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Long time lurker here who just wanted to share my soldering experience.
Now as Bob and some others have said...
Right... use flux & dont be afraid to use plenty of it.
Besides being a "cleaner" it also aids in heat transfer from the tip of your iron to the solder you're trying to flow.
You don't wanna gop it on but use it liberally, spread it all over your contacts/pads (where you want the solder to flow).
Just like with plumbing you want a solid bond without leaks (or when dealing with electronics, intermittent connections) so you clean the joint to ensure a good bond (cold solder joints can play hell with electronic repairs).
You use sand paper to make the joint physically clean & the flux ensures your bond will be chemically clean.
A little oil from a leaking cap can cause problems with the solder sticking properly so that's where the flux is necessary to clean away the oil & it also makes the solder flow like a pro (watch some youtube videos of soldering IC's by hand).
Since this isn't plumbing sanding shouldn't really be necessary as these small boards are usually kept in conditions where oxidation shouldn't be a big problem so just a little bit of flux should do just fine (otherwise you risk damaging the traces on the board from sanding).
The trick to a good bond is to get your iron up to temp then get in & get out.
Overheating the pad by taking too long can cause the copper trace to lift off the board which complicates the repair so if you're new to soldering then practice on old electronics till you get the hang of it & your timing is where it needs to be.
I get alotta boards out of TV's, stereo's, computers, etc from a junk man friend of mine to experiment with.
He says you can find electronic stuff in the trash just about anywhere.
I have re-purposed lots of it (buttons, switches, potentiometers, film caps, etc) & have modded many guitar pedals & stuff with all the junk he brings me. I guess I'm doing my part to be "green" & recycle.
It's important to get comfortable reflowing solder around transformers & other components to get a feel for your equipment & what sorta time is involved before jumping in both feet first & trashing your board. Once you do that most all mods & repairs will be a breeze to do.
A problem I have noticed when I hear about solder not flowing for people is that most people don't ever re-tin their tip & that can cause heat transfer issues as well.Stop in your nearby electronics shop, they'll have tip tinner & get the proper solder (using plumbing solder is like trying to thread a needle with a rope, it's too big).
Grab a "kester pocket pack" of solder or equivalent.
Most electronic solder should be around .75mm (.031") - 1.0mm (.040") in diameter & be like 60/40% Tin/Lead.
I use "Kester 44" which is 1.0mm (.040") diameter & is 66/44 Tin/Lead. It's like $14usd for a 1lb roll & flows well.
So... Grab some solder, some size 2 desoldering wick (if you don't have a desoldering bulb or vacuum pump for removing excess solder) & a small can of "tip tinner", it's like a compound that prepares your tip if its caked up with carbon.Along with tinning the tip of your iron you should also have a damp sponge at your station as well to remove excess solder from the tip of your iron.
Heat your iron till it's up to temp, then stick it in the tinner. Wipe it clean on the damp sponge & your iron is ready to go.If you've already removed the existing caps then flux the pads on the board, place the desoldering wick on the pad then apply heat with your iron. The flux will melt first then the solder should liquefy quickly after then get absorbed into the wick. Remove the iron & wick while it's still hot to prevent the wick from sticking to the board.Now apply flux on "both" the new cap & the pad on the board.place the cap (in the correct polarity) on the board & touch the iron to each solder joint. It should bond quickly if prepped properly.
Usually there's enough solder left on the pads when removing/replacing existing components but In some cases a small dab of solder is necessary.
You should only need to "tin" components when they're new, like a new board or bare wire.
Replace any other leaking caps or defective parts in the same manner.
If you were patient & careful you should now have a working board again.
Now that's just my opinion & it may vary from others but I've always had good experiences using the above methods.Hope it will help some of you guys & if you need me to clarify anything or have further questions just holler & I'll answer to the best of my ability...
Matt