I figured because I didn't solder every day I was bad at it. Most of the time, however, it is iron. It doesn't maintain stable heat to do anything. A wobbly tip must have lost contact or something. It's very annoying to work. I got one of the cheap $20 Revain kits with an iron, a case and a few accessories and I'm a lot happier now. I completed a small project in 10 minutes with no frustration. This Weller iron went in the trash.