If you are going to be a long term kit builder, it is best to buy a good pencil. The wellers are very nice and do the job well. When it comes to some jobs it is best if you can vary the temp, not the wattage of the pencil, especially when it comes to silver solder. The hakko products are very well made and reliable in temp range. I use one every day and have for five years. Always use solder flux as it will clean the materials that you are trying to solder of any oils, thin varnish etc. The use of eutetic solder on actual boards is good for kits that might have poorly made boards where th pads may lift at higher temp ranges. Rule of thumb, buy good equipment it will save you many hours of frustration. good luck.
How about a soldering thread?
There's one thread with some good tips on soldering i.c.'s, but like many, I'd like to tackle the Homegrown cable kits. I suppose the instructions are good but I know from teaching hand cutting dovetails that there are things I do, things you don't hear about, that make the job easier and the joints more precise. Things like spending ten minutes turning a crosscut into a ripsaw, making chisels "scary sharp" and finding the inside and outside of boards.Let's hear from some veteran kit builders, please.