Hi and welcome to the forum.
As John says a bit of preparation goes a long way with soldering but there are some very basic things that should be understood.
Clamping the work is an excellent idea to prevent the parts from moving as the solder cools but the focus of your attention should be on the heat flow.
If the solder doesn't flow (remains as a blob on the iron) it could be due to the metal not being at a temperature higher than the solders melting point, the metal surafce hasn't been prepared with flux or it is the wrong type of metal in the first place.
Assuming that the metal is compatable (you can't solder aluminium, cast iron or most stainless steels) and that you have cleaned the surface to be soldered and either wiped flux on the surface or are using a multui-core solder with flux included then you have to get the temperature up to a level above the melting point of the solder.
Clamps or a vice, whilst very usefull should be positioned so that they are not removing heat (conduction) from the joint. This can even apply to using pliers which, if positioned too close to the joint will rob the heat. The problem with meshes and frames are that they will try to conduct heat away from the joint so you have to think about how you can keep it there.
If you have all these things in place you shouldn't have too much trouble.
If it is an old iron then the tip may need cleaning and re-tinning but if the solder is melting on the iron than you are getting close.
Have another go and let us know how you do.
All the best |