1. Have you looked into Yoppsicles for inserts? Done a couple Classic Stern & Bally and great stuff and easier & better (IMO) than sockets. Might be cheaper these days.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/all-praise-be-to-the-yoppsicle-/page/6#post-7014726
2. Hakko makes a great station like https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B00ANZRT4M/ref=sr_1_2
3. That's NOT the ground wire

Hakko has programmable temperature and the temperature will stay very steady. Just make sure not to solder like the lady from the AT&T commercials.

Soldering nono (resized).jpg

For sure. You can crank up the hot on it too.

For everyday use I use this :

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Weller-Corded-Electric-Soldering-Iron-Station-with-WLIR60-Precision-Iron-WLSK6012HD/315743579

LTG : )

I second the Hakko reco. Definitely gets hot enough but you may need a larger tip to get more heat in. Worked great on the sockets I soldered in for my Flash Gordon resto.

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B00ANZRT4M/ref=asc_df_B00ANZRT4M/

Here is link for the tip set I bought too

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013WII72Y

I really like the Milwaukee M12 cordless soldering iron. Heats up quickly and with the paddle tip it easily solders sockets and coils on a PF swap. Pick up a 6.0ah knock off battery from eBay for $20+ and it will then stand up nicely.

s-l500 (resized).jpg

Probably the best iron you can get for the money. Tips last forever.

Weller WE1010NA Digital Soldering Station
weller (resized).jpg

https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WE1010NA-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B077JDGY1J/ref=sr_1_5

What he said!

I use this 90% of the time when doing playfield swaps. Portable and perfect for rotisserie work. Definitely want the larger battery for stability as well as battery life. Using the little 2.0 battery you can knock over the gun very easily.

I also have a hakko fx888d for board and sit down work. Highly recommend.

The Hakko FX888D is hands down a fantastic soldering iron. Used mine for 7 to 8 years, and I refuse to use anything else. It...just...works!

Nothing but good things to say about Hakko as well. Have the Hakko FX-888D, couldn't be happier. https://www.amazon.com/T18-D08-D12-D24-D32-S3/dp/B00C1N30DI/ref=sr_1_2

This is what I use for working on machines where they set. For everything else or when a pin is in the shop I use a hakko

All the soldering station suggestions are good. However, the OP isn't doing board work, he's doing PF swaps which from my experience requires mobility when flipping a PF around. Plus, board word is delicate, laying the solder to lamp sockets and coils is a job for a paddle tip. I'll take a cordless soldering iron over a soldering station doing a PF swap.

Here a lot about Hakko soldering gear. Now I love their desoldering tool. Love it. I threw the soldering station away and bout one of these. The Weller is the best that I personally have used.

In THAT case.....

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Hybrid-Soldering-Station-Tool-Only-with-extra-Chisel-Point-Soldering-Tip-P3100-A126CP1/313765846?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&&mtc=SHOPPING-CM-CML-GGL-D25T-025_009_PORT_POWER-NA-RYOBI-NA-SMART-3047250-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-SMARTSHOPPING_PL2&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-CM-CML-GGL-D25T-025_009_PORT_POWER-NA-RYOBI-NA-SMART-3047250-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-SMARTSHOPPING_PL2-71700000083187721-58700007049582706-92700063451361509&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxIOXBhCrARIsAL1QFCZPDkyBQw8xk3xc1kIM0tGM9Mg6quqofMRdT6NLVyDrQDQ7kTN7caAn6KEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

You're missing the point about a PF swap. If your PF rotisserie is different than most people have, having a set station as opposed to a cordless tool is easier. I'm sure you could figure out a way to plant that near your work on a rotisserie, but ease of use is my point. I can set my cordless Milwaukee to the side while switching from bottom soldering to flipping the PF over to finish a task top side. When reattaching a pile of wires to a PF the last thing I want is a power cord in the way. For me, just easier and it's very efficient.

Rough up the surface with a bit of sandpaper.

Also I found that radioshack's 'crystal clear' flux solder worked a lot better. No idea what the formulation on it was though, I bought many rolls of it when RS stores went out.

The sockets need to be clean for solder to stick.

You do need a lot of heat too, that helps a lot. When doing new sockets I use my weller 100w gun, put the bare wire where I want it, use the gun tip to heat up the wire and socket, apply solder, then I take a flat blade screwdriver to hold the joint in place while I remove the iron until it solidifies. It's pretty fast, less than 20 seconds per socket.

My Milwaukee soldering iron.

iron (resized).jpg

I've done swaps and the Hakko has worked fine. You mentioned a cordless one so I answered with a suggestion. And I don't use a rotisserie so (shrug)

I use both

https://hakkousa.com/808-desoldering-tool.html

My goto for soldering and desoldering. it does everything and has been solid for over 10 years now. B+D used to do good-deal group buys on these. I also have the FX-888 for board work. The consumables are available at Home Depot and they are dependable as all get out. The 888 is great for board work but I am super impatient when it comes to 18AWG wire and light sockets and solenoids. 808 for the win plus it rectifies any and all mistakes.

Shawn

On your Johnny Mnemonic????

Mainly my Catacomb. Although When I switched to yoppsicles on other machines I just used my usual 60W Weller corded.

Johnny Mnuemonic I use in the bathroom to funnel my piss towards the toilet.