I started out my working life modifying PCBs for several months, so I’ve had a good grounding in soldering, as well as having expert tuition and good soldering stations available to me. Still doesn’t stop me from making the occasional mistake. It really is worth while just practising soldering joints until it becomes really easy for you and you get a lot neater. It certainly is a process where you can always do with at least one more hand to hold things, so using tape to hold pieces in place or getting one of those soldering aids with positionable arms and crocodile clips is a good idea.

Glad you finally got it working!