs straight off - it refuses to tin. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Artie]

Re: Soldering problems

By all means, get a new tip first. They do wear out. If its not readily available, spring for a new iron. That will probably solve your problem. If not, let us know, and we'll go from there.