Hand soldering QFN

I tried last night to hand solder another 28-pin QFN part.  A QFN part has no leads, but rather copper pads are built right into the package.  And the leads are tiny and closely spaced.  On top of that, many QFN parts have a big ground "paddle" under the part.  This should be soldered down.  Atmel FAQ explains why.

So I'll give you the summary right up front: use reflow soldering for QFN.

Hand soldering SMT components

Below is based on an email that describes how I do hand soldering of SMT.  I'll try to add a few photos soon.

I use a temperature controlled iron with a good tip, set to 315C.  A temperature controlled soldering iron with a good tip is KEY!