Steve: for step 7, the reason solder doesn’t “cling” to the parts is either because they’re dirty / oxidized, or they’re not hot enough (more likely). If there’s no solder between the iron tip and the parts, little heat will transfer, so resting the tip against the parts may not do anything. Usually the “tinning” step will provide a film of solder on the tip that helps to transfer heat to the part, but not if the iron tip is older and the solder balls up on it rather than coating it. I usually start by putting a very small amount of solder in between the parts and iron tip to form a “heat bridge,” then I apply small amounts of solder to the opposite side of the part. Smaller size solder can help a lot to prevent adding too much on. Hope this helps and isn’t stuff you already know!

Someone mentioned a video for soldering basics. We’ve got a fairly short one with lots of close-up shots of good and bad technique here: http://www.curiousinventor.com/guides/How_To_Solder

Also with the solder wick, place the wick over the joint, apply heat until the solder gets sucked into the wick and without removing the soldering iron from the wick, pull the wick carefully. If the wick cools and the solder solidifies it will stick to the board, forcefully removing the wick at this point will likely lift pads and damage the board.