In article <beSdnbaDRN01f4TYnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@comcast.com>,
Michael J. Mahon <mjmahon@aol.com> wrote:
The active ingredient is not actually the fresh solder, but the
fresh flux, which aids heat transfer and solder flow.
Right. Nowadays you can get "flux pens" which allow you to apply
fresh flux easily.
For the tough parts, I used to heat up a pin, get as much solder as
possible with the bulb, and then wiggle it as it cooled, deliberately
creating a bad solder joint which could be broken cold or with a tap
of the iron on the remaining bit.