My soldering is terrible.  Why?

  Chances are, you are using a low-wattage iron with a tip that is too small to maintain heat.  I’ve found that the trick to good soldering, especially to the back of control pots, is a good, HOT iron.  Get on and off the parts as quickly as possible.  I do my pot soldering at 850 degrees F with a Weller WESD51 iron.

Don”t forget to tin the tip!

The braided shield is difficult to solder.  Any tips?

   Using a toothpick or similar, begin to pick at the metal braid and separate the strands.  When you get about 1/4 to 1/2 inch loose, twist it into a “pigtail.”  Solder the pigtail to the pot.  This will also help avoid burning the cloth inner core and shorting the lead.