hahaha, over time I think we have all orbited some component.
As for soldering, I still use a JBC with the finest tip and liters of liquid flux (from JBC too). For the moment I have not had the need to buy a hot air welding station although but.. who knows?
Ok, now seriously, It has taken me little time to weld the components. What has taken me the longest has been to study my boards and see where the changes have occurred (my boards are a primitive V.1), cut the center pin of E88CC sockets, etc. Small details that personally take me quite a while.
I use a microscope connected by USB to the PC like this that works quite well for me.
About the improvements in the current board, I would just like to add connection blocks for wiring. Especially for the voltage.