Yeah we did.
There'll come a time the OP will need to revisit their work.
When that time comes, and the connection needs to be redone, there are better ways ( in my opinion)...
1) Clean all the old crusty metal slag away with a small file and sandpaper, so that the metal is clean and shiny.
2) Use a big, heavy and hot soldering iron. The little irons that are made for printed circuit board work haven't enough thermal reserve to get the job done well. (I can see that you've used too small an iron for your work.)
When joining 2 pieces of metal, clean them both as above ( if necessary) and "tin" them with a little coat of solder first.
Then, bring the 2 tinned parts together and apply the hot iron to heat them. Get some more solder over them by heating the parts to be joined and using their heat to melt the solder.
When the job goes well, the solder will flow smoothly over the work.
Get practice with your soldering iron! Solder was the main form of welding a few hundred years ago, and it's still a useful skill.
