Edit: using a 25W iron whose tip wasn’t heating up properly. Had to use its sides to get the solder to melt, which affected precision.
IDK if it was a new iron or just your first time using it, but you may want to consider cleaning or replacing the tip (which is usually like a $2 part). You can clean it with like a 200+ grit sandpaper pretty easily, and just replace it if that doesn’t work.
I broke out my old soldering iron a year or two ago and thought I had forgotten some magic technique because I was having the same problems as you. Then I realized the tip of my iron was oxidized and caked with gunk. A 20s replacement job and I was soldering like a pro again.
IDK if it was a new iron or just your first time using it, but you may want to consider cleaning or replacing the tip (which is usually like a $2 part). You can clean it with like a 200+ grit sandpaper pretty easily, and just replace it if that doesn’t work.
I broke out my old soldering iron a year or two ago and thought I had forgotten some magic technique because I was having the same problems as you. Then I realized the tip of my iron was oxidized and caked with gunk. A 20s replacement job and I was soldering like a pro again.