I set some stuff aside and jury-rigged a very ghetto setup so I could solder something, only to realize the solder wasn't melting properly. After some troubleshooting, I realized the tip of my iron is apparently dead. The solder would melt quicky when touching the upper part of the iron tip, but the part that you actually need for soldering wouldn't heat it up enough.
So that's fun. Now to figure out what sort of tip I need for this thing (it was a gift, no idea what brand it is), check my local Lowe's or Home Depot to see if they have the right kind, and order one if they don't. Hopefully that'll fix it, I don't particularly want to have to buy a new iron. 🙃