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Recommended beginning soldering kits
I'm looking for a kit that will give me some practice holding wires in place and soldering connections, hopefully also while giving me a completed object or set of objects that's fun at the end. I'm not completely new to soldering; I've done a couple simple kits and some repair of model trains with loose wires, but I definitely could be a lot better at it and I'd like some guided practice. Emphasis on the "guided," I'm not looking for additional things to repair, I really want a straightforward kit, a range of difficulties in connections would also be great. Any recommendations?
Also consider getting nicer tools like a Pinecil soldering iron, helping hands, metal sponge, flux syringe, etc. They make a big difference.
Yup, seconding the pinecil! There are some alternative options available which use some of the alternative tip types, but I can't recommend them first hand, and I haven't felt that the pinecil was lacking at the small electronics work I've thrown at it so far. Plus, everything is relatively affordable (<$100 CAD), so retooling in the worst case scenario isn't that expensive.
jameco sells electronics project kits that are probably exactly what you are looking for. They are all through-hole PCB designs AFAIK; briefly looking through their website largely shows the same kits I had available to me as a kid.