Standing at my machine, playfield flipped up, re-attaching a broken connection. Once again, I realize this would be so much easier with THREE, possibly FOUR hands. 
I have a benchtop jig with clips for this task, but remote soldering at the machine is a challenge for me.
You long-timers - any ideas for remote 3rd hand fixtures?
Quoted from shimoda:Clone your dominant arm
That could come in "handy" 
Do you have a set of forceps? You can buy these from various pinball parts suppliers. Below is a set from Marco Specialities.
http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/77-FC6
I find them handy to have around for situations like yours.
Gord
Quoted from markp99:That could come in "handy"
giggity
Yes, my fix is ' JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, Can you come here for a minute?"
Seriously , Hemostats are sometimes useful for this, it is a tough job in the game though.
I will sometimes blob solder on the wire, then hold it and put heat on and let the solder flow to the switch . Prob not the best way to solder, but it works for me.
JP
Hmm. I tried a hemostat (large and small) just tonite. Not sure what to do with it.
Right hand - soldering iron
Left hand - solder
Hemostat - wire-end - pre-tinned
But, what holds the hemostat in place?? I tried hooking to a nearby lamp socket, or between two wires. Couldn't get that to work. For me, the solder blob approach usually puts too much heat and melts the wire insulation - the hemostat would make a good heatsink.
What am I missing??
Edit: I saw a guy on YouTube with some sort of jig attached to his glasses to feed the solder into the work. Looked a bit wonky.
Go to Ikea and get yourself a small portable computer desk (glass top with legs, super portable and easy to move quickly). You can put your soldering iron and other goodies on that - use a towel to keep the glass scratch free and hardware from randomly falling off.
At that point, it's all about getting creative. I use soldering flux, and put a small amount on both wires. Then do my best to twist the ends of the wires together and solder away - the flux will help transfer the solder and fuse the two together. alligator clips might help hold the wires together as well - put the clips RIGHT before the insulating stops and the bare wire begins. It might help hold the bare ends together just enough for you to apply your solder and fuse the two wires together.
Good luck!
Tonite's task was attaching a diode and wire to the same leg of a switch. That's where the FOURTH hand comes into play.
I cleared the old solder from the leg and was able to pass the diode end thru the hole, but the wire would not also fit in this space, so, was tacked-on to the outside of the joint - using the solder blob approach. I was pretty quick, so minimal melting of the insulation this time.
I thought to attach an alligator clip to the end of a section of stiff 12AWG electrical wire (~18in long). I could deform the wire as needed to find a convenient point to secure, then use the alligator clip to hold the work in place. Or simply wrap that wire around a hemostat vs clip?
Wickerman2 - that bendy gooseneck thing has promise, but not sure where to connect for work on the playfield.
If you're just soldering a wire to a switch terminal or similar, you just need to tin the terminal, tin the wire, and put the wire against the terminal and heat the wire to melt the solder bonding the two.
With practice, you can make perfect joints.
Soldering on a workbench and on the underside of a playfield are 2 different things. Watch out for solder drips into something that doesn't like it. This, is the world of owning/maintaining a pinball. Have to be creative sometimes. Good luck.......
Kapton (polyimide) tape is temperature resistant and works well if you have a spot to tape the wire in place. Plenty of other options too:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/terrybs-soldering-guide-part-1
In the switch example you gave, put the wire though the lug on the switch and wrap the diode lead around the lug.
Quoted from JosephT:I already posted this
Yes, you did. I just wanted to clarify the process for folks not familial with it, and add another vote for the ONLY way to do this.
Truthfully, I had to read the OP repeatedly to be sure I was giving advise concerning the correct scenario, considering all of the less than great advice.
I mean, you could do it their way, but why on earth would you? 
Well intended, snarky comments aside, the only time I would do otherwise is if the lug is wide open (no other wires) or super crowded where the act of adding a wire releases others that are already just surface soldered.
A good solder connection is a good mechanical connection. The lug hole makes it easier when available, but is not needed.
I have done this literally thousands of times in automotive environments, etc. and never had a problem.
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