I don't know anything about electronics but I just ordered my first soldering iron and am hoping to eventually build myself a new DAC, pre and power amp.
Welcome to the forum! First, learn to solder. Practise, practise, and practise. Secondly, (and you'll probably hate me for this) buy a temperature-controlled iron. They make far better joints... They also have less leakage and are unlikely to damage your delicate silicon.
