anyone use a soldering iron?

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Yes, I have indeed. Comes in really handy, let me tell you. However, it's even more fun to braze using a blowtorch.

I do, and I'm pretty good with it too. Though I would use it a lot more if I had money to buy stuff to build with it.

NASA has some great guides that cover pretty much everything you would ever need to know:

NASA beginner guide:
http://www.sal.wisc.edu/docs/Soldering%20Basics.pdf
NASA student handbook:
https://protostack.com.au/download/NASA ... dering.pdf

Another Hakko owner, bought it at least 7 years ago. I have not gone shopping for a soldering iron, but I would assume many other companies have replaceable temperature controlled tips now.

Back in the 1990s at some other job we had Weller brand desktop types with temperature-controlled tips but they would break and you would have to replace the whole wand.

Yes, I started by soldering back a loose connection in a tiny transistor radio in the 1970s. I used to watch my dad in his shed.

Have gone on to solder guitar and amplifier electronics and other stuff. I had my own soldering iron up until a relocation.

Yes. I use it on rare occasions for electronics, and initially bought it to install exhaust fans on my router to deal with the Australian summers.

Irons are pretty handy. I use mine for various chores about once a month. I had a Weller 50 years ago, and just recently figured out that the tip does not get extra hot, but it does store a bit more heat. I used to ship all the special Ungar products, right down to the poisonous beryllium tips. However, I've done even more silver soldering, and now like using a butane jet torch where I can even for soft solder. I almost always add a dab of flux, even with an iron.

Silver solder is actually easier, but needs more clean-up after. Once I used it to replace the tip of an obsolete faucet stem, and saved someone from having to replace their entire sink-countertop area.

Yep, I have three. The cheap one frazzled the tip within a few months.

I took up amateur radio as a hobby and cannot live without the ability to solder.

I used to install mods in playstations and xboxes back in the day, so yes I've used soldering iron, but not in about a decade. Skills that require hand dexterity and precision are not for me, I 'm clumsy at best in that regard.

I think soldering is easier if you are cross dominant.

Having the ability to accurately feed in the solder with hand and moving the hot iron with the other.

Yep. Several different wattages. And a torch too. I'm no expert but the train wires and train track do hold together, so I guess that counts as success.
The model boat rudders soldered with the torch are still holding together too.