I hate soldering too.. especially under a raised playfield. It's a pain in the ass.

I make sure I place down a towel over anything that could get splashed with solder.

I also try to use alligator clips to hold wires in place when soldering. I hate it when I heat up a joint to reattach a wire and another wire held onto that joint breaks loose. The clips help. Also remember that the wire should have a good mechanical bond to the lug or whatever youre soldering to before you try to get a good chemical bond via the solder.

Soldering is my least favorite pin related thing.