Protect Yourself (and your table)

Protect Your Eyes

Tiny bits of solder will sometimes fly from your work piece, so keep your eyes covered with glasses. If you're not careful you may also send sharp metal cutoffs flying when clipping them after soldering. Wear eye protection at all times.

Protect Your Lungs (Flux Fumes)

The fumes that rise while soldering - though they don't contain lead, as many people believe - are still hazardous to your health if you breath them frequently.

If you're working in a well ventilated area, use a fan to blow them away from your face.

Alternatively, especially if your area isn't as well ventilated, you can use a fan with a carbon filter to suck the fumes into the filter and away from your face. You can tape a carbon filter to a computer case fan, or search for "soldering fan" in your favorite marketplace.

Protect Your Table

Unless you're working on a rough workbench that you don't mind damaging, put down some newspapers and cover at least 60cm (~2 ft) in each direction. Little balls of solder will sometimes go flying when you're making a solder joint.