soldering an 8-pin connecter

[Rainbird]

When I try to solder decoder wires to an 8-pin connector, I invariably melt or distort the plastic base. Does anyone have a suggestion?

[betamax]

Sounds like the iron isn't capable of supplying enough heat quickly.

You need a hot iron for this, as you don't want to spend any more time applying heat than necessary. A drop of flux will probably help too.

I soldered wires onto an NMRA plug the other day, with a pencil tip in my Weller dialled in for 750 degrees. With a bit of flux the job went quick.

[Seamonster]

And a very small tip so it won't overlap onto the plastic or the adjacent pins.

 

[djcwardog]

You may also want to "plug" the 8-pin into something like a just-damp sponge (don't get the electronics wet - obviously!) to serve as a heat sink while you do the soldering.  Goal is a quick heat transfer, small tip, and hot iron.  I use the Radio Shack set-up with a digital temp display.