Pretty basic question but I am struggling to find the words to get the correct search result. The soldering iron I bought came with very narrow tips that I think are supposed to be used for circuit boards and components.
When I attempt to solder lines from a USB cord together the line never gets warm enough.
I remember in the past soldering copper lines together from an appliance with no issue so I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong in terms of technique but who knows?
Outside of a few specific cases, a standard chisel tip is all you need. Yes, even for surface mount.
The wires found in some thin flexible cables (like USB or headphone cables) are sometimes coated. Solder won’t stick unless you get it hot enough to burn off the coating, or scrape it off before soldering.