Andrew, I can dig it. Out of general compulsiveness I've always used a heat sink paste called Thermo Sink or something like that I get from TKS. There's a caveat on the tube to the effect not to leave it on your metal too long, so you may not want to risk your temper line.
But I suggested it because in a conversation with Cory McAlpin, he described his method of soldering, and here's how I remember it. Cory, slap me if I get it wrong!
Set the blade in your vice tip up (getting the guard to stay in position is left to your ingenuity), and heat from the *top* while adding solder from underneath... (Yes, this is contrary to every other suggestion, but Cory does things like that and they always turn out just fine, which I'm sure you've seen.) Since the solder will travel toward the heat, it'll wick right into your joint and you won't have all the over solder.
That's the theory, and I've seen Cory's results and will stand by em. Personally, soldering has been so traumatic for me it's easier on my psyche to just make a solderless joint.
Before I turned chicken I did it pretty much like Bruce, only I had a terrycloth rag ready, and wiped the extra solder off the blade and guard while it was still molten. Then it was a snap (relatively speaking) to buff the remaining thin film off with my Dremel and its red compound.
Dave
