Weller WLC100 for <$40 isn't bad. Nice to have adjustabilty.
Sparkfun.com has some good tutorials, I believe. Get some old circuit boards to practice on: Get some solder wick to remove components and solder them back on.
I'm relatively new to soldering as well. I've found Sparkfun's Soldering 101 tutorial (How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering - SparkFun Learn) to be quite helpful. Unfortunately, I still have a hard time working on smaller components because minor shaking in my hands is amplified along the length of the iron. Has anyone else had similar experiences or have suggestions for dealing with this type of problem?
Soldering equipment and material is but just one part of successful soldering. The other is proper technique which one learns with experience and practice. Remember you have to heat up the pan before you stick the meat in. That also applies to other activities.
Note about the weller 100.. nice iron and all..stable..
but getting very small/tiny tips is a NO GO... at least not like needle point or anything..ST7 I believe it smallest I could find.. unless another brand/size will work??????