I'm trying to build the Start Here robot. I've had some issues with the soldering process, and it will probably seem blatantly obvious to you but I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. All answers will be greatly appreciated. :)
1. I'm trying to practice soldering on a spare wire that I have. When I to solder the wire, some of the solder turns black instead of silver like it should be. Why is this happening?
2. How much solder do I need to have on the tip of my soldering iron for it to be tinned properly?
3. When I tried to put heatshrink over the wire I soldered, it didn't shrink enough so I held the lighter on there for a little while longer. Now the heat shrink is still to big around the wire, and it looks like a burnt marshmallow. What did I do wrong?