Do you touch the solder when soldering?

Yes, but not to the iron tip — you touch the solder wire to the joint itself, after the iron has already heated the joint. This is the single most common mix-up beginners make: melting a blob of solder directly onto the iron tip and then trying to smear it onto the joint. That produces a dull, weak "cold joint" because the base metal never got hot enough to bond with the solder properly.

The correct sequence is: heat the joint (both the component lead and the pad, or both wires) with the iron for a second or two, then touch the solder wire to the heated joint — not the tip — and let the heat already in the metal melt it. The solder should flow into a shiny, cone-shaped joint on its own. Once it's flowed, remove the solder first, then the iron, and hold the joint still while it cools.

This connects directly to the 3-second rule and the golden rule of soldering. For the full step-by-step, see our how to solder wire guide.